News Releases and Statements

Stephen Cutter of Grand Rapids, Mich., was sentenced to seven years in federal prison Tuesday on charges of receiving child pornography, following an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations. HSI special agents discovered hundreds of images of child pornography on media storage devices in his possession.

Michael Ray Borah of Arlington, Texas, pleaded guilty Wednesday to an indictment charging one count of possessing child pornography.

David Ruben Rodriguez-Servan, a registered sex offender in Florida who failed to register as such in Puerto Rico, was arrested by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents Tuesday at his place of residence in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, for possession of child pornography.

Mario Carballo, a citizen of El Salvador, was sentenced to 18 months in prison Tuesday for transporting illegal aliens for profit through Mississippi, following an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Mississippi Highway Patrol.

"Two operators of the ""Welcome to Hell"" stash house pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracy to harbor aliens. The guilty pleas resulted from an investigation involving local law enforcement officers and federal authorities that were sent to a residence in Edinburg, Texas, May 2 after a 911 caller indicated he was being held against his will..."

Erik Khan, 32, of Las Cruces, was arrested on a criminal complaint charging him with distributing, receiving and possessing child pornography. Khan, who has been employed as a basketball coach at a Las Cruces middle school, made his initial appearance in federal court in Las Cruces May 23 and is being held without bond.

A former U.S. ICE Top 10 Most Wanted fugitive, Veniamin Gonikman, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison for crimes related to an international conspiracy to compel women to work in exotic dance clubs in metropolitan Detroit.

Okey Belcher of Columbus, Ohio was sentenced Wednesday to nine years in prison for knowingly receiving visual images of child pornography after he recorded cellphone video of a child in a Grove City WalMart restroom.

Stephen Graham-Wright was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison Wednesday on child sexual exploitation charges. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents conducted forensics examinations of computers belonging to Graham-Wright, which revealed video footage of Graham-Wright and a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

This week, two special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) were honored for the work on Operation Delego - the significant criminal investigation that helped dismantle an online child exploitation network called Dreamboard.

The ringleader of an alien smuggling organization, responsible for the death of five people as a result of a head-on collision involving a semitractor trailer with six illegal aliens in the cab, was sentenced to 16 years and eight months in federal prison following an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Twenty-four individuals were charged Wednesday as part of an international car theft ring responsible for the exportation of stolen vehicles to various West African countries. The case was investigated by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Alan Verschleisser, 66, and James Robinson, 41, both of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to their participation in the conspiracy and were sentenced to three years in prison and 33 months in prison.

Michael D. Arnett of Roeland Park, Kan., is charged with one count of producing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.

A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment Wednesday, charging Andrew Dale McKee with two counts of attempted enticement of a minor and one count of transferring obscene material to a minor (via Facebook).

Juan Ricardo Puente-Paez was sentenced to seven years and 11 months in federal prison for trafficking firearms, ammunition and military vests, following an investigation that began in May 2010 conducted by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

ICE's Homeland Security Investigations special agents and New York Police Department (NYPD) officers swarmed a six-story building in the heart of Chinatown Monday evening with search warrants to seize proceeds from an illegal gambling parlor. Nearly half of the building was used for illegal gambling activities.

Fernando Alejandro Cano Martinez, a Mexican businessman from Ciudad Victoria, Mexico, was indicted Tuesday following a multi-agency Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation. This indictment stems from a long-term investigation targeting alleged money laundering activities inside the United States.

This case was investigated by HSI, with assistance provided by the Mississippi Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Glenda Haynes, Southern District of Mississippi.

Three individuals were sentenced to federal prison Tuesday for their roles in an alien smuggling scheme that resulted in the death of a 70 year-old woman when an SUV carrying smugglers and illegal aliens crashed through the victim's home. The investigation was conducted by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations.

Markos Baghdasarian, the president of a South Carolina-based firm specializing in synthesized motor oils, was arrested Saturday for exporting goods from the United States to Iran without the required U.S. Department of the Treasury licenses, following an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of Commerce...

Jeffrey Wayne Day was sentenced Monday to 15 years in federal prison, following his guilty plea in October 2011 to one count of transporting and shipping child pornography. A forensic examination of the computer equipment seized from Day's residence revealed more than 20,000 images and videos of child pornography.

Fifty-five individuals in 20 countries, including the United States, have been identified as part of a multi-agency, international operation targeting individuals using social networking groups to exchange child pornography. During the investigation, 12 children were also identified and removed from harm.

Gregory Joel Sitzmann, a drug trafficker believed to have been operating since at least the 1980s, was convicted by a jury Monday of a federal drug conspiracy charge for his role as the leader of an international drug trafficking and money laundering ring that operated at least 14 years out of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Bahamas...

Bryan Martin of Portland, Texas, was sentenced Monday to 10 years in federal prison for using a telephone and a computer connected to the Internet to coerce and entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. The joint investigation was conducted by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations and the Corpus Christi Police Department.