News Releases and Statements
News Releases and Statements
On March 20, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Robert Davis, a 67-year-old naturalized citizen of the United States, born in Malaysia, with naturalization fraud.
Partnerships with foundations like Operation Light Shine will allow law enforcement agencies to better serve Northeast Florida communities and the many victims of human trafficking.
Steven Lee Carty, 55, of Live Oak, was previously convicted of possessing, receiving and distributing child sex abuse images and has been ordered to pay $19,000 in restitution to his victims.
Rayvon Birden, 26, of Raleigh, North Carolina, entered the guilty plea on March 13 at the U.S. District Court in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Alfonso Salcido Herrera, 46, pleaded guilty in federal court to the same charge on March 30, 2023.
In addition, Sam David Harris Jr., 38, of Middleburg, must serve a lifetime of supervised release. The court also ordered Harris to pay $65,500 in restitution to the victims of his offenses. Harris pleaded guilty on Sept. 21, 2023.
Eric Lavon Williams, 36, of Pima, pleaded guilty to one count of knowing access of child pornography on July 12, 2023. When Williams is released from prison, he will be on supervised release for the remainder of his life and will be required to register as a sex offender.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment March 5 charging Verena May Mathis, 24, of Capitol Heights, with sexual exploitation of a child and with child sex trafficking.
HSI's C3 Child Exploitation Investigations Unit conducted Operation Renewed Hope II, from Feb. 26 through March 8, resulting in the location and positive identification of 19 previously unknown child sexual abuse victims, which includes 8 victims rescued from active abuse.
ICE ERO Chicago arrested 28 noncitizens with sex offense convictions during a nationwide law enforcement effort that netted 275 noncitizen sex offenders. The operation ran from Feb. 5 to Feb. 16.
The court also sentenced Dominic Lawrence Carsi, 34, Naples, to a term of supervised release for life and ordered him to register as a sex offender. Carsi pleaded guilty Oct. 31, 2023.
ERO New York City Fugitive Operations officers apprehended 32 unlawfully present noncitizens convicted of sex offenses during a nationwide law enforcement effort from Feb. 5 to Feb. 16.
On Feb. 29, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico indicted Kiara Ramos Melendez, 29, with one count of coercion and enticement of a minor and one count of receipt of child exploitation material.
According to court documents, from December 2022 through Jan. 25, 2023, Marrero Casanova used a cellphone and instant messaging services to persuade, induce, entice and coerce two 15-year-old boys to engage in sexual activity so he could produce a visual depiction of it.
On Aug. 2, 2023, HSI agents notified the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Apprehension Team that they had discovered Joshuah Cruz Eberhart, 25, of Clay Springs, was distributing child sex abuse material online.
Ryan N. Curving, a 50-year-old resident of Texas City, was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to 10 years in federal prison and was further ordered to pay $5,000 assessments to both the Justice for Victims Trafficking Act and the Amy, Vicky and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act, for a total of $10,000 in penalties.
Jesse James Bertetto, 30, of Webster, was also ordered to register as a sex offender and pay $74,500 in restitution after a federal jury found him guilty on April 12, 2023.
ICE ERO New Orleans officers apprehended six unlawfully present noncitizen sex offenders during a nationwide law enforcement effort that netted 275 noncitizens that ran from Feb. 5 to Feb. 16.
Ulysses Rubalcava, 34, of Weslaco, pleaded guilty Oct. 31, 2023, and was sentenced Feb. 20. At the hearing, the court noted his remorse, but explained how society deems these crimes as particularly heinous and that the court must protect children and the public to deter this type of crime.
Dominick Nardone, 45, of Orlando, was previously convicted of a child sexual exploitation offense. He now faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years and up to 20 years in federal prison.
Saoud Al Naimi, 21, who was in the United States on a student visa and attending a local college, was ordered by the court to forfeit three iPhones, an iPad Pro and a MacBook, which were used in the commission of the offense. Al Naimi was also ordered to register as a sex offender. Al Naimi entered a guilty plea on August 22, 2023.
John W. Balch, 76, of Jacksonville, received the six-decade sentence Jan. 26 at the U.S. District Court in Baltimore.
Robert James Alden, a 37-year-old San Leon resident, was ordered to pay $22,000 in restitution to known victims and will serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term.
The HSI investigation revealed that from 2021 through 2022, a now-15-year-old minor living in Texas and another minor engaged in sexual intercourse and then sold videos and images of these sexual encounters on the internet through various internet-based social and messaging applications.
Daniel Phillip Beckman, 46, of Watson, Missouri, received the sentence of 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for receipt of child sexual abuse material.
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