News Releases and Statements

Henry Gibbs, 54, a United States citizen, is charged with conspiracy to produce identification documents without lawful authority and bribery concerning agencies receiving federal funds.  The charge of conspiracy carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine; and the charges of bribery concerning agencies receiving federal funds carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Smith Olsola Akin, 34, of Plano, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering in May 2016. Judge Lynn sentenced Akin to 135 months in federal prison.

Luis Carlos-Reyes, 37, an illegal alien from Mexico, was sentenced Tuesday by Senior U.S. District Judge Roslyn O. Silver. Carlos-Reyes pleaded guilty March 29 to two counts of aggravated identity theft.

Eleno Quinteros Jr., 45, of Chula Vista, admitted he falsely certified he had received no payments from the mechanics, when in fact he had illegally demanded and collected hundreds of thousands of dollars of fees from approximately 85 of them. 

Alexander Fiodor Levin, 50, from Canada, entered a guilty plea Aug. 4 before U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo. Judge Marmolejo has set his sentencing for Nov. 27. Levin faces up to 10 years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. He will remain in custody pending that hearing.

Javier Canizalez-Hernandez, 40, a citizen of Honduras, previously admitted during his guilty plea to using the Social Security number that was not assigned to him to obtain a Louisiana Identification card from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in Houma.

Jose Arizmendi, 54, a native of Mexico, pleaded guilty in April 1996 to aggravated sexual assault of a child in the District Court of Harris County, Texas. When Arizmendi applied for naturalized U.S. citizenship later that month — and again when he was interviewed in connection with his application in October 1996 — he answered “no” when asked if he had “ever been arrested, cited, charged, indicted, convicted, fined, or imprisoned for breaking or violating any law or ordinance excluding traffic regulations.”

Ernesto Gerardo Fernandez-Carranza, 33, of Las Vegas, and Alicia Herrera, formerly known as Alicia Alvarado Lopez, 53, of Oakland, California, were charged with three counts of theft; three counts of possession or sale of documents or personal identifying information used to establish fake status or identity; and one count of multiple transactions involving fraud or deceit in the course of an enterprise or occupation.

The lawsuits seek the forfeiture of nine properties: a commercial property in the City of Industry valued at over $3 million; five residences in the cities of Rancho Cucamonga, Arcadia (worth approximately $4 million), Diamond Bar, Riverside and Duarte (valued at $5.5 million); and parcels of land located in Ontario, Indio (worth nearly $6 million) and Rancho Cucamonga (valued at more than $7.7 million).

Victor Leos, 63, of Garland, Texas, faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  Sentencing is set for Aug. 28, 2017.

On May 4, federal and state agents criminally arrested 15 illegal aliens working under false identities at the LNG facility under construction in Cameron, Louisiana.  Earlier in the week, a federal grand jury in Beaumont returned indictments charging these individuals with identity theft, using social security numbers of actual citizens, and making false claims of U.S. citizenship in order to obtain jobs at the facility over the past three years.

A “sham” marriage is a marriage that is entered into for the primary purpose of circumventing U.S. immigration laws. All 11 defendants conspired together in connection with a marriage fraud ring involving arranging “sham” marriages between recruited U.S. citizens and recruited Nigerian nationals. Evidence at trial revealed Alabi searched for and recruited Nigerian nationals at nightclubs.

Jason Shiao, also known as “Zheng Yi Xiao,” 67, who operated the Pasadena-based Jason (USA) International Law Corporation, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer.

Charles Jason Lore, 43, is charged by indictment to have submitted fraudulent forms on behalf of more than 150 clients, claiming a rare exception intended for individuals with extraordinary achievements in the entertainment industry.

Yousif Al Mashhandani (“Yousif”), 35, of Vienna, and Adil Hasan, 38, of Burke, who are full biological brothers, and Enas Ibrahim, 32, also of Burke, who is the wife of Hasan, are all charged with attempting to obtain naturalization contrary to law.

James Merrill, 55, of Ashland, Massachusetts, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to six years in prison and three years of supervised release. In October 2016, Merrill pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy and eight counts of wire fraud. He also agreed to forfeit approximately $140 million and other assets.

According to court documents, Alauddin Ahmed Chowdhury, 65, a citizen and national of Bangladesh, first arrived in the United States unlawfully in 1993. After arriving in the U.S., he applied for asylum using a fraudulent name and date of birth, along with presenting a forged document to the Immigration Judge.

Eleno Quinteros, 45, of Chula Vista, allegedly assisted recruits with obtaining work visas to come to the U.S., and helped many of them pursue legal permanent residency in return for thousands of dollars apiece.

Jessica Rivas, 37 and Eric Job Alva, 39, from San Antonio admitted that between March and May 2015, the couple conspired to collect legal fees from incarcerated illegal aliens and/or their families under false pretenses.

Oswaldo Rafael Cabrera, 48, was originally accused in December 2016 of 22 criminal counts, including grand theft, attempted grand theft, attempted perjury, and conspiracy to engage in the unlawful practice of law. His wife, Maria Marcelina Rodas, 54, who was also convicted in the case, was sentenced to three years’ felony probation for conspiring to violate the Immigration Consultants Act.

Arnoldo Antonio Vasquez, a native of El Salvador, is alleged to have concealed and misrepresented his involvement in the extra-judicial killing of 10 civilians in San Sebastian, El Salvador, in September 1988, when he was an officer in the Salvadoran military.