News Releases and Statements

Cesar Daniel Hernandez-Ortiz, 23, and Angel Gabriel Lopez-Alvarado, 18, remain in federal custody charged with human smuggling. The men, both Mexican nationals unlawfully present in the United States, and 25 undocumented noncitizens were discovered in a stash house in the 200 block of Sofia Place in the Lower Valley.

Thomas Evans, the firearms, defensive tactics and taser instructor for ERO Miami’s Tampa field office, took the top spot in the Pistol Caliber Carbine, C-class during the 2024 U.S. Practical Shooting Association’s Florida State Championships, outshooting 20 other shooters in his class.

If convicted, Michael Andrew Milano, 42, of Merritt Island, faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for each count.

Michael Akame Ngwese Ay Makoge’s co-conspirator, Christian Malik Adrea, 26, of Mitchellville, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft Feb. 26 for his role in the fraud scheme.

Bayron Santos-Recarte, a 25-year-old Honduran national, was charged in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.

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.

Juan Carlos Perlaza Caicedo aka Olindo Perlaza Caicedo aka Gafas, 45, of Colombia pleaded guilty to producing and transporting several tons of cocaine from Colombia to Central America beginning in at least 2002.

If convicted, Reginald Dugger, 42, of Orlando, faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison for the drug offense and up to 15 years in federal prison for the firearm offense.

A superseding indictment was partially unsealed in the Southern District of California March 5 charging alleged drug trafficker Benjamin Madrigal-Birrueta, 22, with murdering two people to prevent them from testifying in drug trafficking cases in federal court in San Diego.

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.

CBP officers and agriculture specialists intercepted two howler monkeys at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge and turned them over to federal authorities. HSI Rio Grande Valley and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initiated a criminal investigation and are working the case together.

Allan Alberto Moreno Trevino, 41, of Mexico, pleaded guilty before a federal judge March 5.

Michael Hart, 58, of San Diego, was arrested March 4 and charged with smuggling potent greenhouse gases into the United States from Mexico and selling them for profit, violating regulations intended to curb the use of greenhouse gases and slow climate change.

Noel Chimezuru Agoha, 40, of Baltimore, received the sentence Feb. 28 for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The judge also ordered Agoha to pay $1 million in restitution.

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.

Charges unsealed Feb. 22 against Faustino Romero De La Cruz, 40, of Santa Barbara, allege that he organized the attempted smuggling of multiple unauthorized immigrants by boat on April 10, 2022, which resulted in the tragic drowning deaths of three passengers.

Luis Alberto Rivera-Leal aka Cowboy, 38, of Mexico, pleaded guilty Feb. 27 to one count of conspiracy to transport noncitizens placing lives in jeopardy.

On Feb. 21, a federal grand jury indicted Jose Rene Murrieta, 30, of Nogales, on one count of smuggling goods from the United States, felony receipt of a firearm, and conspiracy to smuggle firearms out of the United States to promote a felony.

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.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement leadership met with American University’s Center for Warfare Analysis and Evaluation this week.

Esteban Terrazas, 56, pleaded guilty Oct. 27, 2023, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Devin Alan Rhoden aka Denny aka Deviinz, 24, of Pinellas Park, and Berman Jerry Nowlin Jr. aka Repulse aka Zayous, 20, of Huntsville, Alabama, each face a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.

The meth was smuggled through the Eagle Pass Port of Entry on Feb. 18 and was seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations at the Camino Real International Bridge.

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.