News Releases and Statements

HSI San Juan special agents arrested Luis Javier Perez-Badillo, a 49-year-old man from Aguadilla, whom a federal grand jury indicted April 10.

If convicted, Gary Dale Thrasher, 56, faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison on the bank fraud counts, a maximum of 10 years of imprisonment for the passport fraud offenses, and a two-year minimum mandatory term of imprisonment for aggravated identity theft.  

Jose Lainez-Martinez, 29, a Salvadoran national residing in Silver Spring, received the 24-year prison sentence March 26 after pleading guilty to his participation in a racketeering conspiracy, which included a murder, related to his activities as part of the MS-13 gang.

Miguel Angel Garcia, 26, of San Antonio, was sentenced April 10 to 324 months of incarceration, a lifetime of supervised release and victim restitution of $30,000. Garcia pleaded guilty March 22, 2023, to production of child sexual abuse material.

The U.S. government transferred a shipment of weapons seized from Iran, intended to arm terrorist forces in Yemen, into the hands of the Ukrainian government April 4 to help equip Ukrainian armed forces in their fight against Russian invaders.

If convicted on both counts, Kyle Burbank, 32, of Belleview, faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison, including a five-year minimum mandatory term of imprisonment on each count.

Imran Siddiqi, 40, of North Port, faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, including a 10-year minimum mandatory sentence if convicted on all counts.

Caleb Eduardo Gomez-Sanchez, 35, was sentenced by a federal judge on April 10 to serve 324 months in prison. Gomez-Sanchez pleaded guilty on Sept. 13, 2021, to possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

Eugene Edward Golden, 37, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty March 21 to conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of a child and to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child in order to produce and transmit a visual depiction of the sexually explicit conduct.

Marco Jesus Perales, 27, of Carrizo Springs, was arrested June 30, 2020, and pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child sexual abuse material on June 24, 2021. He was sentenced April 9 to 151 months in federal prison following his conviction.

Joseph Alex Hernandez, 27, of Austin, was sentenced on April 4 to 192 months for transporting noncitizens resulting in death and 120 months for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The two sentences will run concurrently. Hernandez pleaded guilty Oct. 23, 2023.

Oscar Efrain Zavala-Urrea, 23, a Salvadoran national residing in Silver Spring, received the 25-year prison sentence March 19 for his participation in a racketeering conspiracy that included a murder related to his activities as part of the notorious MS-13 street gang.

Director Lechleitner also met with Homeland Security Investigations special agents and Enforcement and Removal Operations officers in Allentown in a townhall.

April 7 marks the commemoration of the Rwandan genocide, where 500,000 to one million Rwandan lives were taken in a 100-day mass killing campaign directed at Rwanda’s minority Tutsi community. Moderate Hutus and others who opposed the killings were also killed during that period.

Eleazar Vilchiz Alonso, 62, pleaded guilty April 2 before U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo.

Juan Carlos Munoz, 42, of Mission, pleaded guilty March 29 before U.S. District Judge Ricardo H. Hinojosa.

HSI San Juan special agents executed four arrest warrants in the Llorens Torres public housing in San Juan after a U.S. District Judge for the District Court of Puerto Rico District signed a criminal complaint charging Luis Nomar Isaac Sanchez, Joshua Enrique Bula Cartagena, Kevin Manuel Bonilla Ramirez and Eli Yaniel Couvertier Pollock with illegal possession of a machine gun and aiding and abetting. During the operation, HSI arrested Couvertier Pollock, who is now in custody.

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.

ERO Philadelphia removed Angel Anibal Alvarado Benitez, a citizen of El Salvador with a final order of removal, on March 22. Alvarado Benitez, 75, is wanted by law enforcement authorities in El Salvador for murder and other crimes.

Gerardo Rafael Perez Jr. aka “Jerry,” 23, Luis Matias Leal aka “Wicho” aka “Poncho” aka “El Tio,” 30, Antonio Osiel Casarez, 26, Francisco Alejandro Benavides aka “Frankie,” 23, and Mark Anthony Trevino Jr., 24, all were charged in an indictment for one count of conspiracy to traffic firearms, which carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison, and one count of conspiracy to straw purchase firearms with a maximum penalty of 25 years of imprisonment.

Eric Tabaro Nshimiye, a/k/a Eric Tabaro Nshimiyimana, 52, of Uniontown, Ohio, has been charged in a criminal complaint with falsifying, concealing and covering up a material fact by trick, scheme or device, obstruction of justice, and perjury following an investigation by HSI New England special agents.

Jacob Andrew Mendoza, 37, from Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico was sentenced to 420 months in prison for importing and possessing methamphetamines.

U.S. District Judge Alia Moses imposed the following sentences on four defendants: Eva Maria Galeas, 43, was sentenced to 180 months in prison and Lisa Marie Ortega, 25, was sentenced to 156 months in prison. Both are from San Antonio, Texas; Sandra Galeas-Mejia, 48, from Mexico was sentenced to 84 months in prison; and Norma Galeas-Mejia, 52, from Honduras, was sentenced to 78 months. Judge Moses also ordered the forfeiture of $603,593, which was discovered in a safe during the home search of Roberto Galeas-Mejia, Eva Maria Galeas and Lisa Marie Ortega. Additionally, Galeas and Ortega were assessed money judgement in the amounts of $97,668 and $21,388, respectively.

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. 

HSI Jacksonville, CCSO, the FHP – Bureau of Criminal Investigations and Intelligence and IRS-CI, determined Christopher Leo Daragjati, of Middleburg, Florida, frequently obtained PII, including the Social Security numbers of multiple victims, to apply for U.S. SBA's PPP loan forgiveness program, as well as fraudulently file multiple tax returns in different stolen identities.