News Releases and Statements

Eighteen members and associates of a white supremacist gang, the Universal Aryan Brotherhood, were charged in federal court Thursday for their alleged roles in conspiring in a racketeering enterprise, kidnapping, and drug conspiracy.

On Tuesday, Feb. 12, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Casa Grande and the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office arrested 45-year-old Scott Buckley of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Oscar Antonio Rosas-Alas, 23, was arrested without incident by ICE deportation officers in Eagle County, Colorado, on March 19, 2018.  Rosas-Alas is a fugitive wanted on an Interpol warrant for aggravated extortion; he is described in the warrant as being armed and dangerous, an escape risk and having violent tendencies.

The Philippine nationals were arrested for violations of the Philippine Republic Act 10364 (RA 10364) Expanded Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012, in relation to Republic Act 10175, Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, Philippine Republic Act 9775 (RA 9775), Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009, and Philippine Republic Act 9208 (RA 9208) as amended by RA 10364, Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.  RA 9208 is a no-bail offense and if convicted, they will be sentenced to life imprisonment. 

On July 9, 2018, ERO deportation officers arrested Benitez-Flores in Bayshore, New York, on immigration charges. On Jan. 29, 2019, Benitez-Flores was ordered removed by an immigration Judge in New York City, paving the way for his removal to El Salvador.

Representatives from a variety of federal and state law enforcement agencies, as well as nonprofit organizations hit the streets of Charlotte early Thursday morning to target potential human traffickers and aid victims in the hours leading up to NBA All-Star 2019.

Josue Eduardo Cota, 33, of Douglas, Ariz., was sentenced Feb. 13, to serve 720 months in prison for producing and distributing child pornography following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Saul Ernesto Orellana-Jandres, 25, is wanted by Salvadoran authorities for membership to a terrorist organization.

During the operation, 26 individuals working at the market were determined to be in the United States without authorization. They were temporarily taken into custody and released pending the outcome of their immigration case.

William Derek Williams, 39, of Cameron, Missouri, was charged with three counts of producing child pornography, involving three different minor victims, from Jan. 1, 2013, to Sept. 6, 2018. Williams is also charged with one count of possessing child pornography.

Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, the boss of the Sinaloa Cartel, also known by various aliases, including “El Chapo” and “El Rapido,” was convicted Tuesday by a federal jury in Brooklyn of being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise, a count that includes 26 drug-related violations and one murder conspiracy, through his leadership of the Mexican organized crime syndicate known as the Sinaloa Cartel.

On Feb 7, while investigating a suspicious yola-type vessel in Vieques, HSI and CBP special agents and officers, respectively, learned that a Coast Guard air unit, while on a routine patrol, detected another incoming vessel at approximately 10 nautical miles south of Vieques.

Don Hyun Choi departed the U.S. and was turned over to South Korean law enforcement authorities for the aforementioned criminal convictions.

ICE's HSI office partnered with Clear Channel Outdoor on a Tampa Bay area human trafficking awareness outreach campaign utilizing billboards across the region.

The drugs, which consisted of three containers targeted for inspection, were seized at the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport by officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on January 11 – intercepting the shipment before it could reach Australian shores.

Funes-Herrera, 52, came into ICE custody Sept. 5, 2018, after apprehension by the U.S. Border Patrol.  At that time, he was detained, and placed into removal proceedings.

Timothy Robert Beasley, 51, from Del Rio, Texas, was sentenced Feb. 8 by U.S. District Judge Alia Moses who ordered Beasley to serve 120 months in prison. In addition, Beasley must also serve 10 years of supervised release after he completes his prison term; he must also pay $20,000 restitution to his victims. On Nov. 30, 2016, Beasley pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography.

Michael Kyle Sewell, 18, was charged Feb. 8 by criminal complaint with conspiring to provide material support and resources to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani-based foreign terrorist organization.

ICE's HSI Boston Special Agent Michael Morizio was the featured presenter at a well-attended Feb. 5, anti-human trafficking professionals networking and education event hosted by the western Massachusetts division of the Office of the Massachusetts State Attorney General, which focused on effective practices in the identification and combating of human trafficking in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Marvin Yovani Mejia-Ramos – aka Martin Jose Romos-Ramirez, aka Ricardo Rodriguez-Morales – 50, an illegal alien from Honduras who has used multiple aliases and countries of origin, was charged Feb. 6 with illegal re-entry by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.

Four companies and three individuals have agreed to plead guilty to federal criminal charges related to the illegal importation and sale of $11 million worth of pharmaceutical-grade erectile dysfunction drugs that were falsely marketed as herbal remedies for men. Federal prosecutors today filed two new cases against distributors of the misbranded drugs.

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a federal crime, and any involvement in committing this crime is a serious human rights violation which may result in imprisonment and potential removal from the United States. Individuals suspected of FGM/C, including sending girls overseas to be cut, may be investigated by the HRVWCC and prosecuted accordingly.