News Releases and Statements

A Mexican national, murder suspect captured in northern California last month was turned over to Mexican law enforcement personnel Friday at the San Ysidro border crossing by officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations.

Herman H. Kamphuis, from Cedar Springs, Mich., was sentenced Thursday to 145 months in federal prison for traveling from his home to Columbus, Ohio, to have sex with whom he believed to be two pre-teen girls. The sentence follows an investigation conducted by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents have to be prepared for a variety of situations. Around the clock, you'll find them investigating crimes ranging from narcotics trafficking to human smuggling to money laundering. They are also called upon to support the Department of Homeland Security during critical incidents.

Under the terms of the plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico, James Carney Ritterhoff will be sentenced to seven and a half years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender.

An upstate New York man, who was convicted for production and possession of child pornography, was sentenced to 70 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release.

John M. Harris was sentenced today to six months in federal prison for criminal copyright infringement after he admitted he operated a DVD-burning factory from his residence and distributed pirated movies to vendors at the D.C. farmer's market. The sentence is the result of an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

An Ocean Springs, Miss., man was sentenced to eight years in prison Thursday for possession of child pornography, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

A German national wanted in his native country for allegedly using his Florida financial firm to orchestrate a pyramid scheme that defrauded European investors out of more than $100 million was deported Friday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and turned over to German authorities.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), working jointly with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), dismantled a major drug trafficking organization Thursday in Northern Puerto Rico.

This investigation was initiated after HSI Houston conducted an undercover operation where special agents made several purchases of counterfeit Cialis from companies outside the United States

A federal grand jury indicted two Guatemalan nationals Wednesday for conspiring to provide false identity documents so more than 100 illegal aliens could fraudulently obtain driver's and non-driver's licenses from the Department of Revenue license office in St. Joseph, Mo.

Task force members arrested Rafael Gonzalez, 51, a registered sexual predator, on child pornography violations after serving a search warrant at his Palm Bay residence. They discovered images of child pornography on his computer. Forensic analysis of his computer confirmed that he also used the computer to distribute child pornography.

Two North Carolina men, Jose Luis Santos-Garcia and Javier Molina, have been sentenced to federal prison sentences for attempting to export arms and ammunition to Mexico, following an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Jackson County Interdiction Team.

A Nigerian man, Sunday Okechukwu Ogbonu, was arrested and charged Friday for allegedly ingesting 65 pellets totaling about one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of heroin. This investigation is being conducted by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Luis Alberto Alcala, 24, of Laredo, Texas, appeared before Senior U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker and admitted downloading images and videos from child pornography sites.

The leader of a local drug trafficking organization, who distributed hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and transported millions of dollars in drug proceeds to Mexican drug traffickers, was sentenced Wednesday to nearly 22 years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas.

Yael Sanchez-Correa, a Dominican Republic national wanted in Massachusetts for assault with intent to murder and drug trafficking, was arrested by ICE's Enforcement Removal Operations' (ERO) officers Friday in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

"Two women who did business as ""The Purse Lady"" were sentenced in federal court Monday for conspiring to traffic counterfeit merchandise in the Rockford, Ill., area. The sentences resulted from a joint investigation conducted by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bloomington Police Department, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. "

The Hampton Roads-based multi-agency BEST seized another two kilograms of cocaine, plus two kilograms of heroin, concealed within the ceiling of a vessel arriving at the Port of Norfolk this weekend.

Peter Joshua Johns was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for receiving child pornography over the Internet. This case was investigated ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

Two former San Diego-area U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol agents face up to 50 years in prison following their conviction Friday for operating a lucrative human smuggling ring that brought hundreds of Mexicans and Brazilians illegally into the United States using official agency vehicles.

It was the final week of April. An indictment was handed down against 19 violent street gang members who were allegedly tied to multiple murders, robberies and drug trafficking in northern California.

The charges are part of an ongoing HSI-led investigation that originated in Boston.

While targeting a previously deported illegal alien, officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) discovered another illegal alien who was in possession methamphetamine and was allegedly operating a 'chop shop' to dismantle stolen cars.

Hugo Magdaleno was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in federal prison following his April 2012 guilty plea to child pornography charges. Forensic analysis performed on his seized computer equipment by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) revealed more than 6,000 images and hundreds of videos of child pornography.