News Releases and Statements

Ronny Lee Waldrip, 64, of Douglasville, Georgia, pleaded guilty Nov. 7, 2014, to one count of sexually exploiting a minor outside the United States for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct.

Representatives from the Honolulu Museum of Art Wednesday transferred seven rare antiquities to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) after an ongoing international smuggling probe by HSI determined the objects had likely been looted from India and brought to the U.S. illegally.

Alan L. Mapuatuli, 44, of Long Beach, California, was found guilty of distribution of crystal methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute crystal methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Yakov Meir Chazanow, 41, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi to serve 21 months in prison for conspiring to commit criminal copyright infringement, manufacturing counterfeit goods and to trafficking in goods bearing counterfeit Dolby trademarks and counterfeit labels.

Derek M. West, 32, of Waipahu, is accused of three counts of producing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. He was arraigned following his indictment and pleaded not guilty.

Ronny Lee Waldrip, 63, originally came under suspicion after he traveled to Honolulu in February 2012. Upon his arrival, law enforcement discovered Waldrip brought a laptop computer containing sexually explicit photos and videos of minors, including videos showing Waldrip engaging in sexually explicit conduct with minor females.

Adrian Gamble, of Galveston, Tex., was found Thursday morning at a location on Komohana street in Kapolei. In September 2008, Gamble was charged with engaging in sexual contact with a child younger than 17.

Brandon C. Haleamau, 28, admitted to trafficking illegal fireworks, possessing a stolen firearm and structuring of funds. In addition to the prison term, Senior U.S. District Court Judge Helen Gillmor also ordered Haleamau to forfeit more than $345,000 in cash and three vehicles related to the structuring conviction.

Ponzi scheme cost victims more than $1.6 million

A former Kauai doctor has been sentenced to 12 years and seven months in prison on multiple counts of illegally dispensing controlled substances following a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations.

Simon Jasper McCarty, 39, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright. McCarty admitted that between 2005 and 2007, he molested three different prepubescent boys outside of the United States and produced videos of the molestation.

Diego Mata Sanchez, who was wanted in his native country of Costa Rica for raping a 3-year-old child a decade ago, is facing deportation following his capture Friday night by the U.S. Marshals and agents from ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

A clerk at the Honolulu Driver's License Department and a local driving instructor have been indicted on federal fraud charges stemming from a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) into allegations they sold legitimate Hawaii driver's licenses to illegal aliens.

Twenty-four civilian contract employees working on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam were arrested for outstanding warrants Wednesday and Thursday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

John Tai, of Carson, Calif., pleaded not guilty this week to charges in a superseding indictment accusing him and eight others of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and related methamphetamine-trafficking offenses.

Federal agents executed two search warrants here Friday morning and arrested Gifford Chang, 44, of Honolulu in connection with an ongoing fireworks smuggling investigation tied to a deadly explosion in a storage bunker earlier this month in Waikele Gulch. The agents were with U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)...

With the Pro Bowl kickoff fast approaching, special agents with U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) here in the host city seized more than 135 items of counterfeit NFL apparel Wednesday in an operation targeting vendors at two popular Honolulu-area swap meets, including one based at the stadium where Sunday's game will be played.