News Releases and Statements

An investigation by ICE Homeland Security Investigations New York, in coordination with federal partners, has resulted in the extradition of a United Kingdom citizen to face charges related to an alleged $99 million wine fraud scheme.

Ovidio Guzman Lopez, who succeeded his father — Joaquin Guzman Loera, also known as El Chapo — as one of the heads of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Chicago to federal drug charges.

ICE Homeland Security Investigations Buffalo personnel, in coordination with United States Border Patrol, arrested an illegally present Cuban national with several criminal convictions, including sexual abuse of a child under age 11 and aggravated assault with a weapon.

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation resulted in the July 10 sentencing of Hugo Hernandez-Velazquez, the leader of a Mexican sex trafficking organization, to 188 months’ imprisonment for sex trafficking multiple victims by force, fraud and coercion. The defendant was extradited from Mexico to the United States in February 2021.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 1,361 illegal aliens in the Houston area during the month of June who are currently charged with, or have been convicted of, a criminal offense after illegally entering the United States. Among the criminal aliens arrested were 32 aliens convicted of child sex offenses, 9 aliens convicted for homicide-related offenses, 16 documented members of a transnational gang or drug cartel, and one alien convicted for hijacking an airplane on its way to Key West from Cuba.

An investigation by ICE Homeland Security Investigations New York, alongside several partners, has resulted in an indictment charging two men for their alleged roles in operating and promoting OmegaPro, an international investment scheme that defrauded victim investors of over $650 million.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is warning New York residents to beware after two recent arrests – and a third in the last nine months – of illegally present Chinese nationals attempting to defraud elderly New York residents out of tens of thousands of dollars.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Buffalo is keeping New York safe by identifying and arresting criminal aliens and other individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws. On July 7, ICE officers arrested the following two criminal aliens convicted of heinous felonies against innocent New Yorkers.

An ICE Boston immigration enforcement operation led to a federal charge for an illegally present, 53-year-old Dominican alien, who has previous convictions for weapons and drug crimes. A federal grand jury indicted Antonio Gonzales for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

A Honduran national unlawfully residing in the United States was sentenced July 9 for his leadership role in a massive alien smuggling conspiracy that spanned three years and involved thousands of aliens from over 11 different countries. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Del Rio and various federal and state law enforcement agencies in South Texas conducted the investigation.

The Salvadoran national is a criminal alien wanted in El Salvador for the aggravated homicide of five victims; attempted aggravated homicide; deprivation of liberty; and terrorist organization affiliation.

A Georgia woman was sentenced for smuggling several firearms and magazines hidden in a vehicle’s gas tank following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Rio Grande Valley.

More than 100 individuals were encountered during the customs compliance inspection led by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and ICE Newark. Twenty of the individuals were identified as illegal aliens, natives from multiple South American countries, and five of those aliens were issued final orders of removal by an immigration judge.

The FBI has arrested 10 of the 11 suspects, and the Johnson County Sheriff has confirmed that each now face local charges of terrorism, aggravated assault on a public servant with a deadly weapon, or aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against a peace officer. The final suspect is still at large.

An investigation by ICE Homeland Security Investigations Buffalo has resulted in the July 1 arrest of 43-year-old Matthew White. White, of Jamestown, New York, was charged by criminal complaint with communicating interstate threats for allegedly making social media posts threatening to kill ICE personnel. In one post, he allegedly threatened to target an individual’s children.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s acting Director Todd M. Lyons, who serves as the current Five Eyes Law Enforcement Group’s chair, is hosting the group’s Annual Principals Meeting next week in San Diego. Representatives from five countries will meet to discuss emergent technology and growing impacts on global safety.

Following a three-week trial in December 2024, a jury found Larry J. Williams, Jr., 44, also known as “J Streets” and “J”, guilty of all 16 counts as charged against him in a second superseding indictment in September 2021.

Acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons responds to Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) calling U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a “terrorist force.”

Richard Rindeikis, 44, was sentenced July 2 by a federal judge to 120 months for his role in a human smuggling event. Rindeikis was arrested Nov. 18, 2024. He pleaded guilty Feb. 5 to one count for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens.

"The unprecedented funding for ICE will enable my hard-working officers and agents to continue making America safe again by identifying, arresting and removing the most dangerous criminal aliens from our communities," said ICE acting Director Todd M. Lyons.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations Newark and multiple federal, state and local partners made 18 arrests of alleged co-conspirators for roles in a drug trafficking organization on July 1 in Newark, New Jersey.

Joshua Lee Balderas, 33, was sentenced for to various counts related to human smuggling. He was arrested Oct. 28, 2022, and found guilty on all counts by a federal jury on Oct. 11, 2024.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Dallas apprehended Maria Julia Varela, a 36-year-old El Salvadoran national, with connections to MS-13 and Barrio 18 transnational gangs June 30.

U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia sentenced Felipe Orduna-Torres to life in prison and a $250,000 fine, and Armando Gonzales-Ortega to 83 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Both defendants were found guilty by a federal jury in March for three counts related to the transportation of aliens within the United States resulting in death, causing serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy.

An investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement led to the sentencing of Amos Oluremi Nureni, 43, to 10 years in prison followed by four years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.