News Releases and Statements

Andrew Vincent O'Donnell was sentenced earlier this week to serve three years in federal prison on charges including violating the Arms Export Control Act, in a case investigated by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). O'Donnell had operated an eBay online store through which he sold various gun parts and accessories...

George Valvanis, a New Hampshire man who managed several Dunkin' Donuts stores in Portland, Maine was sentenced in federal court for hiring illegal aliens in a case investigated by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). According to court records, Valvanis knowingly employed illegal aliens to work in his stores between 2001 and 2009.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has officially selected the long-time acting special agent in charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Atlanta to officially assume command as the top investigator in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Carl Skow, 34, of Marietta, Ga., was indicted Aug. 2 for attempting to obtain a minor for the purpose of engaging in a commercial sex act, enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, and possession of child pornography. Skow previously had an initial appearance on a criminal complaint and is currently in custody pending trial.

Edk Kenit and Choimina Lukas, a Micronesian couple living in Longview, Wash., pleaded guilty on Tuesday to document servitude in connection with an investigation involving U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The investigation revealed that the pair compelled the labor of an 18-year-old Micronesian woman.

A special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office in Tampa was named the Gang Investigator of the Year today by the Florida Gang Investigators Association.

A Nantucket, Mass., resident, was sentenced today in federal court on multiple counts of conspiracy, smuggling, and making false statements to federal agents relating to the illegal importation of sperm whale ivory which is used in the trade.

John Whitley Richards, 40, of Clovis, Calif., a former substitute teacher and girls' softball coach at Fresno High School, surrendered to authorities Monday. The second Fresno-area man indicted on child pornography charges is Joshua B. Werner, 26, of Fresno, Calif. Werner was charged July 28 with one count of receiving and sharing images of child pornography.

Brendan Clery was sentenced on Friday to 18 months in prison for knowingly importing approximately $1.4 million in illegal hydro chlorofluorocarbon-22 (HCFC-22), following an investigation by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations(HSI) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Criminal Investigation Division.

Chan Gia Duong and Phung Ca Long, a Vinton, Iowa couple who continued to defy the law even after they had already pleaded guilty to federal charges, was sentenced for multiple federal crimes including health care fraud, tax evasion and harboring illegal aliens. This investigation was led by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)...

"Egyptian archaeological sites, storerooms and other locations are under serious threats of pillage, theft and illicit trafficking. That's why U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) joined forces with the U.S. Embassy to Egypt to present a four-day workshop titled ""Countering Antiquities Trafficking at Egypt's Ports and Borders."""

Angel Landin, a former Selma, Calif., police officer, pleaded guilty Monday to charges of receiving child pornography following an investigation involving U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Oscar Zaraut-Correa, 26, who was arrested in November 2010, pleaded guilty on Jan. 27, 2011, to conspiring to produce and transfer false identification documents and possess a document-making implement.

Alonzo Ramos, 40, a criminal defense lawyer practicing in Laredo, Texas, was sentenced on Monday to 30 months in federal prison and ordered to pay a $30,000 fine following his April guilty plea to interstate travel in aid of racketeering.

A husband and wife, Yuri and Anneri Izurieta, and their company, Naver Trading Corp., were sentenced on Friday for conspiring to dairy products potentially contaminated with harmful bacteria into the United States, following an investigation by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

A 47-year-old man pleaded guilty on Thursday to a violation of the Arms Export Control Act following a U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigation after he imported an unmanned aerial vehicle into the United States and tried to sell it on eBay.

Miguel Guerrero, a member of the Mexican Mafia who was responsible for numerous acts of violence and narcotics smuggling and distribution, was sentenced on Thursday to 18 years in federal prison. This sentence resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of federal, state...

Thirty men, including several with criminal records, were arrested this week during an anti-gang operation conducted by ICE's HSI and the Milwaukee Police Department.

A former Sacramento retailer is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court here Friday afternoon following his arrest on charges of trafficking in counterfeit goods.

Julian Gonzalez of Mission, Texas, was convicted on Friday of receiving child pornography via the Internet after an investigation conducted by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). ICE HSI discovered 136 child pornographic movies of clearly young children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Jose Verduzco of El Paso, Texas was sentenced on July 27 to serve five years in prison, following an investigation conducted by special agents with U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Harrison County Sheriff's Department. During a consensual search of Verduzco's vehicle, deputies discovered five kilograms of cocaine hidden...

Seven law enforcement agencies will receive between $100,000 and $500,000 each as a result of a cash seizure of more than $2 million dollars during a marijuana trafficking investigation led by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

On Thursday, Matthew James Bodden, 25, of Nederland, Texas, pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography in a case investigated by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Beaumont Police Department (BPD) and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO).

Jose Ciro Juarez-Santamaria, a Salvadoran national and MS-13 gang leader, was convicted of prostituting a 12-year-old female with clients throughout northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C, following an investigation by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).