News Releases and Statements

Officials flew Omar Martinez-Suarez, a 39-year-old unlawfully present Mexican national, from the Toledo Express Airport to the Valley International Airport in Harlingen, Texas on March 7. On the same day, ERO Harlingen escorted him via ground transportation to the border and turned him over to Mexican authorities.

Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI Kansas City Taekuk Cho and U.S. Attorney Steven Russell announced that a federal judge found Servando V. Urias, 48, of Mexico, guilty of conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine.

Officers with ERO Boston’s Fugitive Operations Team arrested a 49-year-old unlawfully present Cape Verdean woman in Whitman on March 9. The woman is wanted in Cape Verde on multiple charges of forgery.

On March 8, a flight coordinated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Air Operations Unit flew Erick Gomez-Gomez, 33, of Guatemala, from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to Alexandria International Airport, Louisiana.

Coinciding with the ChipMixer takedown efforts, Minh Quốc Nguyễn, 49, of Hanoi, Vietnam, was charged today in Philadelphia with money laundering, operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and identity theft connected to ChipMixer’s operation.

A court convicted Dustin Coates, 36, of Cherokee, of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, following a joint HSI investigation.

ERO Houston, with assistance from ERO Colombia and the SAFE Task Force in Colombia, removed Jorge Luis Molina-Hernandez, a 35-year-old Colombian national, from the U.S. on March 13. Molina-Hernandez has ties to the “Bloque Sur Andaqui” and the former AUC paramilitary organization.

Jairo Soares-Pereira, 37, was convicted by a criminal court in the Brazilian city of Itambacuri of fraud and sentenced to serve a three-year, four-month prison sentence in September 2019.

The first HSI investigation led to the Feb. 1 indictment of John W. Balch, 75, of Jacksonville, Florida, and formerly of Frederick; Jane Ellen Campbell, 34, of Hagerstown; and Ashley Marie Tibbs, 32, of Hagerstown, with conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of a child, sexual exploitation of a child and related charges involving five minor victims.

According to court documents, in early 2022, the Springdale Police Department initiated a sexual assault investigation after a 13-year-old female disclosed to a counselor that Pearson Pete Patrick, 39, sexually abused her over the past two years. Officers located Patrick, who admitted to abusing the minor during a post-Miranda interview.

According to court documents, Corey Allen Stephens, 31, used a social media application to chat with others. In the chat, he posted an image of his sexual abuse of a toddler. He boasted that it was “Not the first time I’ve done it.” HSI Chattanooga special agents traced the chat to Stephens’ home, where agents recovered additional evidence of child sexual abuse offenses.

Si Liu, 36, and her codefendants Ye Wang, 32, and Yang Gao, 33, conspired to move and conceal proceeds obtained through prostitution.

Officials removed Hugo Gómez Osorio, 63, to his home country of Guatemala on a flight coordinated by ICE’s Air Operations Unit March 8. Upon arrival, they turned him over to the proper authorities.

ERO Houston, with assistance from ERO Mexico and the SAFE Task Force in Mexico, removed Gregorio Gutierrez-Galvan, a 64-year-old previously removed Mexican national, from the United States on March 10. Gutierrez is wanted in Mexico for homicide.

Following an investigation by HSI Nashville, former MLB player Luther Hackman, 48, pled guilty to money laundering and conspiring to distribute cocaine March 9. In the same case, a federal judge convicted Paul Seib, age 46 and a Canadian citizen, of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms of cocaine following a four-day federal jury trial.

According to information presented in court, HSI Nashville special agents began investigating the drug trafficking activities of Julio Garcia, 42, and Juan Garcia, 38, in 2019.

ERO Boston removed foreign fugitive and unlawfully present Brazilian national Carlos Alberto Moraes, 57, from the United States on March 10. Moraes is wanted in Brazil for using fraudulent documents.

Arling Antonio Gutierrez-Garcia, 49, a Nicaraguan citizen unlawfully present in the United States pleaded guilty March 10 to conspiracy to transport noncitizens.

Victor Acosta, 47, of Tucson, further pleaded guilty to one count of smuggling goods from the United States.

On March 9, a federal judge in Del Rio sentenced Enrique Rodriguez, 21, of San Antonio, to 78 months in prison for conspiracy to transport noncitizens resulting in serious bodily injury or placing lives in jeopardy. In addition to his prison sentence, the judge ordered him to pay $205,827.97 in restitution.

On March 6, a federal judge sentenced Jose Domingo Ordonez-Zometa, 33, of Landover Hills, for racketeering and murder in aid of racketeering conspiracies, committing murder in aid of racketeering, and conspiracy to destroy and conceal evidence connected to his participation a transnational criminal enterprise.

ERO New York City processed the 30-year-old Ecuadorian citizen and served them with a Notice to Appear. The noncitizen will remain in ICE custody without bond pending removal proceedings.

Authorities transported Jhonathan Medina Garcia, 32, by ground from Las Vegas to the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego, where members of ERO San Diego's Special Response Team assisted in the removal.

On Jan. 30, the grand jury indicted Randy Steven Kaas on 14 counts, including fraudulent schemes and artifices, forgery and theft in Maricopa County Superior Court. The charges are related to $3,715,276.50 in federal Paycheck Protection Program loans.

Nathan Nichols, a 46-year-old resident of Corpus Christi, pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal government property and operating an illegal gambling business on March 21, 2022.