Southern District of Texas
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Former daycare director sentenced in large-scale cocaine trafficking conspiracyRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 34-year-old resident of Laredo has been sentenced for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Cynthia Elizabeth Arellano pleaded guilty Aug. 13, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison has now imposed a 45-month-term of imprisonment to be immediately followed by four years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard how Arellano used her home, where her husband and three-year old daughter also resided, as a stash house for approximately 245 kilograms of cocaine and $428,411.00 in drug proceeds.
“Drugs and violence often go together, so the idea of using your home where your three-year-old daughter lives, as a stash house, is incredibly dangerous and irresponsible,” said Ganjei. “The amount of money and drugs at her home demonstrates that the defendant was a trusted member of the conspiracy, and that kind of trust only comes from a long history of repeated transactions. She knew exactly what she was getting into, and, by extension, what she was getting her family into.”
In April 2024, Cristian Jareth Flores arranged the sale of one kilogram of cocaine for $14,000. During the undercover operation, Juan Antonio Ochoa-Saucedo then delivered the drugs at a local retail establishment.
The investigation revealed Ochoa-Saucedo picked up the brick of cocaine from Arellano at her residence and that he had done so on previous occasions.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Arellano’s home where they discovered two money counters and drug ledgers revealing extensive cocaine trafficking involving hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds.
At the time of her plea, she admitted she committed the crime because she needed money.
Flores and Ochoa-Saucedo also pleaded guilty for their roles and were sentenced to 36 and 57 months in prison.
Arellano was permitted to remain bond and surrender to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility at a later date.
Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of Laredo Police Department. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie Ann Cortez is prosecuting the case.
Domestic trafficker imprisoned for possessing over 2,000 counterfeit pillsRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 41-year-old resident of Lake Charles, Louisiana, has been sentenced for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Walter Wellington Somers pleaded guilty April 2, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison has now ordered Somers to serve 60 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by four years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard how Somers had travelled from Louisiana and was planning to return to sell the fentanyl pills for a greater profit and that he has had numerous prior convictions and contacts with law enforcement.
“All too often, we hear tragic stories about someone’s young son or daughter dying after taking a single pill laced with fentanyl, and it's people like this defendant who put that one lethal dose in their hand,” said Ganjei. “The seizure of Mr. Somers’ deadly wares kept these pills from hitting the streets and undoubtedly saved many lives. The Department of Justice wishes to thank the staff at the Embassy Suites for their quick thinking in recognizing the drugs and alerting authorities. This is an example of community action leading to a great result.”
“DEA’s diligent investigative efforts helped save countless lives,” said Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Acting Special Agent in Charge William Kimbell of the Houston Division. Only two milligrams of fentanyl is considered a potentially lethal dose, and Somers had thousands of fake fentanyl pills that could have devastated the Laredo community. DEA is unwavering in its commitment to eradicate these dangerous drugs from our neighborhoods and bring those responsible for dealing these deadly drugs to justice.”
On Dec. 23, 2023, law enforcement responded to a call from the Embassy Suites Hotel in Laredo. Hotel staff found what they believed to be drugs in one of the rooms while trying to clean it.
Law enforcement arrived on scene and observed Somers attempting to get back into the room. He claimed he was only there to pay for a television he had broken.
Authorities conducted a search of the hotel room and discovered a silver zipper bag containing several clear plastic bags with a large number of small blue circular pills. They were imprinted with an “M-30” logo. Law enforcement confirmed Somers had been staying in the room and checked out earlier in the day before returning to the hotel.
A laboratory analysis later determined there were a total of 2,319 blue pills which contained fentanyl. The investigation revealed the source of supply was from Sinaloa, Mexico.
The investigation revealed Somers had traveled from Louisiana to meet a friend in South Texas. In phone messages between the two, they discussed collecting money and acquiring narcotics. In one audio message, the individual told Somers if he sent $700 or $800 that evening, someone would front them 3,000 pills.
The friend also sent Somers a video of him holding three bags of blue M-30 pills that were identical in size, shape and packaging to the pills seized Dec. 23, 2023.
Somers will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
DEA and Laredo Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Chamberlin and Brittany Jensen prosecuted the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF is the largest anti-crime task force in the country. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
More information on the dangers of fentanyl can be found on the DEA’s website. #OnePillCanKill
63 months for leader of years-long human smuggling conspiracy operating across southern U.S.Read the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 21-year-old Laredo resident has been sentenced to federal prison for exploiting social media, inclement weather and the Covid-19 pandemic to carry out a multi-year conspiracy to smuggle illegal aliens into the country, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Juan Francisco Reyna, 21, pleaded guilty Jan. 8 to conspiring to transport and harbor illegal aliens within the United States.
U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison has now ordered Reyna to serve 63 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by one year of supervised release. The court held him responsible for more than 100 aliens and further imposed enhancements for unaccompanied minors, reckless endangerment and being a leader/organizer in the conspiracy.
“Over the past six months, the Department of Justice has made securing our national border the number one priority, and the Southern District is putting that promise into action,” said Ganjei. “Human smugglers may have had an easy time over the past few years, but those days are over. If you engage in these crimes, if you break our nation’s immigration laws, you will be caught and you will be punished. Simple as that.”
The investigation revealed Reyna had been involved in human smuggling for at least five years. Between 2019 and 2023, he was repeatedly caught attempting to move individuals through the I-35 Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint north of Laredo. Reyna was also linked to the operation of multiple stash houses in the Laredo area and one his family operated in San Antonio.
Reyna had recruited and paid others to harbor and transport aliens across the United States, including cities in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Georgia and Florida. He also hired co-conspirators to collect and return bulk cash proceeds after the individuals reached their final destinations.
Evidence on his cellphone contained information on dozens of illegal aliens, including photos, names, identifying details and countries of origin. Several were minors between the ages of 14 and 17. He had been coordinating transportation with co-conspirators in Mexico, moving aliens using tractor -trailers, box trucks, trains and even horse trailers.
Reyna had also used Facebook to coordinate smuggling operations for the organization, relying on the platform to recruit, manage and communicate with co-conspirators. He routinely paid “scout” drivers to monitor the I-35 checkpoint, report on traffic and weather conditions and recommend the safest lanes to use. Messages revealed Reyna deliberately scheduled smuggling runs during fog, storms, rain and cold temperatures to reduce the likelihood of detection.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Reyna and co-conspirators advised drivers to claim they were enroute to medical appointments to expedite passage through checkpoints. He also designed walking routes through remote brush areas to bypass the checkpoints entirely. Load drivers were instructed to drop off individuals before the checkpoint, forcing them to walk four to five hours before being picked up on the other side.
The San Antonio stash house linked to Reyna had harbored more than 30 illegal aliens awaiting transport. In April 2023, law enforcement apprehended multiple illegal aliens at the location and seized over $56,000 in U.S. currency, 69,000 in Mexican pesos and ammunition.
He was ultimately arrested Nov. 7, 2024, after he had personally picked up suspected aliens at a warehouse in north Laredo. Authorities attempted to pull him over, but he soon led them on a nearly four-minute pursuit, recklessly weaving through traffic before stopping the vehicle, attempting to escape and ordering the passengers to flee on foot. Law enforcement apprehended him and five others, including an unaccompanied minor. All five were illegally present in the United States.
He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations, BP, Texas Department of Public Safety, Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and Border Protection, Department of Defense Border Mission, Webb County Precinct 2 Constable’s Office and police departments in Laredo and San Antonio conducted the joint investigation.
The case is the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation and coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA).
OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
JTFA is a partnership with Department of Homeland Security. The Attorney General elevated and expanded it with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of California, Districts of Arizona and New Mexico and Western and Southern Districts of Texas. Dedicated support is provided by the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Office of Enforcement Operations and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, DEA and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 390 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers and significant facilitators of alien smuggling, more than 350 U.S. convictions, more than 300 significant jail sentences imposed and forfeitures of substantial assets.
This case is also part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s OCDETF and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Day prosecuted the case.
‘We knocked her out with some gummies:’ trafficker sent to prison for conspiring to smuggle toddler from MexicoRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 23-year-old Laredo woman has been ordered to prison for her role in an unaccompanied minor smuggling ring, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Vanessa Valadez pleaded guilty Sept. 20, 2024, admitting she smuggled a child into the United States for financial gain.
U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison has now ordered her to serve 18 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.
“Those that choose to engage in the human trafficking business are not good people. They aren’t motivated by altruism or sympathy. They are paid to traffic in human beings, and they treat people they smuggle as nothing more than cargo,” said Ganjei. “The Southern District of Texas will not rest until all such smuggling rings—particularly those that deal in children—are completely eradicated.”
“The sentencing of this individual underscores the serious consequences for those who exploit and endanger vulnerable populations, especially children,” said Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Craig S. Larrabee. “Drugging children to facilitate human smuggling is not only criminal it’s inhumane. HSI is committed to identifying and dismantling the criminal networks behind these horrific acts and ensuring those responsible are brought to justice.”
From August to September 2023, Valadez and other family members operated a child smuggling ring working to bring young illegal minors from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, into the United States. All the children were under the age of five.
On the night of Sept. 19, 2023, members of the smuggling ring retrieved a young girl from a stash house which the organization members operated. The co-conspirators smuggled the girl across the border and delivered her to Valadez in downtown Laredo. Co-conspirators then took the child further into the United States and delivered her to unknown people.
Two days later, the ring attempted to transport another young girl. However, law enforcement intercepted them following a routine border inspection at the Juarez Lincoln Bridge in Laredo. To carry out their scheme, co-conspirators had sedated the girl with melatonin gummies and used an unlawfully obtained birth certificate to deceive authorities into believing the girl was a family member.
The investigation revealed the smuggling ring had attempted to similarly transport at least four girls into the United States, three of whom remain unidentified and their whereabouts are unknown. Members of the smuggling ring obtained birth certificates of U.S. citizen children to pose as a family unit at ports of entry to the United States. At times, organization members used melatonin gummies to sedate at least one child to ensure a successful smuggling attempt.
One text message uncovered in the investigation showed an image depicting an unconscious child and a caption, “La noquiamos con unas gomitas,” translated in English as “we knocked her out with some gummies.”
Co-conspirators Ana Laura Bryand, 47, Dallas; her niece Kayla Marie Bryand, 20, Jose Eduardo Bryand, 43, and Nancy Guadalupe Bryand, 44, all of Laredo; and Lizeth Esmeralda Bryand Arredondo, 32, Mexico, previously pleaded guilty and have all already been sentenced to federal prison.
ICE-HSI conducted the investigation with Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations and assistance from Border Patrol, Laredo Police Department, Department of Health and Human Services - Office of the Inspector General and FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Makens and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Terence A. Check Jr. prosecuted the case.
Man sentenced to over 11 years for importing nearly $8 million in methamphetamineRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 26-year-old U.S. citizen residing in Camargo, Mexico, has been sentenced to federal prison for importing more than 100 kilograms of methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Cesar Alejandro Saavedra-Garcia pleaded guilty Feb. 28.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Saavedra to serve 135 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that Saavedra-Garcia played an integral role in smuggling illegal narcotics into the United States. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the large amount of meth found in Saavedra-Garcia’s vehicle and the fact that he had admitted to transporting narcotics previously.
On Dec. 17, 2024, Saavedra-Garcia arrived at the Sarita Border Patrol Checkpoint and claimed he had no illegal drugs in his vehicle.
However, at secondary inspection, a K-9 alerted to the odor of narcotics. A subsequent search revealed 112 bricks of methamphetamine hidden in compartments near the vehicle’s cargo bed.
The drugs weighed approximately 109 kilograms and had an estimated street value of nearly $7.7 million.
At the time of his plea, Saavedra-Garcia admitted he knew he was smuggling narcotics into the United States.
Saavedra-Garcia will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Theodore Parran and Avery Benitez prosecuted the case.
Local man gets over 10 years after picking up and delivering “aparatos”Read the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 25-year-old Laredo resident has been sentenced for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Fernando Tadeo Cerda, 25, pleaded guilty July 19, 2023.
U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison has now ordered Cerda to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release for the drug trafficking conviction. At the hearing, the court considered Cerda was subject to a mandatory 10 years in prison due to being previously convicted of smuggling aliens.
Cerda had also admitted he violated his term of supervised release and received another nine months to be served consecutively for a total 129-month-term of imprisonment.
The investigation revealed Cerda had conspired with his uncle, Jesus Garza, to coordinate delivery of large amounts of cocaine.
On Nov. 27, 2020, Cerda met with Garza and provided him a duffle bag containing the drugs. As Garza departed the location in Laredo, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop and discovered the bag with five bricks which contained over 5,000 grams of cocaine.
Cerda later admitted Garza had instructed him to pick up and deliver “aparatos” (kilograms of cocaine). He further stated he made a total of four deliveries and was paid $1,000.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Garza, 63, Laredo, had also pleaded guilty and later sentenced to 48 months in prison.
Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Scott Bowling prosecuted the case.
Laredo men sentenced for multiyear cocaine trafficking conspiracyRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – Two Laredo residents have been sentenced for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Juan Jose Castaneda, 44, and Juan Enrique Villanueva, 52, pleaded guilty March 4 and Dec. 12, 2024, respectively.
U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison has now imposed a 168-month-term of imprisonment for Castaneda, while Villanueva received 63 months. Both must also serve five years of supervised release following their sentences.
At the hearing, the court heard Castaneda managed a cocaine trafficking organization for several years that included Villanueva and others. Judge Ellison considered the scope of the organization, which included trafficking tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of cocaine each month, and the substantial profits Castaneda personally earned. Castaneda also fled from law enforcement and threatened a man with a knife in an attempt to avoid arrest.
On Sept. 16 and 26, 2024, authorities observed Castaneda and Villanueva transporting cocaine that was later sold. Law enforcement seized the drugs on these occasions along with additional cocaine at his residence weighing over 11 kilograms. They also found over $40,000 in cash from cocaine trafficking that was seized and forfeited as part of the sentencing.
The investigation revealed Castaneda and Villanueva were involved in this conspiracy for multiple years. This scheme included numerous co-conspirators and showed that Castaneda was making tens of thousands of dollars a month trafficking in cocaine that he used to make purchases of property, jewelry, vehicles and other possessions. Castaneda was held accountable for 43 kilograms of cocaine he was known to have distributed as part of this conspiracy.
Both will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Scott Bowling is prosecuting the case.
Laredo man with prior murder conviction sentenced to 30 years for smuggling methamphetamineRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 31-year-old resident of Laredo has been sentenced for illegally importing over 836 kilograms of methamphetamine into the country, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Cornelio Aguilar pleaded guilty July 9, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison ordered him to serve the 30-year sentence to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard about Aguilar’s violent criminal history, including prior convictions for murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. In imposing the sentence, Judge Ellison noted that this was a serious offense.
The investigation revealed Aguilar imported two loads of methamphetamine into the United States using tractor trailers between January and June 2022. Hidden inside the bags of charcoal he was hauling were bundles of methamphetamine.
Aguilar has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Chamberlin prosecuted the case.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
Laredo man sentenced to 63 months for smuggling over 100 illegal aliens in locked trailerRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 49-year-old resident of Laredo has been ordered to federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Juan Manuel Aguirre pleaded guilty Feb. 6.
U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison has now ordered Aguirre to serve 63 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court considered Aguirre’s history of smuggling aliens on multiple occasions and the danger he posed by transporting them in a sealed, locked, dark and unventilated trailer that required authorities to open with a bolt cutter.
“Human smuggling is an incredibly dangerous enterprise, and it requires the trafficker to care absolutely nothing about the lives and safety of those they transport,” said Ganjei. “Fortunately, there were no deaths in this case, but the underlying facts indicate that several of those transported had difficulty breathing and feared for their life. The Southern District of Texas will make sure that all human smugglers pay a serious price for their callousness.”
On Dec. 2, 2024, law enforcement observed several individuals being loading into a white trailer in a warehouse parking lot. Aguirre was the driver of the truck hauling it. After he departed the location, authorities conducted a traffic stop which resulted in the discovery of 101 aliens locked inside the trailer, 13 of whom were children as young as 13 years old.
Multiple illegal aliens reported they had difficulty breathing and feared for their life due to the conditions in the trailer. They were from the countries of Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba and Honduras.
Aguirre will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, Texas Department of Public Safety and Border Patrol conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection, Drug Enforcement Administration and Webb County Sheriff’s Office. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Scott Bowling is prosecuting the case.
Illegal alien pleads guilty to leading smuggling organization involving transportation of over 100 personsRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 40-year-old Mexican national who illegally resided in Houston has admitted to an alien smuggling conspiracy and illegal reentry into the country, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The investigation revealed Edgar Ruiz-Briones arranged transportation and coordinating trips for illegal aliens coming over the southern border with Mexico. Ruiz-Briones was the leader of the smuggling organization, recruiting drivers from as far away as Kansas to come to the Rio Grande Valley.
Drivers would communicate directly with Ruiz-Briones to set up the trips, give updates on progress and set meeting spots for drop-offs in Houston after successful smuggling operations. They would pick up illegal aliens from different stash houses and transport them to Houston, where they met with Ruiz-Briones before going further into the United States.
Ruiz-Briones handled payments from the aliens to come into the United States and payments to the drivers he recruited.
Over the course of the 18-month conspiracy, Ruiz-Briones arranged for over 100 aliens to enter, remain and be transported further into the United States.
An illegal alien himself, having been removed from the United States on multiple occasions, he also pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the United States from Mexico and remaining here in violation of the law.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos will impose sentencing Oct. 30. At that time. Ruiz-Briones faces up to 10 years in federal prison for the alien smuggling conspiracy and 20 years for illegally re-entering the United States.
Ruiz-Briones has been and will remain in custody pending sentencing.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Griffith is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
California man gets maximum sentence for laundering proceeds from email fraud schemeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A San Fernando, California, man has been ordered to federal prison for operating an illegal money transmitting business, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Victor Rubio Jr. 28, pleaded guilty Feb. 6.
U.S. District Judge George Hanks has now ordered Rubio to serve the maximum 60 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court considered additional evidence about other frauds Rubio committed while on bond in imposing the sentencing, assessing extra points for obstruction of justice. In handing down the sentence, Judge Hanks noted Rubio had committed obstruction after writing his letter to the judge asking for leniency and apologizing for his first crime.
Rubio admitted that from 2021 to 2022, he operated an unlicensed money transmitting business that received and transmitted funds from a business email compromise (BEC) scheme. Rubio ran the unlicensed money transmitting business by using shell companies that existed only on paper.
As part of the plea, Rubio acknowledged opening and maintaining bank accounts to collect money from at least two victims in a BEC scheme, including a healthcare liability insurance company headquartered in Georgia and a township in New Jersey. Then, for a fee, he transmitted the fraud proceeds to co-conspirators.
In response to fraudulent wire instructions from spoofed email accounts, victims sent interstate wire transfers for payment to Rubio instead of to the true creditors to whom the victims owed money.
More than 45 people in multiple states, including Rubio and seven others in the Southern District of Texas, have been charged in separate business email compromise schemes that affected numerous victims.
Previously released on bond, Rubio was taken into custody where he will remain pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI - Bryan Resident Agency and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Belinda Beek is prosecuting the case.
Bank contractor sentenced for participation in $8 million debit card schemeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 23-year-old Houston woman has been sentenced for conspiracy to commit wire fraud after debit cards were loaded with fraudulent funds, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Jaysha Victorian pleaded guilty April 3.
U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen has now ordered Victorian to serve 18 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard how she participated in a scheme to steal unemployment funds that were being supplemented during the pandemic, and how she was able to commit millions of dollars of fraud in just a few weeks.
Victorian worked for a bank contractor from late 2020 to early 2021 and used her access to load prepaid debit cards with fraudulent funds, including unemployment benefits for California. She credited at least 187 cards with nearly $8.6 million. Recipients withdrew or spent over $7.6 million before the bank could freeze the cards.
She admitted to using some funds herself, including a $1,000 ATM withdrawal in Houston, and received about $300,000 in cash proceeds from her role in the scheme.
She was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI, Houston Police Department, Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General’s Covid Fraud Unit and Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brad Gray and Karen Lansden prosecuted the case.
Two Mexican Nationals Sentenced for Roles in Black Market Peso Exchange Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
Two Mexican nationals were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison to 55 months each in prison for their roles in a two-year, multimillion-dollar trade-based money laundering conspiracy to move drug trafficking proceeds through Texas to Mexico.
According to court documents, Mauricio Anzures-Zarate, 53, of Mexico City, Mexico, and Beatriz Salcedo-Carreon, 63, of Guadalajara, Mexico, participated in a sophisticated, international money laundering conspiracy to transfer funds from the sale of illegal drugs in the United States to cartels in Mexico without physically transporting money across the U.S.-Mexico border. The conspirators concealed those funds through the movement of goods between the two countries.
“The defendants used an elaborate, trade-based money laundering scheme to exploit our financial system and transfer the proceeds of illegal drug trafficking from the United States to Mexico,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These financial facilitators actively promoted cartel operations in cities across the United States, which enabled the flow of deadly narcotics into our communities. The Criminal Division will continue to pursue the total elimination of cartels and the money launderers who enable their pernicious activities.”
“The lifeblood of any drug trafficking organization is the uninterrupted flow of cash,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas. “Here, defendants laundered drug proceeds through a sophisticated trade-based scheme. This criminal operation, and others like it, put money in the pockets of the cartels and endangered lives on both sides of the border. Taking this conspiracy out of commission is a great win, but it’s just the beginning.”
“Despite the sophisticated tactics used to conceal profits made from smuggling poison into our country by the Mexican cartels, our expertise enabled us to dismantle their thriving operations," said Acting Special Agent in Charge William Kimbell of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Houston Division. “DEA, along with its federal counterparts, has dealt a significant blow to the finances of the Mexican cartels through the incredible investigative work of our agents. If we trace your money activities back to the cartels, you will have your day in court and will face justice.”
“Anzures-Zarate and Salcedo-Carreon thought they could escape justice, but found our reach extends past the money trail they left,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Lucy Tan of IRS Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Houston Field Office. “They conspired to use black market peso exchanges, which are one of the classic methods to launder drug dollars, and a method that leaves a traceable trail to the cartels. For businesses that get approached for a quick cash sale to transport goods into Central and South America, remember that we will find you because your greed leaves evidence.”
According to court documents, the defendants directed money couriers to collect drug proceeds in numerous U.S. cities and then transfer the funds to Laredo, Texas, to be laundered through local businesses. As part of the scheme, store owners in downtown Laredo accepted the drug proceeds as payment for merchandise to be exported to businesses in Mexico. In furtherance of the conspiracy, Salcedo-Carreon, Anzures-Zarate, and others instructed the Mexican businesses to transfer pesos to accounts or people in Mexico who were affiliated with cartels. Through this trade-based money laundering scheme, Mexican cartels disguised illicit drug proceeds as legitimate international commercial transactions and received laundered drug proceeds in Mexico without physically transporting cash across the U.S.-Mexico border. Eight other defendants were previously convicted and sentenced for their roles in the money laundering conspiracy. Anzures-Zarate was ordered to pay a money judgement of $1,176,165 and Salcedo-Carreon was ordered to pay a money judgement of $887,269.
The DEA and IRS-CI investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia provided significant assistance in this matter. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and April 2024 extradition of Salcedo-Carreon.
Trial Attorneys Keith H. Liddle and Stephanie Williamson of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lance Watt, Amanda Gould, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney José Angel Moreno for the Southern District of Texas prosecuted the case.
Texas trafficker gets 20 years for attempting to smuggle over 40 kilos of methamphetamine in torque convertersRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 28-year-old Houston resident has been sentenced for his role in a conspiracy to smuggle methamphetamine into the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Santos Joel Garza pleaded guilty Nov. 5, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison has now ordered Garza to serve 240 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence regarding Garza’s lengthy and violent criminal history to include multiple convictions for robbery. He also assaulted detention guards while in custody.
“Methamphetamine destroys lives and poisons American communities,” said Ganjei. “The staggering amount of methamphetamine seized here—roughly 90 pounds—shows that Mr. Garza was trusted by his confederates, likely indicating a long history of drug smuggling and cooperation. With today’s sentence, Mr. Garza will now have two decades to think about the harm that his trafficking caused.”
The investigation revealed that on Jan. 13-14, 2023, Garza and Britain Jean Sada traveled to Laredo from Houston to attempt to smuggle methamphetamine into the United States. Sada then crossed into Mexico to pick up the drugs which were concealed in torque converters loaded into the bed of the truck. Garza remained in Laredo but lent his cell phone to Sada for use while in Mexico.
Upon arrival back in the United States, Sada claimed she was visiting family for a few hours in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Authorities noticed the converters and referred her to secondary inspection.
There, they found 41.35 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in the converters.
The investigation revealed Garza and Sada had regularly communicated about the trip and the drugs. He admitted he was hired to facilitate the drug transaction and had participated in similar events on prior occasions.
Garza has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Sada, 36, Houston, had also pleaded guilty to her role and is currently set for sentencing July 24.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Scott Bowling prosecuted the case.
Texas National Guard soldier convicted of alien smugglingRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 27-year-old Houston resident has been found guilty for conspiring to smuggle illegal aliens into the country, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The jury deliberated for less than an hour before convicting Mario Sandoval following a one-day trial.
Sandoval was deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border with the Texas National Guard as part of Operation Lonestar. Following release from his orders, Sandoval remained in the Rio Grande Valley began smuggling aliens in July 2024.
The jury saw Sandoval’s text messages discussing that drivers were needed for trips from the Rio Grande Valley to destinations north of the immigration checkpoint. Surveillance would later show him at the immigration checkpoint at the same time he was sending text messages about the presence of law enforcement and K-9 patrols.
The defense attempted to convince the jury no conspiracy existed, and his text messages were out of context. They did not believe those claims and found Sandoval guilty as charged.
“The conduct in this case represents an unthinkable violation of public trust,” said Ganjei. “Thousands of brave men and women, military and civilian alike, work tirelessly to keep our border secure. It is truly disheartening that one bad apple chose to betray his fellow soldiers, his fellow citizens, and his country by engaging in human smuggling. I wish to thank the jury for their time and attention to this matter.”
Sandoval was discharged from the Texas National Guard in October 2024.
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales presided over the trial and set sentencing for Oct. 22, at which time Sandoval faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations and Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Lamont and Ashley Martin prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Suspicious vehicle leads to arrest of three smugglers and 33 illegal aliensRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas - A local resident and two Mexican nationals have been charged with human smuggling, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The criminal complaint alleges Joe Michael Cruz, 64, Rio Grande City, and Elbis Lisandro Moreno Uruqia, 19, transported aliens from Mission to Hebbronville, while Jesus Felipe Hernandez Rangel, 21, allegedly harbored aliens at a residence in Mission.
All three are scheduled for an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nadia S. Medrano at 10 a.m.
According to the charges, Cruz arrived at the Hebbronville Border Patrol (BP) Checkpoint early July 17 driving a truck towing a box trailer. Law enforcement noticed the trailer had an uneven weight distribution and searched it, leading to the discovery of 24 illegal aliens, including Moreno, according to the charges. The complaint alleges Moreno was accompanying the aliens in the back of the trailer but was a paid smuggler. Moreno and Cruz had allegedly smuggled 18 aliens two weeks earlier.
According to the complaint, two of the transported aliens provided information on the residence where they were earlier that morning. The charges allege authorities executed a search warrant at the location and found another 10 illegal aliens with Hernandez, who was identified as the caretaker of the residence.
If convicted, all face a maximum of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 maximum possible fine.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations and Homeland Security Task Force conducted the investigation with the assistance of the BP. Assistant U.S. Attorney Devin V. Walker is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to .repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Missouri City resident admits to profiting $1.65 million from fraudulent pandemic loan applicationsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 42-year-old man has pleaded guilty to a wire fraud conspiracy involving the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Shawn Nicholas Young applied for PPP and EIDL loans on behalf of his own businesses as well as businesses belonging to others. The Small Business Administration (SBA) administered the loan programs he targeted, which were intended to help existing small businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
To qualify for funding, Young misrepresented key information about the businesses. He supported the false statements with fake tax returns and backdated documents.
Over the conspiracy, Young submitted more than 100 fraudulent applications, requesting more than $9.5 million in funds earmarked for pandemic relief. He received kickbacks from co-conspirators who were approved for loans.
Young profited $1.65 million from the conspiracy. He used the proceeds for personal expenses, such as paying off his mortgage and buying a car. As part of his plea, Young will pay full restitution to the victims of his crimes and forfeit his house and car.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt will sentence Young Oct. 27. At that time, Young faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency-Office of Inspector General (OIG), Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-OIG, SBA-OIG and Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Fort Bend Sheriff’s Office and Harris County Constable’s Office, Precinct 1. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Bauman and Shirin Hakimzadeh prosecuted the case.
The COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force was established to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The task force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department's response to the pandemic, please visit Justice.gov/Coronavirus and Justice.gov/Coronavirus/CombatingFraud.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice's National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form.
Mexican nationals sentenced for roles in Black Market Peso Exchange money laundering schemeRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas - Two people have been ordered to federal prison for their roles in a two-year, multimillion-dollar trade-based money laundering conspiracy to move drug trafficking proceeds through Texas to Mexico.
Mauricio Anzures-Zarate, 53, Mexico City, Mexico, and Beatriz Salcedo-Carreon, 63, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, pleaded guilty April 15, 2024, and Jan. 7, 2025, respectively.
U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison has now imposed a 55-month-term of imprisonment for both. Not U.S. citizens, they are expected to face removal proceedings following their prison terms. Anzures-Zarate and Salcedo-Carreon were further ordered to pay money judgments in the amounts of $1,176,165 and $887,269, respectively.
“The lifeblood of any drug trafficking organization is the uninterrupted flow of cash,” said Ganjei. “Here, defendants laundered drug proceeds through a sophisticated trade-based scheme. This criminal operation, and others like it, put money in the pockets of the cartels and endangered lives on both sides of the border. Taking this conspiracy out of commission is a great win, but it’s just the beginning.”
“The defendants used an elaborate, trade-based money laundering scheme to exploit our financial system and transfer the proceeds of illegal drug trafficking from the United States to Mexico,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These financial facilitators actively promoted cartel operations in cities across the United States, which enabled the flow of deadly narcotics into our communities. The Criminal Division will continue to pursue the total elimination of cartels and the money launderers who enable their pernicious activities.”
“Despite the sophisticated tactics used to conceal profits made from smuggling poison into our country by the Mexican cartels, our expertise enabled us to dismantle their thriving operations,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge William Kimbell of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Houston Division. “DEA, along with its federal counterparts, has dealt a significant blow to the finances of the Mexican cartels through the incredible investigative work of our agents. If we trace your money activities back to the cartels, you will have your day in court and will face justice.”
“Anzures-Zarate and Salcedo-Carreon thought they could escape justice, but found our reach extends past the money trail they left,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Lucy Tan of IRS Criminal Investigation’s (CI) Houston Field Office. “They conspired to use black market peso exchanges, which are one of the classic methods to launder drug dollars, and a method that leaves a traceable trail to the cartels. For businesses that get approached for a quick cash sale to transport goods into Central and South America, remember that we will find you because your greed leaves evidence.”
Anzures-Zarate and Salcedo-Carreon directed money couriers to collect drug proceeds in numerous U.S. cities and then transfer them by wire or courier to Laredo to be laundered through local businesses.
As part of the scheme, store owners in downtown Laredo accepted the drug proceeds as payment for merchandise to be exported to businesses in Mexico. Salcedo-Carreon, Anzures-Zarate and others instructed the Mexican businesses to transfer pesos to accounts or people in Mexico who were affiliated with cartels. Through this trade-based money laundering scheme, Mexican cartels disguised illicit drug proceeds as legitimate international commercial transactions and received laundered drug proceeds in Mexico without physically transporting cash across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Eight others were previously convicted and sentenced for their roles in the money laundering conspiracy.
DEA and IRS-CI conducted the investigation. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia provided significant assistance in this matter. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and April 2024 extradition of Salcedo-Carreon.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSA) Lance Watt, Amanda Gould and former AUSA José Angel Moreno prosecuted the case along with Trial Attorneys Keith H. Liddle and Stephanie Williamson of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section.
Mexican Mafia and Tango Laredo gang members sentenced to decades for prison assaultRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – Four gang members have been sentenced for their roles in an assault at the Rio Grande Detention Center, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Mexican national Jose Regalado-Solis, 47; and Ruben Salazar, 52, Javier Contreras, 48, and Jesus Guadalupe Ortega, 31, all of Laredo, pleaded guilty Aug. 24, 2024, to conspiracy to commit assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Regalado-Solis also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit assault with a deadly weapon.
Senior U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison has now ordered Regalado-Solis to serve a total of 144 months in federal prison. Salazar and Contreras each received a 60-month sentence, while Ortega was sentenced to 72 months. At the hearing, the court considered written victim statements as well as in-court testimony from one of the victims. All detailed the extensive injuries and ongoing medical issues resulting from the assault. In handing down the sentence, Judge Ellison noted that he had been on the bench for 26 years called it the “most serious case of prison gang violence I have seen.” He also added that the case justified a maximum sentence, noting the serious nature of the injuries, the unprovoked assault and the gang motivation on the part of the defendants that fueled it.
“Ensuring that criminals refrain from violent conduct while in custody is just as important as ensuring they refrain from violence outside prison walls,” said Ganjei. “Hopefully the defendants in this case are enjoying their time behind bars, because they just earned themselves many more years in the federal pen.”
On Aug. 18, 2023, authorities were processing nine new inmates at the facility.
Ortega approached the newly arrived inmates and asked their gang affiliation. Upon hearing their responses, he ordered them to line up along the back wall of the housing unit. Other inmates then ran back to their bunks and began putting on their shoes. Regalado-Solis obtained a “shank” from his bunk and walked back towards the new inmates. Salazar lined up behind Regalado-Solis, while Javier Contreras stood in a nearby row of bunk beds.
As the lights went off in the unit, Regalado-Solis and others to assault eight of the new inmates who indicated alternative gang affiliations. He kicked, stomped and made stabbing gestures. While Salazar did not join the initial assault, he was later seen striking and kicking the new inmates on the ground. Contreras immediately rushed into the assault and was observed striking and kicking several as well.
Authorities were able to quickly disperse the assault, but not before the eight victims sustained significant injuries, including puncture wounds. Two required emergency transportation to Laredo Medical Center.
One new inmate who did not claim gang membership was unharmed.
All have been and will remain in custody.
The FBI and U.S. Marshals Service conducted the investigation with the cooperation of The Geo Group. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Homero Ramirez and Andrew P. Hakala-Finch prosecuted the case.
Hermandad de Pistoleros Latinos gang member sentenced to 100 months for heroin traffickingRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 33-year-old Laredo man has been sentenced for possession with the intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Raul Garcia Jr. aka Rule pleaded guilty Aug. 6. 2024.
U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison has now ordered Garcia to serve 100 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by four years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard about Garcia’s numerous prior convictions and contacts with law enforcement. In handing down the sentence, the court noted this was a serious crime.
The investigation began in January 2024 when law enforcement learned Garcia may have been selling fentanyl in the Laredo area. Over the next three months, authorities discovered Garcia was selling narcotics out of his home.
A search warrant in March of that year resulted in the discovery of heroin packaged for street sale. A month later, law enforcement obtained a second search warrant and again found heroin. Similar to previously found drugs, the heroin was also packaged for street sale.
The searches also revealed methamphetamine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana, money and stolen firearm.
At the time of his plea, Garcia admitted to possessing the drugs located and seized throughout the investigation.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Laredo Police Department’s Narcotics Division conducted the investigation with assistance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations and Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Chamberlin and Leslie Cortez prosecuted the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF is the largest anti-crime task force in the country. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
Former Marine sentenced to 60 years for sexual exploitation of minorRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 25-year-old Houston resident has been ordered to federal prison after his multiple convictions involving child sexual abuse material (CSAM), announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Derrick Alexander Barnum pleaded guilty April 11 to possession, distribution and production of child pornography.
U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein Jr. has now sentenced Barnum to a total of 720 months in federal prison. He received 360 and 240 months for the production and distribution convictions, respectively, as well as another 120 months for the possession of CSAM. They will all run consecutively for a total of 60 years in federal prison.
At the hearing, the court heard additional information regarding the victim, who was only three at the time the exploitation began. The victim’s mother prepared and read from a victim impact statement which described how the minor victim needed counseling for the trauma Barnum caused and will live with his actions for the rest of their life. In handing down the prison terms, the court noted this case presents some of the worst, most horrible facts the court has ever seen and that the scars inflicted upon the young child are scars that last for a lifetime.
The court will determine and order restitution at a later date. Barnum will serve the rest of his life on supervised release following the completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Barnum will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
“The defendant robbed this child of their innocence, not only by committing a pattern of vicious sexual assault, but also by publicizing videos of this abuse for the world to see,” said Ganjei. “While the sentence of 60 years will likely mean Barnum spends the rest of his natural life in prison, it still falls short of healing the scars he sadistically inflicted on the minor victim. A similar sentence awaits anyone who dares commit a comparable act.”
“Derrick Barnum didn’t just commit a crime; he broadcast the torture of a child for the gratification of other abusers,” said FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams. “This case is a brutal reminder of the hidden world we are fighting, where predators treat the sexual abuse of children as entertainment. FBI Houston agents and analysts pierced the veil of online anonymity and made sure Barnum faced justice. No one who commits crimes against children should believe they are beyond our reach.”
The investigation began in July 2024 when authorities discovered Barnum’s posts in a CSAM trading room on an internet-based application. He posted multiple videos of himself with the victim and sought other users that engaged in similar conduct.
Authorities conducted a search of Barnum’s residence and seized his electronic devices. A forensic examination revealed he had nearly 1000 images and 259 videos on his phone. All depicted minor victims engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including oral, anal and vaginal penetration, masturbation, sadistic and masochistic conduct and lewd and lascivious exhibition of genitals.
Approximately 27 videos showed Barnum engaging in sexual activity with the victim. Barnum created and transmitted his videos showing the sexual exploitation of the victim to third parties on a social media platform.
He also received a video from another adult male engaging in oral sex with a minor child.
The FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Franklyn prosecuted the case which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
213 charged in new cases related to SDTX’s continuing efforts to secure southern borderRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – In support of Operation Take Back America, the Southern District of Texas has filed another 210 cases in immigration and border security-related matters from July 11-17, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The cases include 14 involving human smuggling. A total of 101 people are charged with illegally entering the country, while another 89 face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felonies such as narcotics, violent crime, sexual assaults, immigration crimes and more. Other relevant cases charged this week relate to other immigration crimes and illegal fishing.
The criminal complaints include four men found in the Rio Grande Valley area after being removed already this year. The charges allege Humberto Alvarez-Chio, Irvin Gonzalez-Silva and Miguel Angel Reyes-Garcia have prior convictions for illegal reentry, human smuggling and sexual assault of a child, respectively. Juan Cruz-Montiel served a sentence for burglary before his removal July 11, but authorities found him again near Hidalgo just four days later, according to the allegations. All three men could face up to 20 years in federal prison, if convicted.
In McAllen this week, Lyford resident Jose Rodriguez Jr. was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison for possessing images depicting the sexual abuse of prepubescent children. Law enforcement originally arrested Rodriguez in connection with an alien transporting event. At that time, they seized his phone and discovered over 250 images and videos of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). At the hearing, the court heard additional information detailing Rodriguez’s prior conviction of aggravated sexual assault of a child, which involved tying up his 9-year-old victim before attempting to sexually assault her and tying up an eight-year-old witness. The court also heard he downloaded CSAM files on 20 separate occasions, beginning only six months after he was released from his 13-year sentence for the aggravated sexual assault of a child conviction. The court noted the need to protect the public from Rodriguez’s crimes and highlighted that Rodriguez had a complete lack of remorse for his actions. He had previously received 16 months for human smuggling conviction.
“Those who sexually assault children, possess child sexual abuse material, or smuggle human beings like some sort of commodity are all imbued with a common trait: total disdain for the inherent value and dignity of a human being. The defendant here had a history of doing all three,” said Ganjei. “Fortunately, SDTX prosecutors were successful in advocating for the maximum possible sentence in this case, that of 20 years, so Mr. Rodriguez will now have two decades to reflect on his conduct. I thank the jury for their time and attention in this important case.”
Euclides Vasquez-Hernandez faced a Corpus Christi federal jury for illegally reentering the United States. They heard that he had been removed in 2018, but authorities discovered him again March 7 in Robstown. Vasquez-Hernandez took the stand and ultimately admitted he reentered the country by crossing a river a few days after his removal. He now faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
A Laredo jury convicted a South Carolina woman of transporting illegal aliens. Sharon Thompkins was the passenger in a blue tractor trailer as it approached Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint 29 near Laredo. An x-ray scan revealed anomalies in the vehicle, and authorities found four illegal aliens sitting side-by-side on the bed in the sleeper compartment. She had instructed them to sit there and closed the curtains in order to conceal them. The defense attempted to convince the jury Thompkins was merely present and did not agree to illegally transport aliens. The jury did not believe those claims and found her guilty. She faces up to five years in federal prison.
Also of note was the sentencing of Sullivan City resident Carlos Alberto Salinas. He attempted to pick up 10 illegal aliens and approximately 100 kilograms of marijuana from the Rio Grande River. The court enhanced the sentence to 10 years after finding Salinas was responsible for smuggling over 75 aliens and fled to Mexico in an attempt to evade law enforcement.
As part of the announcements this week was the sentencing of two Brownsville residents for smuggling three illegal aliens in the trunk of a vehicle. Ofelia Christine Monares and Michael Rosa received 40 and 25 months, respectively. Law enforcement discovered three Vietnamese nationals in the trunk of a Nissan Sentra, dehydrated and sweating profusely. Monares and Rosa received increases in their calculated sentencing guideline range for placing the life of the aliens in jeopardy.
Finally, a 47-year-old Mexican national was also sentenced for illegally reentering the United States for a fourth time. Arnulfo Olivares-Cervantes was first removed in 1999 and returned three other times. He has multiple felony convictions including attempted murder, narcotics trafficking and illegal reentry. Authorities discovered him again in Edinburg. He received a 46-month sentence.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, BP, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.
An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Former veteran’s service organization leader charged with federal program theftRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 59-year-old Brenham resident has been charged in a criminal information for misappropriating thousands in federal grant funding, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Clifford Wayne Robertson is expected to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard W. Bennett July 28 at 10 a.m.
Robertson allegedly misappropriated federal grant funding awarded to Castle Cares Community Ministry Inc. dba The Warrior’s Refuge, a nonprofit organization serving as a veteran’s homeless shelter and service facility. The charges allege that during his tenure as CEO and executive director, Robertson submitted multiple applications for federal assistance to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Labor (DOL) between February and April 2020. The Warrior’s Refuge allegedly received approximately $1.3 million and $500,000 in VA and DOL grant funds, respectively, as a result of those applications.
The information alleges that Robertson did knowingly and intentionally embezzle a portion of the federal grants awarded to the organization for unallowable personal expenditures and for counseling services that he never rendered to veterans.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 maximum possible fine.
VA - Office of Inspector General (OIG) and DOL - OIG and Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shirin Hakimzadeh is prosecuting the case.
A criminal information is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Fentanyl distributor pleads guiltyRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 36-year-old Houston resident has entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Velasquez-Nikki Saadia Porter admitted to conspiring to distribute nearly 200 grams of fentanyl from a motel room in the North Harris County area.
The investigation began in 2023 after authorities identified Porter as part of an operation targeting fentanyl distribution and overdoses in the Houston area.
Porter operated a narcotics distribution point out of a local motel room where he served fentanyl to customers.
U.S. District Judge Charles Eskridge will impose sentencing Oct. 2. At that time, Porter faces up to 40 years in prison and a maximum $5 million fine.
Porter has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
The FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of Montgomery County Narcotics Enforcement Team. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart Tallichet prosecuted the case.
Texas man gets 10 years after fleeing to Mexico following failed drug and alien smuggling attemptRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 28-year-old Sullivan City resident has been ordered to prison for alien and drug smuggling, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Carlos Alberto Salinas pleaded guilty Dec. 6, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton has now ordered Salinas to serve 120 months in federal prison. At the hearing, the court heard that Salinas demonstrated a disregard for the law and was undeterred by the sentences imposed in his prior alien smuggling and felony drug convictions. The court enhanced the sentence after finding Salinas was responsible for smuggling over 75 aliens and fled to Mexico in an attempt to evade law enforcement.
On July 24, 2024, Salinas attempted to pick up 10 illegal aliens and approximately 100 kilograms of marijuana from the Rio Grande River in Sullivan City. Authorities initiated a quick response to the event, at which time Salinas and several aliens swam across the river to Mexico in an attempt to elude law enforcement.
Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Devin V. Walker prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
South Texas residents ordered to prison for human smugglingRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Two 35-year-old Brownsville residents have been sentenced for smuggling three illegal aliens in the trunk of a vehicle, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Ofelia Christine Monares and Michael Rosa pleaded guilty April 1.
U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera has imposed a 40-month term of imprisonment for Monares while Rosa received 25 months. Both must also serve one year of supervised release following their sentences.
Both received upward adjustments or increases in their calculated sentencing guideline range for placing the life of the aliens in jeopardy. Monares also received a sentencing enhancement for being a supervisor of the criminal activity.
At the time of their pleas, both Monares and Rosa admitted to knowingly smuggling three illegal aliens in the trunk of a Nissan Sentra.
On Feb. 24, law enforcement observed several suspected illegal aliens walking along a dirt road near the Rio Grande River. The group climbed into the trunk of a Nissan Sentra which then fled at a high rate of speed. Authorities stopped the vehicle at the Highway 4 checkpoint and found three Vietnamese nationals in the trunk. All appeared dehydrated and were sweating profusely.
Rosa was the driver. He said Victor Hugo Medrano-Medrano and Monares had recruited him, and that Medrano and Monares picked him up in a white Nissan Titan and drove him to the Sentra. Rosa said they were to pay him $10,000 to transport the aliens to a local convenience store in Brownsville.
Video surveillance revealed the Titan crossing the checkpoint shortly after Rosa’s arrest. Authorities later located the Titan at the convenience store with Monares driving and Medrano in the passenger seat.
Monares said she was also to be paid - $500 - for every alien transported.
Medrano-Medrano, 38, Brownsville, has also pleaded guilty and is set for sentencing in September. He remains in custody.
Both Monares and Rosa have also have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined at a later date.
Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel Castro prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Jury convicts South Carolina woman of human smugglingRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 46-year-old Columbia, South Carolina, resident has been found guilty of transporting illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The jury deliberated for over five hours before convicting Sharon Thompkins following a two-day trial late July 15.
On April 26, a blue tractor trailer approached Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint 29 near Laredo. Ralph Young was driving with Tompkins as passenger.
An x-ray examination revealed anomalies in the vehicle. Upon further inspection, authorities discovered four illegal aliens sitting side-by-side on the bed in the sleeper compartment.
The jury heard that Thompkins agreed to help transport aliens with Young. Testimony revealed Thompkins instructed the aliens to sit on the bed in the sleeper compartment and closed the curtains in order to conceal them.
The defense attempted to convince the jury Thompkins was merely present and did not agree to illegally transport aliens. The jury did not believe those claims and found Thomkins guilty.
U.S. District Judge John A Kazen presided over the trial and set sentencing for September. At that time, Thompkins faces up to five years in federal prison as well as a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
She has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
Young, 62, Columbia, South Carolina, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and also remains in custody pending sentencing.
BP conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Manuel A. Cardenas Jr. and Tae Chon are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Houston area men charged in murder-for-hire plotRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Three people are expected to appear in federal court on charges related to a conspiracy to commit murder for hire and related offenses, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Michael Seery, 42, Katy, is set to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Yvonne Ho July 24 at 2 p.m. Ricardo Obando Jr., 51, and Matthew Rosas, 24, both of Houston, are currently in state custody on related charges and expected to make their appearances in federal court also at that time.
Seery was originally charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and remains in custody. A federal grand jury returned the seven-count superseding indictment July 15. According to the charges, the trio plotted the murder over the course of months and executed their plan in the early morning of Feb. 4. They allegedly shot the victim several times as he was traveling on his way to work.
He survived but sustained several injuries.
If convicted of possession of a firearm silencer in furtherance of a crime of violence or discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, all face up to life in prison with mandatory minimum sentences of 30 and 10 years, respectively. All three are also charged with conspiracy to use interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder for hire and use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder for hire resulting in personal injury which carry up to 20 years in federal prison. Seery and Obando are charged with transfer and receipt of a firearm for use in a felony and face up to 10 years, while Seery is also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm which carries another 15-year-maximum sentence.
The FBI, Harris County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation with the assistance of Harris County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hunter Brown is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Four-time illegal reentry felon sent to prison againRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 47-year-old Mexican national with a felony criminal history has been sentenced for illegally entering the country without authorization, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei.
Arnulfo Olivares-Cervantes pleaded guilty April 23.
U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton has now ordered Olivares-Cervantes to serve 46 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence Olivares-Cervantes had been previously convicted of multiple felony convictions including attempted murder. He had also previously received a lengthy sentence for the same offense. Not a U.S. citizen, he is again expected to face removal proceedings following the sentence.
Olivares-Cervantes has felony convictions for narcotics trafficking and illegal reentry. He was first removed in 1999 and returned unlawfully three other times.
Authorities discovered him again June 15, 2023, in Edinburg.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose A. Garcia prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
McAllen man sentenced to 10 years for sending kilograms of cocaine in the mailRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 26-year-old McAllen resident has been sentenced for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Narciso Dominguez III pleaded guilty March 27.
U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton has now ordered Dominguez to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court noted the significant amount of cocaine Dominguez trafficked and heard evidence linking him to a broader drug trafficking organization.
On May 23, 2024, Dominguez packaged 19 kilograms of cocaine for distribution, concealing the dangerous narcotics using simple shipping materials such as boxes and bubble wrap. Authorities later observed him purchasing the materials and surveilled stash houses in McAllen. He admitted he knew the packages contained narcotics.
Less than a week later, authorities pulled him over and discovered 43.35 kilograms of cocaine. A subsequent search of a McAllen residence led to the seizure of 229 additional kilograms. Dominguez later admitted to mailing about 100 kilograms a day of cocaine across the United States.
Dominguez will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose A. Garcia prosecuted the case.
Human smuggling sexual assault felon sentenced to 20 years for possessing child sexual abuse materialRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 44-year-old Lyford man has been ordered to prison for possessing images of sexual assaults of prepubescent children, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The jury deliberated for approximately 15 minutes before finding Jose Rodriguez Jr. guilty after a one-day trial April 15.
U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton upwardly departed from the U.S. sentencing guidelines and imposed a 240-month sentence. At the hearing, the court heard additional information detailing Rodriguez’s prior conviction of aggravated sexual assault of a child. In handing down the prison term, the court noted Rodriguez’s conduct in that case, which involved tying up his nine-year-old victim before attempting to sexually assault her and tying up an eight-year-old witness, was a consideration for an upward departure. The court also heard Rodriguez downloaded child pornography files on 20 separate occasions, beginning only six months after he was released from his 13-year sentence for the aggravated sexual assault of a child conviction. The court noted the need to protect the public from Rodriguez’s crimes and highlighted that Rodriguez had a complete lack of remorse for his actions.
Rodriguez was further ordered to pay restitution to known victims and will serve the rest of his life on supervised release following the completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Rodriguez will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
“Those who sexually assault children, possess child sexual abuse material, or smuggle human beings like some sort of commodity, are all imbued with a common trait: total disdain for the inherent value and dignity of a human being. The defendant here had a history of doing all three,” said Ganjei. “Fortunately, SDTX prosecutors were successful in advocating for the maximum possible sentence in this case, that of 20 years, so Mr. Rodriguez will now have two decades to reflect on his conduct. I thank the jury for their time and attention in this important case.”
Law enforcement originally arrested Rodriguez Aug. 12, 2024, in connection with an alien transportation event. At that time, they seized his phone and discovered over 150 images and videos of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
During the trial, the jury heard testimony and evidence regarding the multiple images and videos of CSAM downloaded and stored on Rodriguez’s phone over multiple months. The evidence included numerous files depicting the sexual assaults of prepubescent children.
The defense attempted to convince the jury that a virus downloaded the CSAM onto his phone. However, evidence showed that Rodriguez had over 100 user accounts on the phone linked to him and that the CSAM was downloaded on 20 separate occasions from April through August of 2024.
The jury also heard from a computer forensic expert who rendered an opinion that the pattern of activity indicated intentional downloading.
Rodriguez was charged in a separate case for the human smuggling event and later pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison and two years of supervised release in that case.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations and Border Patrol conducted the investigation with assistance from Raymondville Police Department and Willacy County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Devin Walker and Jose Garcia prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
$4 million electricity fraud scheme sends Texan to prisonRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 51-year-old Houston man has been ordered to federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Daniel Rodriguez Martinez pleaded guilty May 1.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Martinez to serve 54 months in prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that detailed how Martinez directly benefited from the scheme by personally receiving $1.4 million and that he played an integral role by creating a fraudulent company to conceal payments.
From March 2021 to May 2024, Martinez and others ran the scheme by creating a fake utility company to conceal profits. They used stolen personal information, including Social Security numbers, to open electricity accounts with real providers. The stolen identities were linked to actual service addresses, allowing customers to receive power while the billing responsibility fell on unsuspecting victims.
When providers shut off service for nonpayment, the group reopened accounts under new fake identities. In exchange for uninterrupted electricity, customers paid a flat fee of $80 per month to the fraudulent company. The operation allowed participants to avoid legitimate charges while the organizers profited from the deception.
Martinez admitted to creating a fake electricity services company solely to conceal the theft scheme. He received payments from clients through peer-to-peer apps such as CashApp and Zelle, then transferred the funds into a business account to mask their origin.
As a part of his plea, he agreed to forfeit $456,859.76 in U.S. currency as well as his interest in multiple properties.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose A. Garcia prosecuted the case.
Southern District of Texas charges 238 this week alone in relation to border enforcement effortsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A total of 236 new cases have been filed in immigration and border security-related matters from July 3-10, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Among those are 106 people who face charges of illegally reentering the country. The majority have prior felony convictions for narcotics, violent crimes, prior immigration crimes and more. A total of 116 people are charged with illegally entering the country, while six cases allege various instances of human smuggling with the remainder involving other immigration related crimes.
Two of those charged include Mexican nationals Charlie Ruben Ortiz-Lopez and Mauricio Rivera-Medina. According to their criminal complaints, both have prior convictions for illegal reentry. Rivera-Medina was last removed just last month, but authorities allegedly found him again illegally in the United States near Mission. They encountered Rivera-Medina near Edinburg after he had been previously removed in November 2023, according to his charges.
Another man facing charges this week is Honduran national Jose Eduardo Escobar-Reyes, who law enforcement allegedly discovered unlawfully in the United States near Roma. According to court documents, he was previously removed March 12 and has a prior conviction for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
If convicted, all three face up to 20 years in prison.
In addition to the new cases, a Rio Grande City man was ordered to prison for 24 months for unlawfully transporting an illegal alien. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that Jason Al Venecia took his girlfriend and her minor daughter with him to smuggle the illegal alien to facilitate passage through the Falfurrias Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint. While on bond awaiting sentencing, Al Venecia was also caught assisting his girlfriend during her own attempt to smuggle illegal aliens. She has since pleaded guilty to separate charges in her case prosecuted in the McAllen Division.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, BP, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.
An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Illegal alien charged in relation to unlawful employment and harboring of other illegal aliens at local taco restaurantRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 39-year-old Mexican national illegally residing in Mission has been arrested on charges related to illegally hiring, employing and harboring more than a dozen people with no authority to be in the country, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Authorities took Juan Ramirez Cortez into custody during an enforcement action July 10. He has made his initial appearance and is scheduled for a preliminary and detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Juan F. Alanis at 3 p.m. July 15. He remains in custody pending that hearing.
The charges allege Cortez was the manager at Ole Taco in Mission. In that role, Cortez is allegedly responsible for hiring and firing of employees, filling out employment paperwork and checking the immigration documents of employees. The criminal complaint alleges he hired at least 10 illegal aliens.
As part of the enforcement action, authorities also arrested 17 other individuals, all determined to be illegal aliens with no authority to be in the United States.
If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison.
FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Drug Enforcement Administration and Texas Department of Public Safety.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Storey Lyles is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Former Huntsville resident arrested on arson and fraud charges after deaths of twoRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 52-year-old year-old resident of Kansas City, Missouri, has been charged with multiple counts related to a conspiracy to commit arson against a property used in interstate or foreign commerce resulting in death, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Authorities arrested Mario Raynard Roberson in the Houston area. He is now making his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Bray.
A federal grand jury in Houston returned the 12-count indictment July 1. It alleges Roberson was responsible for a Huntsville house fire June 14, 2023, which killed two people.
According to the charges, Roberson held a State Farm Insurance policy on the home and recruited others to set it on fire to file a fraudulent insurance claim. The indictment alleges the two individuals died while igniting the blaze at Roberson’s residence.
“The defendant is alleged to have orchestrated a scheme to collect an insurance payout through a purported racially-motivated arson, which led to two deaths,” said Ganjei. “Now that he is in federal custody he will answer these charges, and, if found guilty, be held accountable for the death of these two men.”
Roberson is charged with conspiracy to commit arson against a property used in interstate or foreign commerce resulting in death which carries a possible life sentence, if convicted.
He is also facing nine counts of wire fraud for attempting to defraud the insurance company; conspiracy to violate the Travel Act related to the use of an interstate facility, the telephone, to commit arson; and with conspiracy to commit arson in connection with a federal felony offense. Each of those charges have varying possible prison terms up to a maximum of 20 years. He could also be ordered to pay a $250,000 fine.
FBI – Bryan Resident Agency conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly Zenón-Matos, Byron Black and Alexander Alum are prosecuting this case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
McCreery Aviation finance director admits to $1.2 million mail fraud schemeRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 57-year-old Mission resident has pleaded guilty to mail fraud and diverting company funds for her own benefit, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Elizabeth Batten was the director of financing at McCreery Aviation in the Rio Grande Valley from 2019 to 2023. As part of her plea, she admitted that during her tenure, she diverted company funds to pay for her personal expenses. She used signed blank company checks, intended for legitimate business purposes, to settle her personal credit card accounts.
She also used the U.S. Postal Service to conceal her behavior and actions by mailing her fraudulent payments to multiple credit card companies in different states.
The investigation into Batten began after a McCreery Aviation employee noticed irregularities in the handling of company checks in late 2023.
It revealed she had fraudulently diverted a total of $1.2 million as part of her scheme.
U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton will impose sentencing Oct. 7. At that time, Batten faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
As a part of the plea, Batten agreed to pay $1.191 million in restitution to McCreery Aviation.
She was permitted to remain on bond pending her sentencing hearing.
The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose A. Garcia prosecuted the case.
Houston man guilty of defrauding individuals with false promises of legal statusRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 58-year-old Houston resident has entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
From March 2022 through December 2024, Jesus Carlos Silva pretended to be an immigration attorney affiliated with a Houston-based law firm. He made false promises that he could help people obtain U.S. citizenship and/or other legal immigration status. Silva charged thousands of dollars per person for his “assistance,” collecting payments through checks and money orders. He never provided legitimate immigration help and instead offered excuses for delays before ultimately cutting off communication.
Silva instructed several individuals to travel to Houston for fake appointments with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. When they arrived, there were no appointments. He admitted to stealing more than $1,450,555 from over 100 people, most of whom lived in Houston and Chicago. Others were from Texas, Illinois, Louisiana and Florida.
U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks will impose sentencing Sept. 22. At that time, Silva faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine or a fine of twice the gross gain or twice the gross loss that resulted from the offense.
Silva was permitted to remain on bond pending sentencing.
The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service and Houston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Gray and Rodolfo Ramirez are prosecuting the case.
Woman sentenced for smuggling firearms into MexicoRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 38-year-old Georgia woman has been sentenced today for smuggling several firearms and magazines hidden in a vehicle’s gas tank, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Mirna Luna pleaded guilty April 1.
U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. has now handed Luna a 46-month term of imprisonment to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the seriousness 0f trafficking of firearms.
Luna traveled from her Canton, Georgia, residence Dec. 15, 2024, and attempted to cross at the Brownsville/Matamoros port of entry into Mexico.
Once there, authorities had referred her to secondary inspection where they discovered 17 firearms and 27 magazines hidden in the gas tank of the Nissan car she was driving.
Luna claimed ownership of the car and admitted she is the only person who drives it. She does not have a license to export firearms and has not applied for one.
She will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jose Esquivel and Ana Cano prosecuted the case.
RGV man sent to prison after using girlfriend and minor to pass through checkpoint with illegal alienRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 42-year-old resident of Rio Grande City has been ordered to federal prison for unlawfully transporting an illegal alien, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Jason Al Venecia pleaded guilty March 26.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos has now ordered Venecia to serve 24 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that Venecia took his girlfriend and her minor daughter with him to smuggle the illegal alien to facilitate passage through the checkpoint.
On Jan. 2, Venecia approached the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint in a Cadillac SRX. Authorities noticed two adult males in the front and an adult and minor female in the backseat. During initial inspection, the front male passenger admitted to being in the United States illegally.
He was from Mexico with no authority to be in the United States.
Law enforcement found multiple proof of life videos in Venecia’s cell phone from illegal aliens after they had crossed the Rio Grande River. There were text messages telling Venecia he would be paid $1,250 when the illegal aliens made it to their next destination.
While on bond awaiting sentencing, Venecia was caught assisting his girlfriend during her own attempt to smuggle illegal aliens further into the United States. His bond was subsequently revoked and ordered into custody where he will remain pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Venecia’s girlfriend has since pleaded guilty to her separate case prosecuted in the McAllen Division.
Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Pruitt prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Justice Department Announces Arrest of Prolific Chinese State-Sponsored Contract HackerRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that Xu Zewei (徐泽伟), 33, of the People’s Republic of China was arrested on July 3 in Italy at the request of the United States. Xu and his co-defendant, PRC national Zhang Yu (张宇), 44, are charged in a nine-count indictment, unsealed today in the Southern District of Texas, for their involvement in computer intrusions between February 2020 and June 2021, including the indiscriminate HAFNIUM computer intrusion campaign that compromised thousands of computers worldwide, including in the United States. Xu was arrested in Milan, Italy, and will face extradition proceedings.
According to court documents, officers of the PRC’s Ministry of State Security’s (MSS) Shanghai State Security Bureau (SSSB) directed Xu to conduct this hacking. The MSS and SSSB are PRC intelligence services responsible for PRC’s domestic counterintelligence, non-military foreign intelligence, and aspects of the PRC’s political and domestic security. When conducting the computer intrusions, Xu worked for a company named Shanghai Powerock Network Co. Ltd. (Powerock). Powerock was one of many “enabling” companies in the PRC that conducted hacking for the PRC government.
“This arrest underscores the United States’ patient and tireless commitment to pursuing hackers who seek to steal information belonging to U.S. companies and universities,” said John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division. “The Justice Department will find you and hold you accountable for threatening our cybersecurity and harming our people and institutions.”
“The indictment alleges that Xu was hacking and stealing crucial COVID-19 research at the behest of the Chinese government while that same government was simultaneously withholding information about the virus and its origins,” said Nicholas Ganjei, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. “The Southern District of Texas has been waiting years to bring Xu to justice and that day is nearly at hand. As this case shows, even if it takes years, we will track hackers down and make them answer for their crimes. The United States does not forget.”
“In February 2020, as the world entered a pandemic, Xu Zewei and other cyber actors working on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) targeted American universities to steal groundbreaking COVID-19 research. The following year, these same actors, operating as a group publicly known as HAFNIUM, exploited zero-day vulnerabilities in U.S. systems to steal additional research,” said Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of FBI’s Cyber Division. “Through HAFNIUM, the CCP targeted over 60,000 U.S. entities, successfully victimizing more than 12,700 in order to steal sensitive information. This arrest, carried out with our Italian law enforcement partners, demonstrates the FBI’s relentless commitment to holding CCP-sponsored hackers accountable for their crimes.”
According to court documents, in early 2020, Xu and his co-conspirators hacked and otherwise targeted U.S.-based universities, immunologists, and virologists conducting research into COVID‑19 vaccines, treatment, and testing. Xu and others reported their activities to officers in the SSSB who were supervising and directing the hacking activities. For example, on or about Feb. 19, 2020, Xu provided an SSSB officer with confirmation that he had compromised the network of a research university located in the Southern District of Texas. On or about Feb. 22, 2020, the SSSB officer directed Xu to target and access specific email accounts (mailboxes) belonging to virologists and immunologists engaged in COVID-19 research for the university. Xu later confirmed for the SSSB officer that he acquired the contents of the researchers’ mailboxes.
Beginning in late 2020, Xu and his co-conspirators exploited certain vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server, a widely-used Microsoft product for sending, receiving, and storing email messages. Their exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server was at the forefront of a massive campaign targeting thousands of computers worldwide and known publicly as “HAFNIUM.” In March 2021, Microsoft publicly disclosed the intrusion campaign by state-sponsored hackers operating out of China. Throughout March 2021, Microsoft and other industry partners released detection tools, patches, and other information to assist victim entities in identifying and mitigating this cyber incident. Additionally, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released a Joint Advisory on Compromise of Microsoft Exchange Server on March 10, 2021. However, by the end of March 2021, hundreds of web shells remained on certain U.S.-based computers running Microsoft Exchange Server software. In April 2021, the Justice Department announced a court-authorized operation to remediate hundreds of computers in the United States made vulnerable by HAFNIUM actors. In July 2021, the United States and foreign partners attributed the HAFNIUM campaign to the PRC’s MSS.
Among the victims of Xu’s exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server were another university located in the Southern District of Texas and a law firm with offices worldwide, including in Washington, D.C. After exploiting computers running Microsoft Exchange Server, Xu and his co-conspirators installed web shells on them to enable their remote administration. These web shells were specific to HAFNIUM actors at the time. As with the earlier COVID-19 research intrusions, Xu and Zhang worked together on the HAFNIUM intrusions, under the supervision and direction of SSSB officers. For example, on or about Jan. 30, 2021, Xu confirmed to Zhang that he had compromised the other university’s network. Later, on or about Feb. 28, 2021, Xu updated a SSSB officer on his successful intrusions. This SSSB officer then directed Xu to obtain a list of other, successful intrusions from a second SSSB officer. Unauthorized access to the law firm’s network allowed Xu and his co-conspirators to steal information from mailboxes and search them for information regarding specific U.S. policy makers and government agencies. Their search terms included “Chinese sources,” “MSS,” and “HongKong.”
The announcement of charges against Xu is the latest describing the PRC’s use of an extensive network of private companies and contractors in China to hack and steal information in a manner that obscured the PRC government’s involvement. Operating from their safe haven and motivated by profit, this network of private companies and contractors in China cast a wide net to identify vulnerable computers, exploit those computers, and then identify information that it could sell directly or indirectly to the PRC government. This largely indiscriminate approach results in more victims in the United States and elsewhere, more systems worldwide left vulnerable to future exploitation by third parties, and more stolen information, often of no interest to the PRC government and, therefore, sold to other third parties.
Xu is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count; conspiracy to cause damage to and obtain information by unauthorized access to protected computers, to commit wire fraud, and to commit identity theft, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; two counts of obtaining information by unauthorized access to protected computers, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; two counts of intentional damage to a protected computer, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; and aggravated identity theft, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison. Zhang Yu, remains at large. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
The FBI’s Houston Field Office is investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark McIntyre and John Marck for the Southern District of Texas and Deputy Chief Matthew Anzaldi of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs is handling the extradition.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Harlingen man imprisoned for possession of child sexual abuse materialRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 47 year-old Harlingen man has been sentenced for possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Rico Deangelo Longoria pleaded guilty April 1.
U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. considered information in several victim impact statements and ordered Longoria to serve 121 months in federal prison. He was further ordered to serve 15 years of supervised release following the completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. Additionally, he was ordered to pay $60,500 in restitution to the victims of the offense.
During the sentencing, the court emphasized the seriousness of the offense. Judge Rodriguez read excerpts from victim impact statements indicating documented abuse in the material found in Longoria’s possession which highlighted enduring trauma and lifelong consequences inflicted on them. The court noted the mere possession and viewing of such material perpetuates their suffering.
“Viewing or possessing child pornography is not some private, harmless activity,” said Ganjei. “The minor victims are repeatedly traumatized by the dissemination and viewing of the recording of the most horrific moments of their lives. This sentence sends a message that this conduct will be met forcefully in the Southern District of Texas.”
Authorities had discovered a computer associated with a specific IP address in Harlingen engaging in downloading and distributing of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). In February, they executed a federal search warrant of his residence and located a phone hidden inside the water tank of a toilet.
Forensic analysis resulted in the discovery of 337 images and 47 videos of CSAM. The files included images of prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Longoria will continue in custody following the sentencing where he will remain pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
FBI conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ana C. Cano prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Chinese state-sponsored hacker arrested on U.S. warrantRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 33-year-old Chinese national has been taken into custody for his alleged involvement in U.S. computer intrusions between February 2020 and June 2021, including the reckless and indiscriminate HAFNIUM campaign that compromised thousands of computers worldwide.
Authorities took People's Republic of China (PRC) national Xu Zewei (徐泽伟) into custody in Milan, Italy, as he departed a plane from China at the request of the United States.
Xu is charged along with PRC national Zhang Yu (张宇), 44, in a now unsealed nine-count indictment returned in November 2023. They were both involved in computer intrusions between February 2020 and June 2021 at the direction of officers of the PRC’s Ministry of State Security’s (MSS) Shanghai State Security Bureau (SSSB), according to the indictment.
The charges allege MSS and SSSB are PRC intelligence services responsible for PRC's domestic counterintelligence, non-military foreign intelligence and aspects of the PRC's political and domestic security. When conducting the computer intrusions, Xu worked for Shanghai Powerock Network Co. Ltd., one of many “enabling” companies in the PRC that conducted hacking for the PRC government, according to the charges.
“The indictment alleges that Xu was hacking and stealing crucial COVID-19 research at the behest of the Chinese government while that same government was simultaneously withholding information about the virus and its origins,” said Nicholas Ganjei, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. “The Southern District of Texas has been waiting years to bring Xu to justice and that day is nearly at hand. As this case shows, even if it takes years, we will track hackers down and make them answer for their crimes. The United States does not forget.”
“This arrest underscores the United States’ patient and tireless commitment to pursuing hackers who seek to steal information belonging to U.S. companies and universities,” said John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division. “The Justice Department will find you and hold you accountable for threatening our cybersecurity and harming our people and institutions.”
“While the world was reeling from a virus that originated in China, the Chinese government plotted to steal U.S. research critical to vaccine development,” said FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams. “Xu Zewei, an alleged hacker acting on behalf of China's primary spy agency, targeted COVID-19 data using sophisticated cyber techniques and tradecraft. His landmark arrest by FBI Houston agents in Italy proves that we will scour the ends of the Earth to hold criminal foreign adversaries accountable.”
According to court documents, in early 2020, Xu and his co-conspirators hacked and otherwise targeted U.S. based universities and leading immunologists and virologists conducting ground-breaking research into COVID-19 vaccines, treatment and testing. The charges allege Xu and others reported their activities to officers in the SSSB who were supervising and directing the hacking activities. For example, on or about Feb. 19, 2020, Xu allegedly provided an SSSB officer with confirmation that he had compromised the network of a research university located in SDTX. On or about Feb. 22, 2020, the SSSB officer directed Xu to target and access specific email accounts (mailboxes) belonging to virologists and immunologists engaged in COVID-19 research for the research university, according to the allegations. Xu later allegedly confirmed for the SSSB officer he acquired the contents of the researchers’ mailboxes.
Beginning in late 2020, Xu and his co-conspirators exploited certain vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server, a widely used Microsoft product for sending, receiving and storing email messages, according to the charges. Their exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server was allegedly at the forefront of a massive campaign targeting thousands of computers worldwide and known publicly as “HAFNIUM.”
In March 2021, Microsoft publicly disclosed the intrusion campaign by state-sponsored hackers operating out of China. In July 2021, the United States and foreign partners attributed the HAFNIUM campaign to the PRC’s MSS, which they and private sector cybersecurity leaders condemned as “indiscriminate,” “reckless,” “irresponsible” and “destabilizing.”
The charges allege victims of Xu’s exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server were a university located in the Southern District of Texas and a law firm with offices worldwide, including in Washington, D.C. After exploiting computers running Microsoft Exchange Server, Xu and his co-conspirators allegedly installed web shells on them to enable their remote administration. According to the indictment, these web shells were specific to HAFNIUM actors at the time. As with the earlier COVID-19 research intrusions, Xu and Zhang allegedly worked together on the HAFNIUM intrusions under the supervision and direction of SSSB officers. For example, on or about Jan. 30, 2021, Xu confirmed to Zhang that he had compromised the university’s network, according to the charges, and on or about Feb. 28, 2021, updated an SSSB officer on his successful intrusions. This SSSB officer then directed Xu to obtain a list of other, successful intrusions from a second SSSB officer, according to the allegations. The charges allege unauthorized access to the law firm’s network allowed Xu and his co-conspirators to steal information from mailboxes and search them for information regarding specific U.S. policy makers and government agencies. Their search terms allegedly included “Chinese sources,” “MSS” and “HongKong.”
The announcement of charges against Xu is the latest describing the PRC’s use of an extensive network of private companies and contractors in China to hack and steal information in a manner that obscured the PRC government’s involvement. Operating from their safe haven and motivated by profit, this network of private companies and contractors in China allegedly cast a wide net to identify vulnerable computers, exploit those computers, and then identify information that it could sell directly or indirectly to the PRC government. This largely indiscriminate approach can result in more victims in the United States and elsewhere, more systems worldwide left vulnerable to future exploitation by third parties, and more stolen information, often of no interest to the PRC government and, therefore, sold to other third-parties.
In April 2021, the Justice Department announced a court-authorized operation to remediate hundreds of computers in the United States left vulnerable by HAFNIUM actors.
Xu is charged with two counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to do which all carry possible prison terms of up to 20 years in federal prison. The indictment also includes conspiracy to cause damage to and obtain information by unauthorized access to protected computers, to commit wire fraud and to committing identity theft as well as two counts of obtaining information by unauthorized access to protected computers. If convicted on any of those charges, he could receive up to five years, while intentional damage to a protected computer carries a maximum 10-year-possible sentence on either of two counts as charged. For the aggravated identity theft, he could receive another two years which must be served consecutively to any other prison term imposed. All convictions would also have the potential of up to $250,000 as a possible fine.
Zhang remains at large. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
The FBI’s Houston Field Office is conducting the investigation.
SDTX Assistant U.S. Attorneys S. Mark McIntyre and John Marck and Deputy Chief Matthew Anzaldi of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
In just four days, the Southern District of Texas charges nearly 100 individuals in border security and transnational gang-related mattersRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A total of 95 cases have been filed from June 27-July 2 on immigration matters and related efforts to secure the southern border in support of Operation Take Back America, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
A total of 62 people are charged with illegally entering the country, while another 26 face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felonies such as narcotics, violent crime, immigration crimes and more. Other relevant cases charged this week relate to human smuggling and other immigration crimes, drug trafficking and firearms.
Among the notable cases are charges against 16 foreign nationals illegally residing in Houston for drug trafficking and weapons allegations following an operation targeting Venezuelan nationals linked to the Anti-Tren criminal organization. Similar to the criminal activities members of Tren de Aragua have committed, Anti-Tren affiliates allegedly engaged in attempted murder, other acts of violence and threats of such. Some members have been charged with conspiring to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and various weapons crimes, with one allegedly being an alien in possession of ammunition.
“The Southern District’s twin priorities are securing our border and the eradication of violent crime. This case implicates both,” said Ganjei. “Operation Take Back America means going on the offensive against transnational criminal organizations to ensure that they cannot take root in our community and endanger public safety. SDTX is going to be unapologetic in carrying out that mission.”
New criminal complaints filed this week include the illegal reentry of several Mexican nationals after recent removals, including Cesar Alejandro Tovar-Guillen, a convicted felon for cocaine distribution. He had just been removed in March, but authorities discovered him unlawfully in the United States near Alton, according to the allegations. Charges allege Osvaldo Aguilar-Aguilar and Jose Alejandro Dominguez-Guzman had last been removed in October and November 2024, respectively. They both have previous convictions of illegal reentry and had served time in federal prison, according to their criminal complaints. While Juan Esquivel-Garcia allegedly has a previous conviction for trafficking methamphetamine and was previously sentenced to 75 months before his removal. They all face up to 20 years in federal prison, upon conviction.
In McAllen, Margarito Llanes was sentenced to 52 months in federal prison for alien smuggling. He led law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit ending when Llanes crashed into a tree seriously injuring all eight passengers. The pursuit lasted 1.5 miles with speeds reaching up to 70 mph. At the hearing, the court heard about his violent criminal conduct, which includes indecency with a child, robbery and alien smuggling.
Two Mexican nationals received multi-year sentences for illegally reentering the United States. Luis Ernesto Hernandez-Doria was ordered to serve 51 months, while Jose Angel Lopez-Herrera received a 46-month-term of imprisonment. At the Lopez-Herrera hearing, the court heard additional evidence regarding his criminal history, which included not only having reentered the country in 2022 but a human smuggling case in which one had drowned. In handing down Hernandez-Doria’s sentence, the court noted he needed a substantial sentence to deter him from illegally reentering again. He had three prior felony convictions for illegal reentry as well as a felony conviction for taking a weapon from an officer. His most recent removal was in July 2024.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.
An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Former South Texan admits to drug deal involving $2 million in cocaineRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 25-year-old former resident of Donna has pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Carlos Chacon admitted he provided narcotics to Mexican citizen Sergio Ivan Beas Rivera in May 2024.
Authorities had witnessed the transaction and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle Rivera was driving. They discovered 31 cellphone wrapped bundles which weighed approximately 34 kilograms and tested positive for cocaine.
The drugs have an estimated street value of approximately $2 million.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane will impose sentencing Sept. 16. At that time, Chacon faces up to life in federal prison and a possible $10 million maximum fine.
He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
Beas Rivera, 42, previously pleaded guilty for his role, admitting he knew he was in possession of the narcotics and intended to distribute them. He is set for sentencing Aug. 13 before U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton. He remains in custody.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Hidalgo County Constables Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose A. Garcia is prosecuting the case.
Mexican national receives 8 years for possession of nearly 1,500 images of child sexual abuse materialRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 35-year-old resident of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, has been sentenced to federal prison following his conviction of possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Apolonio Sanchez-Martinez pleaded guilty Sept. 18, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera considered information from victim impact statements and ordered Sanchez-Martinez to serve a 97-month-term of imprisonment. He was further ordered to pay $160,000 in restitution to known victims and will serve 15 years on supervised release to be served following the completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
On Aug. 12, 2023, Sanchez-Martinez attempted to enter the United States through the Brownsville Gateway Port of Entry. Authorities referred him to secondary inspection where they located a cell phone. Forensic analysis of the device resulted in the discovery of 1,405 videos and 152 images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
“There is zero tolerance for child sex abuse material in the United States, and those that attempt to bring CSAM into our country are going to face long prison stays,” said Ganjei. “The Southern District of Texas will do everything we can to not only apprehend and punish producers of such images and videos, but also the consumers of such material—like the defendant here—who provide a market for the creation of CSAM.”
Sanchez-Martinez will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ana C. Cano prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Convicted felon sentenced to 51 months for illegal reentry to the United StatesRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 54-year-old man from Matamoros, Mexico, has been ordered to federal prison for illegally reentering the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Luis Ernesto Hernandez-Doria pleaded guilty April 9.
U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera has now ordered him to serve 51 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard about Hernandez-Doria’s lengthy criminal record, including four prior felony and six misdemeanor convictions. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that Hernandez-Doria needed a substantial sentence to deter him from illegally reentering again.
Hernandez-Doria had three previous felony convictions for illegal reentry as well as for taking a weapon from an officer.
He was first removed in November 2016 and illegally returned three times. Authorities discovered him again Oct. 12, 2024, in Brownsville.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luis Salazar prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Bail bondsmen and former federal officer indicted in immigration-related bribery caseRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Four people are now in custody on allegations they exchanged money to lift immigration detainers on individuals held in custody, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Houston residents Leopoldo Perrault Benitez, 53, Anthony Benitez, 32, Isaac Sierra, 51, and Jose Angel Muniz, 51, La Porte, made their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Bray, at which time the indictment was unsealed. They were ordered into custody pending further criminal proceedings.
A federal grand jury returned the indictment June 24. It alleges Leopoldo Benitez was the owner of A Way Out Bail Bonds in Houston. His son - Anthony Benitez - was an employee, while Sierra worked at International Bonding Company, according to the charges. Muniz was allegedly a deportation officer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO).
Between April 2023 and March 2024, the charges allege the three bail bondsmen paid Muniz to lift immigration detainers on illegal aliens in ICE custody awaiting removal.
“The Southern District of Texas takes allegations of corruption by federal officers extremely seriously, particularly those entrusted with keeping our border secure and nation safe,” said Ganjei. “There is no room whatsoever for bribery or side deals when it comes to immigration enforcement.”
If convicted, all four face up to 15 years in prison and a fine equal to the equivalent value of the bribes offered and received or $250,000, whichever is greater.
ICE - Office of Professional Responsibility, FBI and Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard D. Hanes is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Three more sentenced in wide-ranging scheme to monopolize international transit industryRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – Three Texas residents have been sentenced in connection with a long-running and violent conspiracy to monopolize the transmigrante forwarding agency industry in the Los Indios border region, located near Harlingen and Brownsville, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
They and others controlled the transmigrate industry through fear, monopolization and extortion of competitors and laundered proceeds from the conspiracies.
Pedro Antonio Calvillo Hernandez, 50, McAllen, and Mireya Miranda, 59, San Antonio, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to illegally fix prices and allocate the market for transmigrante forwarding agency services and conspiracy to monopolize the transmigrante market. Hernandez also admitted to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion and received 37 months, while Miranda was ordered to serve 10 months on home detention. Jose de Jesus Tapia Fernandez, 47, Brownsville, was sentenced to 31 months in prison after pleading guilty to a money laundering conspiracy through which extortion proceeds were laundered.
Hernandez and Miranda must also pay a $75,000 fine, while Fernandez was ordered to pay $50,000. Restitution will be determined at a later date.
“Price fixing is an attempt to distort the market in favor of the fixer and to the detriment of basically everyone else. Although such market manipulation is bad enough, it is even worse when brought about through threats and violence,” said Ganjei. “The Southern District of Texas will work tirelessly to prosecute such criminal syndicates and to ensure markets along the Texas-Mexico border remain free, fair, and open.”
“The danger and the harm to the American people by the use of violence and extortion to fix prices and monopolize the market for an essential service in the Texas border region cannot be understated,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Today’s sentences demonstrate the Antitrust Division’s commitment to pursuing incarceration for both white-collar and violent criminals who seek to exploit America’s free markets.”
“The FBI remains committed to combatting the use of threats, violence and corrupt business practices such as price-fixing that harm honest business owners and undermine fair competition,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp of the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office. “Together with our law enforcement partners, we will leverage each other’s expertise and capabilities to dismantle every facet of transnational criminal organizations.”
“These sentencings reaffirm our unwavering commitment to safeguarding economic integrity at our nation’s borders,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee of Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) San Antonio. “By dismantling an enterprise that thrived on extortion and price fixing, we are ensuring that honest businesses can compete on a level playing field. This case exemplifies how corruption in niche industries can have far-reaching effects, and HSI will continue to pursue those who abuse the system for profit.”
Transmigrantes transport used vehicles and goods from the United States through Mexico for resale in Central America. Only a few U.S. border crossings, including the Los Indios Bridge, allow transmigrantes to enter Mexico.
Transmigrante forwarding agencies are U.S.-based businesses that help clients complete customs paperwork to export vehicles into Mexico. Co-conspirators fixed prices for forwarding services and created a centralized entity, known as the “pool,” to collect and divide revenue among conspirators. They used the pool to eliminate competition and raise prices.
Some also conspired to force forwarding agencies to pay money to the pool and to pay other extortion fees including a “piso” for every transaction processed in the industry as well as a fine for operating in the market outside of rules. The conspirators perpetrated acts of intimidation, coercion and violence in furtherance of the antitrust and extortion conspiracies.
To date, five others have been convicted, four of whom have already been sentenced in the case, including the leader - Carlos Martinez, 39, McAllen, who received an 11-year prison term.
Three others - Rigoberto Brown, Miguel Hipolito Caballero Aupart and Diego Ceballos-Soto were also charged in the superseding indictment and remain fugitives. Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS), U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, ICE-HSI and FBI conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander L. Alum prosecuted the case along with Trial Attorneys Anne Veldhuis, Brittany E. McClure and Michael G. Lepage and Senior Litigation Counsel John Davis of the Antitrust Division and VCRS Trial Attorney Christina Taylor.
Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.
Three Defendants Sentenced in Wide-Ranging Scheme to Monopolize International Transit Industry, Fix Prices, Extort Competitors, and Launder MoneyRead the Press Release
The U.S. Department of Justice today announced that three additional defendants were sentenced in connection with a long-running and violent conspiracy to monopolize the transmigrante forwarding agency industry in the Los Indios, Texas, border region, located near Harlingen and Brownsville, Texas. The defendants controlled the transmigrate industry through fear, monopolization, and extortion of competitors, and laundered proceeds from the conspiracies.
Pedro Antonio Calvillo Hernandez, age 50 of McAllen, Texas, was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $50,000 fine after pleading guilty to conspiracy to illegally fix prices and allocate the market for transmigrante forwarding agency services, conspiracy to monopolize the transmigrante market, and conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion.
Jose de Jesus Tapia Fernandez, age 47 of Brownsville, Texas was sentenced to time served, or 31 months in prison, and a three-year term of supervised release after pleading guilty to a money laundering conspiracy through which extortion proceeds were laundered.
Mireya Miranda, age 59 of San Antonio, Texas, was sentenced to 10 months of home detention, and a $75,000 fine after pleading guilty to conspiracy to illegally fix prices and allocate the market for transmigrante forwarding agency services; and conspiracy to monopolize the transmigrante market.
“The danger and the harm to the American people by the use of violence and extortion to fix prices and monopolize the market for an essential service in the Texas border region cannot be understated,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Today’s sentences demonstrate the Antitrust Division’s commitment to pursuing incarceration for both white-collar and violent criminals who seek to exploit America’s free markets.”
“Price fixing is an attempt to distort the market in favor of the fixer and to the detriment of basically everyone else. Although such market manipulation is bad enough, it is even worse when brought about through threats and violence,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas. “The Southern District of Texas will work tirelessly to prosecute such criminal syndicates and to ensure markets along the Texas-Mexico border remain free, fair, and open.”
“The FBI is proud of the hard work and collaboration with partners that led to today’s sentencing,” said Assistant Director Joe Perez of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “We remain absolutely committed to thwarting criminal enterprises that function without regard for the rule of law and whose practices of market manipulation include the use of violence and intimidation.”
“These sentencings reaffirm our unwavering commitment to safeguarding economic integrity at our nation’s borders,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee of ICE Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio. “By dismantling an enterprise that thrived on extortion and price fixing, we are ensuring that honest businesses can compete on a level playing field. This case exemplifies how corruption in niche industries can have far-reaching effects, and HSI will continue to pursue those who abuse the system for profit.”
Transmigrantes transport used vehicles and other goods from the United States through Mexico for resale in Central America. There are only a few locations where transmigrantes can legally cross from the United States into Mexico, one of those being the Los Indios Bridge in Texas. Transmigrante forwarding agencies are U.S.-based businesses that provide services to transmigrante clients, including helping those clients complete the customs paperwork required to export vehicles into Mexico.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the co-defendants fixed prices for transmigrante forwarding agency services and created a centralized entity known as the “Pool” to collect and divide revenues among the conspirators, limit competition from other agencies, and increase prices for their services. Some co-defendants also conspired to force forwarding agencies to pay money to the Pool and to pay other extortion fees, including a “piso” for every transaction processed in the industry as well as a “fine” for operating in the market outside of Pool rules. The conspirators perpetrated acts of intimidation, coercion, and violence in furtherance of the antitrust and extortion conspiracies. Co-defendants Carlos Martinez and Tapia also conspired to launder the extortion proceeds.
Calvillo, Tapia, and Miranda must also pay restitution to the victims of the conspiracies. The Court will determine the final restitution amount owed to victims of the conspiracies at a hearing set for Sept. 3.
Four co-defendants have previously been sentenced in this case. One other co-defendant has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing. Three other defendants, Rigoberto Brown, Miguel Hipolito Caballero Aupart, and Diego Ceballos-Soto were also charged in the superseding indictment and remain fugitives. Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Anne Veldhuis, Brittany E. McClure, and Michael G. Lepage and Senior Litigation Counsel John Davis of the Antitrust Division; Trial Attorney Christina Taylor of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS); and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander L. Alum for the Southern District of Texas prosecuted the case.
Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.
High-speed pursuit results in 52-month sentence for alien smugglerRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 37-year-old Alamo resident has been ordered to federal prison for transporting illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Margarito Llanes pleaded guilty April 22.
U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Llanes to serve 52 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence about the risk Llanes created by engaging in a lengthy, high-speed pursuit and how his conduct was consistent with his violent criminal conduct, which includes indecency with a child, robbery and alien smuggling. In handing down the sentence Judge Crane also emphasized the seriousness of Llanes’ conduct and how everyone is lucky the outcome wasn’t more dire.
On Jan. 18, a group of illegal aliens loaded into a vehicle near the Rio Grande River in Granjeno. Llanes was driving. As law enforcement approached, he sped away and engaged in a 1.5-mile pursuit with speeds reaching over 70 mph over unpaved roads.
The chase ended when he crashed the vehicle into a tree, seriously injuring nearly all eight passengers.
Llanes admitted to driving the vehicle, noting he was lucky he did not die from the crash.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Border Patrol conducted the investigation with the assistance of Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Fry prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.