New York Jeweler Arrested for Forging Government Seal

A jewelry wholesaler was arrested Sunday, August 5, 2012, for allegedly committing wire fraud and forging the seal of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The arrest is a result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Office of Professional Responsibility and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.

Tejas Mehta, 36, the owner of Saritijediam Inc., doing business as Design Trends, is a jeweler who conducts business in Manhattan's diamond district. He is accused of allegedly forging the seal of CBP, a component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Mehta used the fraudulent CBP seal to allegedly steal approximately $1 million from his business associates and other diamond and precious stones wholesalers.

Mehta received diamonds, jewelry and precious stones from other wholesalers under consignment. Once in his possession, Mehta would sell the jewels. Instead of giving the proceeds to the owner of the merchandise as he had agreed to, Mehta allegedly falsely claimed that he could not return or sell the merchandise because it had been seized by U.S. authorities.

"The production and use of fictitious government documents and seals is a serious crime," said Terence S. Opiola, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility in the Northeast. "ICE OPR is committed to aggressively investigating these crimes and takes great pride in protecting the integrity of all ICE and CBP employees."

"IRS-Criminal Investigation is always eager to work with our federal law enforcement partners and share our financial investigative expertise," said Toni Weirauch, acting special agent in charge for IRS-CI in New York. "We are proud to work with ICE on this important investigation, especially because of its governmental integrity aspect."

According to court documents, one victim consigned $650,000 in diamonds to Mehta, who then allegedly made excuses and did not return the stones or any funds from the sale of the diamonds. Mehta told the victim's attorney that the stones had been seized by U.S. authorities. Mehta allegedly used the fraudulent seal to falsely state that the diamonds, precious stones and jewelry - which were consigned to him - had been seized by CBP.

This case is being prosecuted by the U.S Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

Three Men Sentenced for Food-Stamp Fraud and Selling Counterfeit Goods

Three local men were sentenced in federal court Thursday, August 2, 2012, for selling counterfeit clothes, shoes and merchandise in the Rockford area. These sentences resulted from a joint investigation into food-stamp fraud and counterfeit merchandise sales conducted by the following agencies: U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation Division, and the Rockford Police Department.

Two brothers, Abdul Hariz, 23, and Mohammad Hariz, 21, of Rockford, each pleaded guilty Feb. 8 to conspiring to sell counterfeit shoes and apparel. According to their plea agreements, they sold counterfeit merchandise at the Fashion Show store in Rockford between Aug. 19 and Dec. 14, 2010.

Mohammad Hamad, 44, was charged in a separate indictment and pleaded guilty March 8 to selling counterfeit goods at the Westside Groceries store in Rockford Oct. 21, 2010. In his plea agreement, Hamad admitted that he was part owner of Westside Groceries. He also admitted that his store employees improperly allowed an individual cooperating with law enforcement officers to use a LINK card (food stamp benefits) to purchase counterfeit shoes.

All three defendants were sentenced Aug. 2 by U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Kapala to five months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. During the first five months of their supervised release, each defendant will be placed on home confinement with electronic monitoring. After they complete their home confinement, each defendant must then serve the remaining 31 months of supervised release. All three defendants were ordered to pay full restitution to the victims of their crimes, and to repay the government for the costs incurred in the undercover investigation. Hamad was also sentenced to pay a $5,000 fine.

As a result of the investigation, five other Rockford men were charged in federal court with offenses relating to food stamp fraud (LINK cards). Those five men have pleaded guilty and have already been sentenced.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John G. McKenzie, Northern District of Illinois, prosecuted the case.

ERO Arrests Over 4,000 Criminal Aliens in June and July

July 2012, in Dallas, Texas, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested a man from El Salvador who had a criminal conviction for aggravated sexual assault on a 6-year-old child.

The 57-year-old citizen and native of El Salvador arrested by ERO's special operations team in Dallas is just one example of the more than 4,400 convicted criminals arrested in June and July across the United States, and one of more than 1,900 considered a Level 1 offender - top priority for the federal ICE officers who enforce immigration law. Level 1 offenders have been criminally convicted of major violent offenses, including murder, rape and the sexual abuse of children.

Other examples of individuals arrested in June and July throughout the country include:

·                             A citizen of the United Kingdom arrested in Kansas City, Mo., convicted of a lewd and lascivious act with a child under 14 and sentenced to six years' confinement;

·                             A citizen of Jamaica arrested in Miami, convicted for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, burglary and carrying a concealed firearm;

·                             A citizen of Honduras arrested in New York, convicted of sexual abuse of a child;

·                             A citizen of Mexico arrested in Phoenix, Ariz., convicted of burglary, assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon, escape from federal custody and possession of marijuana;

·                             A citizen of Mexico arrested in Salt Lake City, Utah, convicted for rape of a child and sentenced to a term of no less than six years in Utah State Prison;

·                             A citizen of Laos arrested in St. Paul, Minn., convicted of manslaughter and criminal sexual conduct on an 11-year-old; and

·                             A citizen of Guatemala arrested in Ashburn, Va.,convicted of sexual battery.

"Our officers are out every day looking for the worst of the worst at-large criminal aliens who are hiding within our communities, potentially committing more crimes," said Gary Mead, ICE's Executive Associate Director for ERO. "The more successful we can be at using our immigration authorities to remove individuals like this from our country, the safer our communities will be."

ICE's enforcement priorities dictate that the agency's resources are focused on the identification and removal of convicted criminals and public safety threats, recent illegal border crossers, repeat immigration violators and immigration fugitives. This strategy is intended to ensure that immigration laws are enforced in a way that best enhances public safety, border security and the integrity of the legal immigration system.

Last fiscal year, ICE removed 396,906 individuals of which nearly 217,000 were convicted criminals. Overall, more than 90 percent of the total removals fell into one of ICE's enforcement priorities.

ERO's national fugitive operations program maintains a public list of the top 10 most wanted ERO fugitives at www.ice.gov/most-wanted/ero.htm. ICE encourages the public to report any tips that could lead to the capture of these individuals by calling the national hotline at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.

USCIS Posts NEW Updates to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Filing Process

            During a Stakeholder's conference call today, August 3, 2012, the USCIS announced a link to an updated website regarding Requests for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The updated website has extensive information on the filing process including:

·         Fees and fee exemptions

·         Filing dates

·         Forms

·         Evidence requirements

           

Follow the link below to read this newly released information:

www.uscis.gov/childhoodarrivals

Former Airline Agent Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking

A former Delta Airlines ramp agent at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, who attempted to obtain a suitcase containing more than $614,000 worth of illegal drugs off of a flight from Mexico City, pleaded guilty Tuesday, July 31, 2012, in federal district court to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Luis Marroquin, 35, of Atlanta, had previously been indicted by a federal grand jury May 1 on charges of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and attempting to import methamphetamine and heroin into the United States from Mexico. Kelvin Rondon, 27, of Atlanta, a former Delta Airlines ramp agent who was indicted with Marroquin, pleaded guilty July 19 to the same charge.

United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said of the case: "These guilty pleas demonstrate a continued strong commitment by the U.S. Attorney's Office, ICE, our other law enforcement partners and airline security teams to uncover, arrest and successfully prosecute those individuals who traffic illegal drugs through our airport."

"Keeping dangerous drugs out of our communities is a team effort," said Brock D. Nicholson, special agent in charge of HSI Atlanta. "Thanks to the excellent work done by Delta Airlines security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, HSI special agents were able to unravel this scheme and ensure the defendants will be held accountable for their criminal actions." Nicholson oversees HSI activities in Georgia and the Carolinas.

According to information presented in court, on Jan. 13 at approximately 11:57 a.m. Delta Airlines flight number 364 arrived at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport from Mexico City, Mexico. Shortly thereafter, a Delta Airlines agent found an unclaimed piece of luggage on a baggage carousel with a tag corresponding to Flight 364. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents inspected the luggage, and determined that it contained multiple packages of methamphetamine and heroin.

Later that same day, HSI special agents interviewed Carlos R. Springer, 41, of Hampton, Ga., who was the performance leader for the shift of ramp employees who off-loaded the baggage on Flight 364. During a search of Springer's cellular telephone, special agents found coded incriminating text messages between Springer and Marroquin around the time of the arrival of the flight which concerned a missing bag. The investigation revealed that Marroquin recruited Rondon to locate the suitcase of drugs from the aircraft and showed Rondon a picture of the bag from Marroquin's cellular telephone in advance of the arrival of the flight.

Marroquin, Rondon and Springer were charged in the same indictment May 1 with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, and attempting to import methamphetamine and heroin into the United States from Mexico.

A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment June 6 which also charged Stephanie Baxter, 26, of Atlanta, with concealing and harboring Marroquin while he remained a fugitive in this case. Baxter was in the process of selling Marroquin's assets so that Marroquin could supposedly flee to his native Guatemala. HSI special agents foiled the plan and arrested Marroquin at a residence in Coral Springs, Fla., May 8.

The sentencings for Marroquin and Rondon have not yet been scheduled. Marroquin and Rondon could receive maximum sentences of life in prison and fines of up to $10,000,000. In determining the actual sentences, the court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.

Springer's and Baxter's cases remain pending in federal court.

Operation Community Shield Arrests 14 Foreign Gang Members

Special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – in close partnership with the Wisconsin police departments of Milwaukee, Greendale and Greenfield – arrested 14 men during an enforcement operation Monday, July 30, 2012. This is the latest local effort in an ongoing national HSI initiative to target foreign-born gang members.

The operation was conducted July 30 in Milwaukee and resulted in the arrests of 13 Mexican nationals and one national of the Dominican Republic, all male.

The Mexican nationals arrested are proven members or associates of the "Mexican Posse" street gang. They are currently in ICE custody pending deportation proceedings. One gang member also faces possible federal prosecution as an illegal alien possession of a firearm.
Also arrested was a previously deported alien from the Dominican Republic. He has been charged in federal court with illegally re-entering the United States after having been deported, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

All 14 of those arrested have criminal histories that include arrests and convictions for a wide range of crimes committed in the United States. Some of their convictions include narcotics trafficking, criminal damage to property and theft.

"Violent street gangs account for a burgeoning amount of crime in our communities in the Midwest and across the country," said Gary Hartwig, special agent in charge of HSI Chicago. "ICE works in tandem with our local law enforcement partners to identify these gang members and remove them from the streets in the name of public safety."

This investigation was part of HSI's Operation Community Shield initiative. Under Operation Community Shield, HSI partners with existing federal, state and local anti-gang efforts to identify violent street gangs and develop intelligence on gang members and associates, gang criminal activities, and international movements to arrest, prosecute, imprison and/or deport transnational gang members. HSI's National Gang Unit's goal is to deter, disrupt and dismantle gang operations by tracing and seizing cash, weapons and other assets derived from criminal activities.

Since inception in 2005 to date, HSI special agents working in conjunction with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies nationwide have arrested more than 26,726 street gang members and associates. Almost 40 percent of those arrested had a violent criminal history. More than 340 of those arrested were gang leaders and more than 4,000 were MS-13 gang members or associates. Through this initiative nationally, HSI has seized 3,429 firearms. To date, of those arrested, more than 14,200 have been charged criminally, and nearly 12,500 have been charged with immigration violations and processed for removal.

Former CBP Officer Sentenced to 115 Days for Investment Fraud

A former San Diego-area officer for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) who defrauded individuals after promising to invest their money in a technical school was sentenced Friday, July 27, 2012, to 115 days in federal prison, following a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).

Dario Tomas, 53, of Oceanside, pleaded guilty in June to wire fraud after admitting he swindled $240,000 from two victims as part of a financial scheme he orchestrated while working for CBP in Busan, Korea, in 2007.

Tomas admitted to falsely promising the two investors, a U.S. serviceman and a South Korean national, that their money would go toward building a computer training school in the Philippines. Tomas furthered the scheme by sending electronic messages to the investors using fraudulent email accounts he set up under other people's names, and by making phone calls so it would appear the project was progressing. Tomas later admitted he lost the money gambling.

Tomas was arrested in October 2010 by special agents with ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) assigned to the agency's attaché office in Manila, aided by officers from the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service and the Philippine National Bureau of Investigations. Tomas was then extradited to South Korea where he served a two-year prison term for the offense.

In April, Tomas was released from prison in South Korea and deported to the U.S. to face federal fraud charges brought in Southern California.

At his sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Janis L. Sammarinto also ordered Tomas to pay $240,000 in restitution to the two victims.