Iowa Child Predator Sentenced

An Iowa man was sentenced Thursday, January 31, 2013, to 20 years in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to two counts of receiving images of child pornography and transmitting obscene material to a minor under the age of 16 years old. 

The sentence resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Jupiter Police Department.

According to court documents, Eric Runyan, 31, of Earlham, Iowa, used an online social networking application to contact and initiate a chat with a 9-year-old girl in Jupiter, Fla.

Runyan, using his screen name Hard_n_big2000, asked the victim, "How old u?"
The 9-year-old immediately responded, "10 … Leave me alone."

Runyan continued to chat with the victim and sent the child a picture of his genitals. He then proceeded to ask the 9-year-old to take and transmit sexually explicit images of herself, which she did. When the 9-year-old tried to end the conversation, Runyan sent her threatening text messages, saying that he would ruin the 9-year-old's iPhone. He also threatened to find and kill her.

When the 9-year-old reported the incident to her parents, Jupiter Police Department detectives and HSI special agents were able to determine that the communications originated from Runyan's home.

Runyan was arrested and confessed to his involvement in the crime. He stated that he used his iPod Touch to communicate with the 9-year-old victim, transmit the images of himself to her and receive the sexually explicit images of the child.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-347-2423 or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-843-5678.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.

Texas Child Predator Sentenced for Enticing a Minor

A south Texas man was sentenced Wednesday, January 23, 2013, to 11 years and three months in federal prison for enticing a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with the assistance of the Pharr Police Department (PD).

Teofanes Salas-Campos, 40, Mission, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Randy Crane to 135 months in prison. He pleaded guilty Sept. 17, 2012 that he intended to have sex with a minor for money. After he completes his prison term, Salas-Campos will also serve a five year term of supervised release, and will be required to register as a sex offender.

During Wednesday's court hearing, evidence presented indicated that Salas-Campos had taken a photograph of the victim on her cell phone which showed sexually explicit conduct. The sentence was enhanced because the minor victim was only 14 years old at the time, and because there was a commission of a sex act.

According to court documents, in April 2012, Pharr PD contacted HSI concerning the solicitation of a minor for sexual purposes. Special agents recovered a cellular telephone that was being used by a 14-year-old girl to receive messages from men requesting sex in exchange for money. Posing as the minor, special agents began conversing with the unknown men via text messages on the cellphone.

During this investigation, two others were arrested and charged separately with enticing a minor. Felipe de Jesus Ponce-Torres, 24, of Mexico, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Micaela Alveraz who sentenced him in November 2012 to 10 years in prison. Jose Luis Garcia-Saldivar, 28, also of Mexico, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo H. Hinojosa, and will be sentenced May 9.

In their respective guilty pleas, all three men admitted they intended to have sex with an individual whom they believed was a minor, and that they were going to pay the minor between $80 and $100.

All three men have been and will remain in custody.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Ann Leo and Juan Villescas, Southern District of Texas, prosecuted this case.

Indiana Man Sentenced for Child Exploitation

A man from Indiana was sentenced Tuesday, January 22, 2013, to serve 34 years and four months in federal prison for attempted coercion and enticement (to engage in unlawful sexual activity with a minor child), and distributing child pornography.

This sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney John Walsh, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Kumar Kibble.

Following his prison sentence, Steven Raines, 35, of Fort Wayne, Ind., was also ordered by U.S. District Court Judge R. Brooke Jackson to serve a life time on supervised release. Raines appeared at the hearing in custody, and was remanded immediately after.

Raines was first charged by Criminal Complaint July 2, 2012. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver July 9. He pleaded guilty Oct. 24. And he was sentenced Jan. 22.

According to the stipulated facts contained in the plea agreement, on April 1, 2012, an HSI special agent based in Glenwood Springs, Colo., was chatting online in an undercover capacity. Specifically, the special agent's undercover persona was that of a single mother of two daughters under the age of 16. The undercover special agent (undercover) entered a chat room, accessible by anyone, whose topic focused on sex with children. While in the chat room, the undercover engaged in a chat with an individual who expressed interest in having sex with the undercover and her two minor children. The individual went on to say that he had been searching for 20 years for someone like the undercover who would provide sexual access to her children, and that he discovered that he was a "pedo" when he was 15. He also said that he had been previously accused of molesting a child to whom he had access, and that he previously attempted to meet someone like the undercover in person, but the person failed to show up.

The individual continued chatting and emailing with the undercover by using his smart phone for the next three months. He told the undercover that he did not have a computer. Eventually investigators identified the individual as 35-year old Steven Raines, who lived in Fort Wayne, Ind. As the chats between Raines and the undercover progressed, Raines began to send pictures, some of which depicted child pornography. Eventually Raines and the undercover began to make plans for him to travel to Colorado in order to have sex with, or rape, the two young girls. The defendant's main interest, however, was the child who was under the age of 6. He discussed wanting to father a child with the undercover. Raines also discussed other children he knew from church or his neighborhood, in whom he had a sexual interest and with whom he attempted to have some sort of contact.

As the travel plans were finalized, Raines stated that he was going to bring his child pornography collection with him to Colorado in order to "teach" the girls, and stated an interest in producing child pornography with the undercover and the two minor girls. The content of the child pornography he was bringing featured mostly prepubescent females engaged in sexual acts and included sadistic or masochistic conduct. During the communications between Raines and the undercover, he made statements about both of his children, and about sexually molesting a minor child to whom he had access, and that he produced images of child pornography of him sexually abusing that child.

The defendant began his travel to Colorado June 29, 2012. He sent texts to the undercover throughout the trip. On June 30, near Topeka, Kan., the defendant's van broke down. He rented a vehicle to complete his journey. On June 30, the defendant arrived at a residence in Garfield County, Colo., which was the address provided to him by the undercover. After arriving, he was taken into custody. Special agents and officers seized Raines' cell phone, which has the capacity to take photographs and video. The phone contained about 130 still images and 84 videos of child pornography. During a lawful search of Raines' home, special agents and officers found various discs containing child pornography. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children identified 23 known series of child pornography featuring real child victims among the images the defendant had on his cell phone and in his email.

"Sexually exploiting children carries extraordinarily severe penalties - decades in federal prison, followed by a life term of supervised release," said U.S. Attorney John Walsh. "It is a top priority of the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Department of Justice to protect children by prosecuting predators such as Raines."

"This significant prison sentence removes another child predator from the streets for decades to come, which helps protect children everywhere," said Kumar C. Kibble, special agent in charge of HSI Denver. "Unfortunately, there are many predators like Steven Raines who pretend to lead normal lives. But our HSI special agents, partnering with other law enforcement agencies, go to extraordinary lengths to help protect and rescue these child victims, while also targeting and prosecuting those who prey on them."

This case was investigated by HSI and the Garfield County Sheriff's Office. HSI Indianapolis and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Fort Wayne, Ind., also played an important role in this investigation and prosecution.

Raines was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Heldmyer and ICE Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lillian Alves, with support from Assistant U.S. Attorney Alecia Riewerts Wolak.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-347-2423 or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-843-5678.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Awarded by his for Assistance in Operation Holitna

A local federal prosecutor, who has a well-earned reputation for successfully prosecuting cases investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Boston, received top honors from the agency Friday, January 18, 2013. He was honored for his outstanding professional achievements as a leading member of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Yoon was recognized for his contributions to federal child exploitation prosecutions, particularly Operation Holitna. His work with HSI, focused on child exploitation investigations, has resulted in the arrests of numerous child predators worldwide.

Operation Holitna is an ongoing HSI-led investigation that originated in Boston in 2010. In November 2010 the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts and HSI Boston arrested Robert Diduca on child pornography production charges. He was convicted and subsequently sentenced in June 2012.

Forensic analysis of Diduca's computer led investigators to the Netherlands where a Dutch national was arrested and charged with production, distribution and possession of child pornography, as well as the sexual abuse of 87 minors. Since the launch of this worldwide operation, more than 160 children have been rescued and 50 perpetrators arrested worldwide.

"The grim reality is that online child exploitation is a very real part of our modern lives and it is going on throughout the world, right now, on a grand scale," said ICE Director John Morton. "Thanks to the expertise of Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Yoon - who has demonstrated his unwavering commitment to prosecuting these types of cases - child predators are being brought to justice each and every day. Michael's dedication to the cause ultimately led to the discovery of the largest case of child exploitation in Dutch history."

"During his time in the Major Crimes Unit, Michael demonstrated unwavering commitment to prosecuting child exploitation cases," said U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz, District of Massachusetts. "It was Michael's extraordinary ability to balance the complexity of a constantly expanding case - that demanded the collaboration of national and international law enforcement agencies - which led to the prosecution and sentencing of Robert Diduca and a vast network of online child sex offenders. We are fortunate to have such a passionate and dedicated prosecutor working on our team."

His expertise on prosecuting these cases continues to this day, as Operation Holitna continues to arrest pedophiles who are sexually abusing children and producing child pornography in Europe, Asia and North America.

HSI special agents, who have worked closely with Assistant U.S. Attorney Yoon for years stated:

• "There was never a day or night that Michael wouldn't respond to calls from HSI Boston for assistance - even at 2:30 in the morning. His efforts were constantly going above and beyond the normal expectations special agents have of federal prosecutors."
• "He is the most responsive assistant U.S. attorney I have ever worked with in my career. When working with Mike, there was never any doubt we were one team."
• "Mike has a unique blend of legal experience - with an investigator's mindset - which fit perfectly with the goals of Operation Holitna. Without his guidance and support, I am certain that we wouldn't have achieved the many successes over the past two years."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Yoon has been assigned to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts since 2010. From 2005 to 2010, Yoon worked as a trial attorney in Washington for the Department of Justice's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section. He has been recently reassigned to the U.S. Attorney's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.

Operation Holitna, and other New England-based investigations that protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers, are run out of HSI's state-of-the-art forensic laboratory in Boston. This facility, located in the John F. Kennedy Federal Building, assists federal, state and local law enforcement authorities in New England with a wide range of forensic investigative support in cases that are often complex, and require significant examination and analysis.

The forensic lab prepares investigators as they team with other state and local investigative experts, as well as prosecutors throughout New England. Several other federal, state and local law enforcement authorities have expressed their support of efforts to strengthen investigative techniques to remain competitive with the ever-changing world of scientific technology. The lab employs the latest technology to collect evidence and track the activities of individuals and organized groups who sexually exploit children through the use of websites, chat rooms, newsgroups and peer-to-peer trading. As Internet access continues to expand, the forensic lab brings the full range of HSI computer and forensic assets together in a single location to combat such Internet-related crimes.

These types of investigations are part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators.

Social Security Employee Charged with Viewing Child Pornography at Work

A 49-year-old federal employee from Lynnwood made his initial appearance in federal court Wednesday, January 9, 2013, on child pornography charges following his arrest at the Social Security Administration's (SSA) Office of Disability Adjudication and Review in Seattle.

Thomas Joseph Barrett, a senior case technician with the SSA, is accused of using his government computer to view child pornography. According to the complaint filed in the case, the SSA obtained evidence of inappropriate Internet use during work hours by the defendant in November 2012. A review of Barrett's Internet history and an examination of his computer's hard drive produced evidence that he had viewed child pornography. Investigators also found that he had accessed news stories about the penalties for possessing and distributing child pornography. Barrett has been placed on indefinite leave by the SSA.

The case is being investigated by the SSA's Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Washington State Patrol. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington is prosecuting.

Accessing child pornography with intent to view is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The charges contained in the complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-347-2423 or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-843-5678.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse. 

HSI Target Operation Nets 23 Child Predators

They ranged in age from 18 to 66. They were Army reservists, doctors and students, and they traveled as far as 120 miles to have sex with a child who they believed to be 14 years old or younger. Things, however, didn't go as planned for this group of child predators. They were met by law enforcement officers from a variety of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The operation was titled Operation Volusia Broadband, and it was spearheaded by Florida's Volusia County Sheriff's Office. Undercover law enforcement officers posed as children, or in some cases as guardians of children, and chatted with suspected child predators. The undercover officers then lured the offenders to a decoy house in northern Florida that was equipped with surveillance cameras.

"These predators think they're above the law," said Sue McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa, which oversees HSI Cocoa Beach. "We were happy to assist our state and local counterparts execute this operation. Child predators should take note. We will find you, arrest you and make sure you are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

Most of the offenders were charged with three state felonies – use of a computer to seduce or solicit a child to engage in unlawful sexual conduct, traveling to meet a minor to engage in unlawful sexual conduct and unlawful use of a two-way communications device.

The week ending in Friday, October 19, 2012, ast week, representatives from HSI Cocoa Beach, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the State Attorney's Office, among others, held a news conference to announce that 23 men were arrested as part of the operation.

"The arrests that were made in the past five days should be a wake-up call for all predators. Protecting children is our highest priority, and we're going to continue to be aggressive and proactive in attacking exploitation whenever and wherever it occurs," said Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson at the news conference. "I'm glad we got them off the street, out of this county. And let the citizens know we will do this again."

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.

MS-13 Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Illegal Reentry

A citizen and national of El Salvador and a member of the

MS-13 street

gang who was previously convicted of sexually assaulting a child in Fairfax County, Va., pleaded guilty Thursday, July 26, 2012, to illegally reentering the United States after having been previously deported.

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

According to court documents, Salvador Portillo, 30, illegally entered the United States and was removed by ICE Oct. 8, 2003. Thereafter, Portillo again illegally reentered the United States.

On Dec. 26, 2010, Portillo sexually assaulted an 8-year-old girl in Fairfax County. He was subsequently convicted of rape and sodomy in the Fairfax County Circuit Court and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Portillo was indicted for illegal reentry Feb. 23 and transferred from state to federal custody July 12. He faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison when he is sentenced Aug. 31, which would follow the sentence term imposed by Fairfax County.

Virginia Assistant Attorney General and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Marc Birnbaum are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Operation Orian Rescues 18 Victims, Arrests 190 Child Predators

One hundred and ninety individuals were arrested and 18 victims identified and rescued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents during a month-long, nationwide operation targeting individuals who possessed, received, transported, distributed, advertised or produced images or videos of child pornography.

"With the advent of summer vacation, children may have more time and access to the Internet, making this a good time to talk to them about online dangers. Many of the child exploitation cases under Operation Orion began with a child or teen chatting with someone he or she met online," said ICE Director John Morton. "Let this operation be a warning to anyone who would think they can use the Internet to exploit children: we are out there looking for you, we will find you, and you will be prosecuted."

Operation Orion took place May 1 to 31. Arrests were made by HSI special agents and partner law enforcement agencies. The majority of arrests were made throughout the United States, but also included arrests in Spain, the Philippines, Argentina and the United Kingdom.

Those arrested included:

·                             Andrew Hallock, 28, of Sebastian, Fla., arrested May 2 in Sebastian for possession of child pornography and illegal sexual enticement of a 15-year-old victim he met online.

·                             Cedric Conner, 35, of Lafayette, La., arrested May 4 in Lafayette for production of child pornography based on his sexual assault of a 7-year-old victim, whom Conner babysat.

·                             Joshua Stewart, 23, of Rochester, N.Y., arrested in Rochester May 4 for coercion and enticement of a minor via the Internet, which began as "sexting" with the 13-year-old.

·                             Andrew McKee, 35, of Oklahoma City, Okla., arrested in Garland, Texas, May 9 for coercion and enticement of a minor via the Internet. McKee met the 14-year-old victim on a social networking site and continued to harass the victim via texts, offering money in exchange for sex.

·                             Thomas Wright, 54, of Bangor, Mich., arrested May 16 at his residence in Bangor on an outstanding federal arrest warrant for manufacturing and possessing child pornography. Wright allegedly persuaded an underage boy to participate with him in illegal sexual conduct while he photographed the encounters. Wright also secretly videotaped the boy involved in other sexual activity. Wright later transported the images from his home in Michigan to Florida.

·                             Michael Wojcik, 28, of Warren, Mich., arrested May 18. Wojcik turned himself in to HSI Detroit after being charged in a criminal complaint for receipt and possession of child pornography. A search warrant executed at his home revealed more than 1,200 images and 109 videos of suspected child pornography on computers and media storage devices.

Operation Orion was overseen by HSI's Child Exploitation Investigations Unit in Washington.

Last fiscal year, HSI initiated more than 3,000 cases into child exploitation and made 1,455 arrests. In that same year, the HSI Computer Forensics Program examined the equivalent of 16.5 million filing cabinets of data related to child exploitation cases.

The Child Exploitation Investigations Unit investigates the trans-border, large-scale production and distribution of images of child abuse, as well as individuals who travel abroad to engage in sex with minors. The unit employs the latest technology to collect evidence and track the activities of individuals and organized groups who sexually exploit children through the use of websites, chat rooms, newsgroups and peer-to-peer trading. These investigative activities are organized under Operation Predator, a program managed by the Child Exploitation Investigations Unit.

Operation Predator is a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

Child Sex Offender Arrested and Returned to Mexico

A Mexican national convicted of sex crimes against children was returned to his home country March 7 by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

Dionisio Anaya-Velarde, 44, was arrested March 6 by ERO officers in Albuquerque, N.M.

ERO officers encountered Anaya-Velarde March 30, 2010, at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque. He had been arrested and later convicted of two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor in the third degree (child under 13) and criminal sexual penetration, both aggravated felonies.

While he was in prison, ERO officers placed an immigration detainer on him to ensure that if he were released from local custody for any reason, he'd be released to ERO.

Following his latest conviction, Anaya-Velarde was sentenced to 21 years in prison. However, 19 years of his sentence was suspended. He was released March 6, 2012, and transferred to ERO custody for deportation.

Anaya-Velarde was previously removed from the United States in June 1989 through Arizona. He re-entered the United States without inspection on or about May 2003 near Columbus, N.M. Anyone who re-enters the United States after being deported commits a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

"The cooperation by local jails and prisons allows ERO officers to identify criminal aliens and begin the process of removing them from the United States while they serve time for their crimes," said Adrian P. Macias, field office director for ERO El Paso. "These partnerships with local law enforcement agencies allow ERO to do its share to make our communities safer."

ICE's Criminal Alien Program identifies, processes and removes criminal aliens incarcerated in federal, state and local prisons and jails throughout the United States, preventing their release into local communities by securing final orders of removal before they complete their prison sentences.