A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment charging a Kansas man with one count of sexual exploitation of a child/production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography following a Homeland Security Investigations probe. Joel Cypert, 35, of Columbus, is accused of creating sexually explicitContinue Reading

Polk County Sheriff’s deputies shot an arsonist his privates after a high speed chase ended near Dinosaur World with a fire fight. Luke Neely, 30, is facing several charges after throwing molotov cocktails at a house, damaging the roof and then led police on a high speed chase. When deputiesContinue Reading

U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to Del Rio Sector arrested two convicted sex offenders, in separate events, shortly after they illegally entered the United States, Nov. 14. Eagle Pass agents, conducting line watch operations, encountered seven subjects attempting to avoid detection on a local ranch. All apprehended subjects were transported toContinue Reading

A local man was sentenced in federal court Nov. 1, for his role in a sex trafficking conspiracy that involved four victims, including two teenagers following a Homeland Security Investigation (HSI), joint law enforcement partner investigation. Cory Lavell Smith, also known as “Fatz,” 28, was sentenced by U.S. District JudgeContinue Reading

A south Texas man admitted to smuggling noncitizens who were trapped in a travel trailer, following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Corpus Christi and the U.S. Border Patrol (BP). Gaston Perez, a 40-year-old Brownsville resident, pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Texas, Nov. 1, to transporting unlawfullyContinue Reading

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents, working jointly with U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) agents, rescued a 1-year-old girl after the toddler was separated from the mother by human smugglers. “Human smugglers are driven by greed,” said Frank B. Burrola, special agent in charge of HSI El Paso. “HSI remains steadfastContinue Reading

U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to Del Rio Sector arrested two convicted sex offenders, in separate groups, shortly after they illegally entered the United States. May 24, around 9:30 a.m., Eagle Pass Station agents apprehended a group of 13 subjects. They were transported to the Eagle Pass South Border Patrol StationContinue Reading

The two suspects from the Brandon shooting late Monday afternoon were identified after details from the undercover police gun purchase made headlines. One man, Jordan Gracia, has been arrested, while the other, Jaycob Riley, is being sought by police. Chief Deputy Donna Lusczynski said one of their undercover deputies wasContinue Reading

On Tuesday, January 11, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers (CBPOs) at the port of New Orleans targeted three international shipments for inspection. Each shipment contained boxes with hundreds of the popular pop fidget toys. The toys had copyright and trademark infringements. Some of the counterfeit trademarked items included toysContinue Reading

Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol (RGV) agents arrest two sex offenders and a gang member. On Jan. 2, at approximately 7:00 a.m., McAllen Border Patrol Station (MCS) agents arrested three single adult migrants after they illegally entered the United States through Hidalgo, Texas. Criminal records checks obtained at aContinue Reading

Darrell Brooks, the man who drove an SUV into the Waukesha, Wisconsin Christmas parade, killing six people, has been charged with a sixth intentional homicide count, according to a court filing Monday. Brooks, 39, attacked the November 21st event, killing five who died overnight and injured over 40 other people.Continue Reading

Edgar Hurtado-Ramirez (52, Mexico) today pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder monetary instruments and engage in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. Hurtado-Ramirez faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. According to the plea agreement, Hurtado-RamirezContinue Reading

Acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announces the extradition of Glib Oleksandr Ivanov-Tolpintsev (28, Chernivtsi, Ukraine) in connection with charges of conspiracy, trafficking in unauthorized access devices, and trafficking in computer passwords. If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum penalty of 17 years in federal prison. The indictmentContinue Reading

U.S. District Judge Charlene E. Honeywell has sentenced David Naylor (59, Spring Hill) to two years and three months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for theft of government funds. As part of his sentence, the court also ordered Naylor to pay $730,561.73 in restitution and,Continue Reading

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Louisville intercepted three shipments on July 30 and 31 that contained counterfeit jewelry and watches worth over $5.59 million. On July 30, the first two packages were seized. One shipment contained 580 counterfeit pieces of David Yurman Jewelry. If these were real,Continue Reading

U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Gregory Thomas Garcia (35, Orange Park) to 16 years in federal prison for child sex trafficking. The court also ordered Garcia to forfeit a 2015 Ford Focus vehicle that he had used in committing the offense. After serving his term of imprisonment,Continue Reading