Southern District of Texas

McALLEN, Texas – A 45-year-old Edinburg resident has been ordered to federal prison for possession with intent to distribute meth and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Alvaro Salinas Jr. pleaded guilty April 27.

Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now handed Salinas a 140-month term of imprisonment to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.

At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence about Salinas’s criminal history, including prior convictions for federal drug trafficking, transporting of illegal aliens, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. In imposing the sentence, the court noted Salinas seemed unable to live a law-abiding life.

On the afternoon of Dec. 7, 2025, law enforcement responded to a report of an unconscious driver in the middle of the road. They found Salinas asleep behind the wheel of a Nissan Rogue.

As authorities attempted to wake him, Salinas became combative and tried to flee with the vehicle doors open. They were able to remove him from the car, but Salinas continued to resist arrest and attempted to bite them.

Law enforcement soon discovered a firearm inside the driver’s side door panel within his reach. Salinas has multiple prior felony convictions. As such, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law.

A subsequent search of his vehicle revealed a large plastic bag containing approximately 127 grams of meth.

Salinas has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted the investigation with assistance of Pharr Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Garcia prosecuted the case.

A Texas physician was sentenced yesterday to 12.5 years in prison for operating her Kingwood medical clinic as an illegal pill mill that issued prescriptions for over 3 million opioid pills.

According to court documents, Maryam Qayum, M.D., 68, of Montgomery County, Texas, owned, operated, and was the sole prescriber at Recare Health Clinic (Recare). Qayum operated Recare as a cash-only pill-mill, selling controlled substance prescriptions to street-level drug dealers who were referred to at Recare as “providers.” “Providers” purchased prescriptions for high strength, highly addictive opioids oxycodone and hydrocodone. Qayum issued these prescriptions without a legitimate medical purpose, and often without ever interacting with the patient. According to court documents, Qayum issued prescriptions for more than 3 million opioid pills between 2022 and 2025, when her clinic was shut down by law enforcement.

Court documents detail how Recare, like many pill-mill clinics, operated well outside the course of a normal medical practice, including charging more for prescriptions for drugs with higher street value. A prescription for oxycodone 30mg cost as much as $500, while hydrocodone prescriptions were often $300, and Recare’s staff frequently took “tips” from drug dealers to fast track their patients and prescriptions. The following note listing the cash price for each prescription was seized when law enforcement executed a search warrant at Recare.

In March 2026, Qayum pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances.  

In addition to Qayum, four other defendants were previously sentenced in this case: 

• Melvin Sampson, 56, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced to 210 months in prison in June 2026. In March 2026, Sampson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances. Sampson was a street-level drug dealer who brought patients to Recare, filled prescriptions at Surge Rx and elsewhere, and resold the drugs he obtained on the black market.
• Tomi-Ko Bowers, APRN, 71, of Cleveland, Texas, was sentenced to 96 months in prison in June 2026. In March 2026, Bowers pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances and was a nurse practitioner at Recare.
• Lester Stokes, 38, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced to 63 months in prison in June 2026. In March 2026, Stokes pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances and was Recare’s security guard.
• Jared Williams, RPh, 49, of Pearland, Texas, was sentenced to 42 months in prison in July 2026. In March 2026, Williams pleaded guilty to unlawfully distributing a controlled substance and was the owner and pharmacist in charge at Surge Rx, which filled illegitimate prescriptions issued by Qayum.

DEA and the Conroe Police Department investigated the case.

Acting Assistant Chief Devon Helfmeyer and Trial Attorney Emily Reeder-Ricchetti of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Alum for the Southern District of Texas prosecuted the case.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the Fraud Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

McALLEN, Texas – A 29-year-old Penitas resident has been ordered to federal prison for receiving and distributing child pornography. 

Jesus David Gutierrez pleaded guilty Oct. 2, 2025.   

U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton has now ordered Gutierrez to serve 110 months in federal prison and to pay $6,000 in restitution. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that Gutierrez was associated with approximately 56,000 files containing child pornography, was involved in the sale of pornography of adult women from the Rio Grande Valley, and was beginning to collect child sex abuse material (CSAM) for future sales. He must also serve five years of supervised release following completion of his prison term, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Gutierrez will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

The investigation revealed a computer associated with a specific IP address in Penitas engaging in downloading and distributing CSAM. On June 3, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence and found Gutierrez hiding in his bedroom closet. 

He admitted to having CSAM on his cellular phone. Forensic analysis resulted in the discovery of 63 videos and 141 images depicting prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. 

Gutierrez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

FBI McAllen conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexa D. Parcell prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice 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. 

A federal jury has convicted the last of six members of the violent 103 street gang charged for ordering a retaliatory shooting that ended the life of an innocent bystander.  

Shaquille Richards, 32, and Alexandra Nicks, 32, both of Houston, were convicted of using a firearm to kill during a racketeering murder and murder in aid of racketeering.

“The gang war that these defendants engaged in plagued Houston’s Third Ward community for years,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Based on yesterday’s convictions, these violent criminals are facing long prison sentences that will keep them off the streets of Houston and hold them accountable for the innocent life they took. The Department of Justice has zero tolerance for the scourge and societal ills caused by gang violence. We are aggressively prosecuting violent gang members and continuing to restore law and order to America’s cities.” 

“These gangbangers turned a Houston neighborhood into a battlefield, ordering killers to hunt down and murder their rivals, and an innocent man paid for their violence with his life,” said U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz for the Southern District of Texas. “If you wage war on our streets, terrorize our communities, and put innocent Texans in the crosshairs, my office will come for you. We will dismantle violent gangs, prosecute the criminals who lead them, and put them behind bars where they belong. Houston’s neighborhoods belong to law-abiding citizens, not to violent gangs.”

“The convictions of these two local career gang members are exactly the kind of results we hoped for when the Department of Justice launched the Violent Crimes Initiative in Houston,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson of the FBI Houston Field Office. “Too often, turf wars between violent neighborhood gangs claim innocent victims. When we leverage our federal resources and law enforcement partnerships, we not only double down on the war against violent crime happening on our streets and front yards, we also procure justice for entire communities terrorized by these criminals.” 

Richards and Nicks were leaders of the violent 103 street gang that was involved in a gang war in the Third Ward with rival gang Young Scott Block, or YSB.

After numerous murders and shootings between the two gangs, Richards and Nicks ordered lower ranking members and associates of the 103 gang to retaliate by committing a drive by shooting in YSB territory. On Oct. 16, 2017, fellow 103 gang members Deandre Watson, Mertroy Harris, Marcus Christopher, and Marquis Erskin drove to opposing gang territory to find a rival gang member to kill. They were armed with firearms containing numerous rounds of ammunition, including some loaded into 50 and 100-bullet drum magazines. 

Watson, Harris, Erskin and Christopher opened fire when they saw a rival gang member on a street corner. The intended target was shot but survived and ran away. A 53 year old non-gang member was standing in the front yard of a residence, was shot and died of his injuries. 

The 103 members crashed their car into a ditch as they fled. Watson, Erski, and Christopher then carjacked a woman who had an infant in her vehicle and fled the scene. Harris ran into the neighboring stores and discarded his firearm and clothing but was arrested shortly thereafter. 

Jail phone calls, social media postings, and testimony showed that Richards and Nicks ordered the shooting and threatened to oust anyone in the gang who did not go looking for rivals to shoot. 

Sentencing is set for Nov. 4. A federal district judge will determine their sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Watson, Harris, Christopher and Erskin have each pleaded guilty and will be sentenced on Sept. 2. All defendants face up to life in prison. 

The FBI, The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Houston Police Department investigated the case, with substantial assistance from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

Trial Attorney Jodi Anton of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly Zenon Matos and Anh-Khoa Tran for the Southern District of Texas prosecuted the case. 

This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Houston. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute the violent offenders and prevent further violence in the Houston area. 

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 38-year-old resident of Rock Hill, South Carolina, has been ordered by a federal judge to prison for conspiring to “straw purchase” firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. A straw purchase of firearms involves the illegal purchase of a firearm for or on behalf of others—in this case, dangerous cartel members.

Shawn Bisnauth pleaded guilty May 7. 

U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos has now ordered Bisnauth to serve 300 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard that from 2022 through 2024, Bisnauth directed the straw purchasing operation from a South Carolina state prison using a contraband cell phone. In handing down the sentence, the court found Bisnauth responsible for placing firearms in the hands of cartel members in Mexico. The sentence imposed will run consecutively to the remainder of his state sentence. 

The investigation began in early 2023 when law enforcement identified Bisnauth as a major supplier of firearms to a drug trafficking organization responsible for importing meth, cocaine, and fentanyl from Mexican cartels for distribution throughout the United States. 

Bisnauth arranged for others in South Carolina to purchase at least eight firearms, including .50 caliber rifles and semiautomatic machine guns. He then directed the firearms to be transported to Texas and exchanged with the drug trafficking organization for narcotics, which individuals in South Carolina then distributed. 

He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Martin and Tyler Foster prosecuted the case.

This investigation and prosecution was part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes these organizations commit, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF South Texas comprises agents and officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations; FBI; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Department of Transportation; IRS Criminal Investigation; Interpol/Department of State, and Naval Criminal Investigative Service with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas leading the prosecution.

HOUSTON - A federal jury has convicted the last of six members of the violent 103 street gang charged for ordering a retaliatory shooting that ended the life of an innocent bystander.  

The jury returned the guilty verdicts Aug. 3 against Shaquille Richards, 32, and Alexandra Nicks, 32, both of Houston, for using a firearm to kill during a racketeering murder and murder in aid of racketeering.

“These gangbangers turned a Houston neighborhood into a battlefield, ordering killers to hunt down and murder their rivals, and an innocent man paid for their violence with his life,” said U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz. “If you wage war on our streets, terrorize our communities, and put innocent Texans in the crosshairs, my office will come for you. We will dismantle violent gangs, prosecute the criminals who lead them, and put them behind bars where they belong. Houston’s neighborhoods belong to law-abiding citizens, not to violent gangs.”

“The gang war that these defendants engaged in plagued Houston’s Third Ward community for years,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Based on today’s convictions, these violent criminals are facing long prison sentences that will keep them off the streets of Houston and hold them accountable for the innocent life they took. The Department of Justice has zero tolerance for the scourge and societal ills caused by gang violence. We are aggressively prosecuting violent gang members and continuing to restore law and order to America’s cities.”  

“The convictions of these two local career gang members are exactly the kind of results we hoped for when the DOJ launched the Violent Crimes Initiative in Houston,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson of the FBI Houston Field Office. “Too often, turf wars between violent neighborhood gangs claim innocent victims. When we leverage our federal resources and law enforcement partnerships, we not only double down on the war against violent crime happening on our streets and front yards, we also procure justice for entire communities terrorized by these criminals.” 

Richards and Nicks were leaders of the violent 103 street gang that was involved in a gang war in the Third Ward with rival gang Young Scott Block, or YSB.

After numerous murders and shootings between the two gangs, Richards and Nicks ordered lower ranking members and associates of the 103 gang to retaliate by committing a drive-by shooting in YSB territory. On Oct. 16, 2017, fellow 103 gang members Deandre Watson, Mertroy Harris, Marcus Christopher, and Marquis Erskin drove to opposing gang territory to find a rival gang member to kill. They were armed with firearms containing numerous rounds of ammunition, including some loaded into 50 and 100-bullet drum magazines.

Watson, Harris, Erskin, and Christopher opened fire when they saw a rival gang member on a street corner. The intended target was shot but survived and ran away. A 53-year-old non-gang member was standing in the front yard of a residence, was shot, and died of his injuries. 

The 103 members crashed their car into a ditch as they fled. Watson, Erskin, and Christopher then carjacked a woman who had an infant in her vehicle and fled the scene. Harris ran into the neighboring stores and discarded his firearm and clothing, but law enforcement arrested him shortly thereafter. 

Jail phone calls, social media postings, and testimony showed that Richards and Nicks ordered the shooting and threatened to oust anyone in the gang who did not go looking for rivals to shoot. 

U.S. District Judge George Hanks presided over the trial and will set sentencing at a later date. Watson, Harris, Christopher, and Erskin have each pleaded guilty and will be sentenced Sept. 2. All face up to life in prison at their respective hearings.

The FBI; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and Houston Police Department conducted the investigation with substantial assistance from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Zenon Matos and Anh-Khoa Tran prosecuted the case along with Trial Attorney Jodi Anton of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.

This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Houston. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute the violent offenders and prevent further violence in the Houston area. 

HOUSTON - A 42-year-old match promoter with the FIFA national football organization and a representative of the Qatar football team has been charged with transportation of child pornography.

Ali Homoud Alnaimi had originally entered the United States from Qatar, but authorities took him into custody in Galveston after returning to the United States on a cruise ship traveling from Mexico.

At his detention hearing July 29, the court heard about images found on Alnaimi’s phones that allegedly depicted male children under the approximate age of five being sexually exploited. Evidence also revealed Alnami could easily return to Qatar where the United States does not have an extradition treaty. On July 31, the court ordered him into custody pending further criminal proceedings.  

The criminal complaint alleges Alnaimi had traveled to multiple states while in the United States and was taking a vacation from Galveston before leaving for Qatar. Alnaimi was allegedly in possession of child sexual abuse material that he had brought into the United States. 

Upon his arrest, the charges allege law enforcement discovered numerous videos depicting the child pornography on his cell phone. 

If convicted, Alnaimi faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance from Customs and Border Protection. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Whitney prosecuted 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.

HOUSTON – The Southern District of Texas has charged another 263 people, including 227 illegal aliens, for immigration and border security-related crimes from July 24-30.

The cases include charges against 45 people, 16 of whom are illegal aliens themselves, allegedly involved in human smuggling. A total of 30 criminal complaints were filed for illegal entry, while another 181 illegal aliens face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felonies involving narcotics, violent crime, immigration offenses, and more. The remaining cases relate to other immigration crimes and firearms charges.

One illegal alien charged with felony reentry is Javier Vega-Maldonado, a Mexican national that authorities allegedly discovered unlawfully in the country near Escobares, despite having been removed Dec. 17, 2021. The criminal complaint alleges he has a prior conviction for possession with intent to distribute. If convicted of illegal reentry, he faces up to 20 years in prison. 

In addition to the new cases, a previously removed illegal alien with a felony criminal history was sent to federal prison for his ninth unlawful reentry into the United States. Honduran national Luis Alonso Umana has convictions for illegal reentry, driving under the influence of alcohol, assault family violence, and assault family violence with previous conviction. He was ordered to serve 46 months in federal prison. As an illegal alien, he is again expected to be removed from the country following his imprisonment. 

The cases are referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, as well as the 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 immigrants, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the Southern 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 histories, including convictions for 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 10 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.

HOUSTON – A 63-year-old foreign national who resided in Katy pleaded guilty to illegal voting by aliens and false claim to citizenship.

Ada Ngozi Otuka admitted she illegally voted in the 2020 federal election. She also pleaded guilty to falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen when filling out her Texas voter registration and statement of residence.

Although Otuka is a lawful resident, she is precluded from voting in U.S. elections. However, records show she voted in 2012, 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2024.

Otuka received a notice in 2025 that her registration status was being examined because information had been received regarding her lack of U.S. citizenship. She did not respond.

In 2025, Otuka filled out a naturalization application that indicated she had voted unlawfully.

U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett will impose sentencing Nov. 5. At that time, Otuka faces up to five years in federal prison for falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and another year for the conviction of illegal voting. She could also be ordered to pay up to a $250,000 maximum fine.

In a separate but similar case, a citizen of the United Kingdom also entered a plea in May to unlawfully voting. Samuel James Hall, 50, legally resided in Houston but, like Otuka, cannot cast ballots in U.S. elections. However, he admitted to illegally voting in the 2024 federal election.

FBI - Houston, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, and Texas Attorney General’s Office conducted the investigations with the assistance of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Liesel Roscher is prosecuting the cases. 

LAREDO, Texas – A 30-year-old citizen of Mexico who had resided in Atlanta, Georgia, has been found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth and cocaine into the United States.

The jury deliberated for approximately six hours before convicting Wblester Villanueva Echeverria on July 27 following a five-day trial.

From June 7, 2019, until at least Aug. 8, 2023, Echeverria and others conspired to import meth and cocaine from Mexico through Laredo and distributed it in the Atlanta area and throughout the east coast. In total, the drug trafficking organization was responsible for importing approximately 10,460 kilograms of meth, valued at approximately $157 million.

Evidence showed Echeverria’s ties to approximately a dozen shipments of narcotics concealed in produce, charcoal, and frozen strawberry puree, while he had been residing in the Atlanta area.  

The investigation began in November 2021 when law enforcement seized 1,184 kilograms of meth and 51.4 kilograms of cocaine concealed in a cauliflower shipment that entered through the World Trade Bridge Port of Entry in Laredo. Authorities then identified numerous other shipments tied to Echeverria and his co-conspirators which included nearly 800 kilograms of meth hidden within a shipment of strawberry puree and over 460 kilograms of meth within a load of charcoal, all of which entered through Laredo. 

The jury also heard about the vast conspiracy linking Mexican drug importers, a Dallas cell, as well as Echeverria and his Georgia-based co-conspirators. 

The evidence showed that Echeverria created a Facebook account under a fake name of Alexis Maldonado and that he used that account to communicate with co-conspirators. It also showed he had cycled through numerous cell phone numbers, and was very careful to delete his communications, and tell co-conspirators to erase or delete messages as well.  

Sentencing will be set at a later date before U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen. At that time, Echeverria faces up to life in prison and a possible $10 million fine.

He has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Day, Leslie Cortez, and Thomas Sekula prosecuted the case.

This operation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF South Texas comprises agents and officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations; FBI; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Department of Transportation/IRS; Interpol/Department of State; and Naval Criminal Investigative Service with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas leading the prosecution.  

LAREDO, Texas – A 41-year-old man has been sent to federal prison for coercion and enticement of a minor.

Robert Steven Lanier pleaded guilty March 6.

U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo sentenced Lanier to 151 months in federal prison. In handing down the prison term, the court noted Lanier expressed a proclivity for children and commented on how he left his home twice—while caring for his own minor children—to go engage in sexual acts with a 12-year-old child. Lanier was further ordered to serve 15 years 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. Lanier will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. 

Authorities identified Lanier in 2025 when conducting investigations into a Kik chatroom. Kik is a messaging app that, like many similar apps, is often exploited by predators to get access to children. 

Lanier had been communicating with someone he believed to be the father of a 12-year-old minor female. In those conversations, he expressed interest in engaging in sexual activities with the child. 

He had also mentioned how he preferred children under the age of 16, considered child pornography to be “window shopping,” and wanted to be the child’s “sugar daddy.” He expressed the desire to meet the minor and described all the sexual acts he wanted to conduct with her.  

On March 18, Lanier arrived at a gas station where he intended to have sexual relations with the minor in his car. Law enforcement took him into custody upon his arrival. 

He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.  

FBI conducted the investigation. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Makens prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ 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.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 27-year-old Houston resident has been sentenced for forcibly assaulting a federal correctional officer.

Melvin Jones pleaded guilty April 16. 

U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos ordered Jones to serve two years in federal prison, consecutive to his existing sentence, to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that Jones had been in three additional altercations with other inmates since entering his plea of guilty. 

In 2025, Jones was an inmate at Three Rivers Federal Correctional Institution. 

On Sept. 25, 2025, a federal correctional officer attempted to search Jones after suspecting he possessed a contraband cell phone. When the officer attempted to retrieve it, Jones resisted and repeatedly punched the officer in the head and neck.

Other officers intervened, restrained Jones, and separated him from the officer. The victim sustained abrasions and soreness to his head and neck. 

Jones has been and will remain in custody.

FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Martin and Patrick Overman prosecuted the case.

McALLEN, Texas – A 35-year-old illegal alien from Honduras living in Donna has pleaded guilty to attempting to entice or coerce a minor into engaging in sexual activity.

Anael Jossue Rodriguez-Rodas had been communicating with someone he believed to be a 16-year-old girl over the course of three days. During those conversations, Rodriguez-Rodas said he wanted to have sex with her and sent her a picture of two adults engaging in sexual activity to demonstrate what he wanted. 

Eventually, Rodriguez-Rodas made plans to meet up with her at a local park and intended to take her back to his house to have sex. 

Law enforcement took him into custody upon his arrival. 

Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane will impose sentencing Oct. 6. At that time, Rodriguez-Rodas faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

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 conducted the investigation with assistance of Edinburg Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarina S. DiPiazza and M. Alexis Garcia are prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice 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. 

HOUSTON - A 30-year-old Houston resident has pleaded guilty to concealing material support to a foreign terrorist organization and making false statements.

Anas Said is a pledged supporter of Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and used various social media accounts to post, share, or disseminate ISIS propaganda. 

He also discussed ISIS propaganda using Telegram, where he received feedback on media he personally created. In one message, he discussed sending his clip to the Sarh al-Khilafah Institution, which agreed to publish it on their channel. According to court records, Sarh al-Khilafah, a/k/a Tower of the Caliphate, is a media entity that uses social media platforms to produce content ranging from operational security tips to guides on chemicals and explosives. They are also known for aggregating (ISIS) content online. 

Said admitted to knowing Sarh al-Khilafah was a media entity working on behalf of, and in coordination with, ISIS. Prior to publishing his media, Said removed his name as designer of the video, thus concealing his material support of ISIS.

Said also pleaded guilty to lying to law enforcement regarding a weapon he possessed and discussed on social media. As part of the plea, he admitted to making the following statement: “I am thinking and hoping to kill the infidels with a weapon and as many people as possible in order to heal my heart.”

U.S. District Judge David Hittner accepted the plea on July 24 and will impose sentencing Oct. 16. At that time, Said faces up to 10 years in federal prison for concealing material support to a foreign terrorist organization and a maximum of five years for making material false statements. He could also be ordered to pay up to a $250,000 maximum fine on each count.

Said has been and will remain in custody pending sentencing.

FBI Houston’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) conducted the investigation with special assistance from police departments in Houston and Sugar Land, as well as the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. The JTTF also includes Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Secret Service, Houston Metro Police Department, Customs and Border Protection, and Federal Air Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Schammel and Liesel Roscher prosecuted the case.

McALLEN, Texas – A 28-year-old Mercedes resident has been indicted on charges related to a death linked to the use of fentanyl.

Bryan Alexis Cedillo made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Juan F. Alanis, who ordered Cedillo into custody pending further proceedings.

At the hearing, the court heard that Cedillo allegedly sold narcotics to another individual that caused death. Information was also presented that alleges Cedillo was still selling narcotics after he was aware of the victim’s passing.

The indictment, returned July 21, alleges Cedillo possessed with intent to deliver fentanyl that resulted in death.

If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years and up to life in federal prison. He could also be ordered to pay a possible $1 million maximum fine.

Weslaco Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarina S. DiPiazza 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.

HOUSTON – A 26-year-old man has been ordered to federal prison for soliciting sex from a minor.

Austin Mixon pleaded guilty Feb. 26.

U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett has now sentenced Mixon to 120 months in federal prison. Mixon was further ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking fund and will serve 10 years 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. Mixon will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. 

Mixon admitted he used Instagram to message the 13-year-old minor victim and persuaded her to meet him for sex in exchange for vape products. The two continued to communicate electronically and arranged to meet at a park near the girl’s apartment because her mother did not allow her out of the house at night.

Mixon 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 the Harris County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice 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. 

HOUSTON – Stafford-based Matrix Metals LLC has agreed to pay $1,175,529.20 to resolve allegations of fraudulently obtaining a Paycheck Protection Program loan for which it was ineligible.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act established the PPP to provide forgivable loans to eligible small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. To qualify for a Second Draw PPP loan, businesses generally were required to have fewer than 300 employees of affiliated entities. 

The settlement resolves allegations that Matrix Metals exceeded that employee threshold when it obtained a Second Draw PPP loan in January 2021 and later sought loan forgiveness. At the time, Matrix Metals was a wholly owned subsidiary of Matrix Metals Holdings Inc., which was owned by interests based in India. According to the allegations, Matrix Metals and its affiliated entities employed more than 300 people, making the company ineligible for the loan.

The settlement stems from a qui tam or whistleblower complaint filed under the False Claims Act which permits a private party to file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office conducted the investigation in coordination with the Small Business Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Shaitelman is handling the matter along with Attorney Amber Perez, Office of General Counsel for the SBA.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 47-year-old Aransas Pass resident has been ordered to prison for smuggling over 60 rare Dong Tao chickens into the country.

Jennifer Mayo pleaded guilty July 30, 2025.

U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now ordered Mayo to serve 24 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional testimony regarding the serious risk of disease that the poultry presented, the numerous dead birds found on Mayo’s property, and how Mayo repeatedly lied to law enforcement. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that Mayo’s conduct was extremely serious and put a lot of animals at risk. 

The investigation began in 2023 after authorities discovered Facebook messages in which Mayo discussed traveling to Southeast Asia to obtain Dong Tao chicken eggs.

Dong Tao chickens aka Dragon chickens are a rare, expensive breed native to Vietnam that are recognized for their unusually large legs. Federal law prohibits the importation of poultry from regions affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza or Newcastle disease unless specific import requirements are met. Vietnam and Cambodia are among the regions subject to those restrictions. 

Mayo smuggled approximately 60 fertilized Dong Tao chicken eggs into the United States by concealing them on her body and in her luggage. She intended to hatch the birds and sell them for breeding, eggs, and meat. Upon questioning, Mayo falsely claimed the chickens had died. 

Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Mayo’s residence where they discovered five surviving chickens suffering from disease, along with other dead and dying birds. The five birds were the only surviving Dong Tao chickens from the original shipment. 

Due to the risk of spreading disease to other flocks, veterinarians determined the birds could not be removed from the property and were humanely euthanized. 

As part of her plea, Mayo admitted knowing the eggs could not legally be imported into the United States. 

She was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Department of Agriculture, Texas Animal Health Commission, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tyler Foster and Liesel Roscher prosecuted the case.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 48-year-old illegal alien from Mexico living in Donna has been ordered to federal prison for conspiring to traffic multiple drug loads.

Hector Rodriguez-Ramos pleaded guilty Dec. 30, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now ordered Rodriguez-Ramos to serve 72 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment.

In 2024, Rodriguez-Ramos recruited another individual to act as a drug courier for the cocaine trafficking organization. He took that person’s vehicle to a car shop associated with the conspiracy where others installed a hidden compartment.

Law enforcement ultimately uncovered the conspiracy after they found 14 kilograms of cocaine in that compartment.

The investigation revealed Rodriguez-Ramos coordinated multiple drug deliveries and completed a drug run himself. He was also in communication with others involved in the conspiracy during the events.

Rodriguez-Ramos has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tyler Foster and Yasmine Tucker prosecuted the case.

LAREDO, Texas – A 55-year-old Laredo man has been sentenced for illegally possessing firearms.

Raymond Gutierrez pleaded guilty July 29, 2025.

U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos has now ordered Gutierrez to serve 84 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard evidence that Gutierrez used meth and engaged in violent conduct while committing the crime, including holding two individuals at gunpoint and threatening to kill them. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the seriousness of Gutierrez’s conduct and the extent of his drug use. 

On March 29, 2024, law enforcement responded to a domestic disturbance at Gutierrez’s ranch. They learned Gutierrez accused someone of stealing a firearm, fired a round inside the residence, pointed a firearm at the individual, and threatened a shootout. 

When authorities arrived, they observed Gutierrez in possession of firearms and seized a 9 mm pistol. 

The investigation revealed law enforcement had responded to the ranch on multiple occasions. During the incidents, they documented Gutierrez illegally possessing firearms. 

Following a report that Gutierrez was using meth, possessed multiple firearms, and had become increasingly violent, authorities executed a search warrant at his ranch Feb. 21, 2025, seizing six firearms, including five rifles, a shotgun, and an unregistered silencer.

As a convicted felon, Gutierrez is prohibited from possessing firearms per federal law. 

He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted the investigation with the assistance of Drug Enforcement Administration and Webb County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew P. Hakala-Finch prosecuted the case.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 61-year-old Houston man has pleaded guilty to transporting illegal aliens.

Rodney William Gipson admitted that, despite nearly 30 years as a commercial truck driver, he knew or recklessly disregarded the fact he was illegally transporting two dozen illegal aliens in his truck. 

On Feb. 19, Gipson drove a tractor-trailer to the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint. He claimed he was transporting a load from the Rio Grande Valley to Houston, but a K-9 soon alerted to the rear of the trailer.

At secondary inspection, law enforcement discovered 24 illegal aliens hidden inside the vehicle. They also found a cargo document showing the truck was supposed to be hauling a load of carrots. 

Gipson was permitted to remain on bond pending sentencing.

Sentencing will be set a later date before U.S. District Judge David S. Morales. At that time, Gipson faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. 

Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. 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 immigrants, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

HOUSTON – A 26-year-old Bacliff resident has been convicted of kidnapping and hostage taking as well as harboring an illegal alien and conspiracy to do so.  

The federal jury deliberated for about two hours before returning the guilty verdict against Cameron Jake Tucker following a three-day trial.

The investigation began May 14, 2025, after authorities responded to reports of an illegal alien who had escaped a Houston stash house, without shoes, money, a cellphone, and identification, alleging he had been held against his will.

At trial, the jury heard how Tucker assaulted the illegal alien with a revolver after his family could not pay additional smuggling fees, then confined him in a bedroom closet. The victim later escaped through a second-story window and led authorities to the stash house.

Tucker attempted to flee by running out the back door and climbing over a fence, but authorities soon apprehended him. A search of the residence revealed four firearms, including the revolver. 

The defense attempted to convince the jury that the victim fabricated the events in an attempt to obtain immigration benefits, despite the fact that the victim did not receive any immigration benefits and was removed to Mexico. The jury did not believe these claims and found Tucker guilty as charged. 

U.S. District Judge David Hittner presided over trial and set sentencing for Oct. 15. At that time, Tucker faces up to life imprisonment in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. 

Tucker has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations and Houston Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Hostetter and Jay Hileman 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 immigrants, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

A Guatemalan national pleaded guilty to human smuggling charges related to the crash of a tractor-trailer in 2021 that was packed with at least 160 illegal aliens which resulted in the deaths of more than 50 people, including unaccompanied children, and injured over 100 more. The defendant is part of a group of six who were charged in this case. All six defendants have now admitted to their role in a conspiracy to bring illegal aliens from Guatemala into the United States. 

Tomas Quino Canil, 38, a Guatemalan national extradited to the United States in 2025, acknowledged that he conspired with other smugglers to smuggle and transport illegal aliens, both adults and unaccompanied minors, from Guatemala through Mexico to the United States. 

“Sadly, this preventable tragedy occurred because of these criminals’ callous disregard for the safety of men, women, and children, and our immigration laws, which resulted in serious injury and death in Chiapas, Mexico,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These defendants exploited vulnerable people and created an atmosphere with deadly consequences, all for money. These events will be investigated and prosecuted with the full resources of the Criminal Division.”

“With Quino Canil's guilty plea, every member of this smuggling conspiracy has now been held accountable for one of the deadliest human smuggling tragedies in recent memory,” said U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz for the Southern District of Texas. “These criminals packed more than 150 illegal aliens into a trailer like they were cargo. Fifty people then died at the hands of these foreign criminals. My office will continue hunting down anyone who profits from this trade in human suffering, no matter where they hide or how long it takes to bring them to American justice.” 

“This case stands as a stark reminder of the extreme dangers and devastating consequences caused by those who treat human lives as mere commodities,” said Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “The callous actions of these smugglers resulted in unimaginable loss and suffering for dozens of families. HSI will relentlessly pursue those who orchestrate and profit from such horrific crimes. The successful outcome of this case would not have been possible without the outstanding collaboration of our domestic and international law enforcement partners, whose dedication and expertise were critical in bringing these criminals to justice and protecting the most vulnerable from exploitation.” 

Aliens paid Quino Canil and his co-conspirators to be smuggled into the United States. During the previous Administration’s policy to parole illegal aliens into the United States, one of his co-conspirators also facilitated the release of Guatemalan aliens, who were smuggled illegally into the United States, from U.S. immigration authorities, to include unaccompanied minors. That co-conspirator provided co-defendants, including Quino Canil, with falsified scripts and instructions to provide to adults and unaccompanied minors on what to say to immigration officials if apprehended to secure their release.

On Dec. 9, 2021, Agapito Jorge Ventura, Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino, Quino Canil and others arranged for the aliens they were smuggling to the United States to be loaded into a tractor trailer that was to transport them through Mexico. Over 150 illegal aliens, including adults and unaccompanied minors, were crammed into the trailer. The vehicle ultimately crashed north of the Guatemala/Mexico border near Tuxtla Guiterrez, Chiapas, Mexico, resulting in deaths and serious bodily injury.

Quino Canil, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring and attempt to bring an illegal alien to the United States, placing life in jeopardy, causing serious bodily injury, and resulting in death. He will be sentenced at a later date. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Co-defendants Daniel Zavala Ramos, Josefa Canil De Zavala, Alberto Macario Chitic, and Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino, were extradited from Guatemala in 2025 to face charges. Authorities arrested Jorge Agapito Ventura, 33, at his residence in Cleveland, Texas, in December 2024. 

Zavala Ramos, 42, pleaded guilty on April 7. Canil De Zavala, 44, and Macario Chitic, 33, pleaded guilty on June 11. Agapito Jorge Ventura, 34, and Manuel Zavala Quino, 26, pleaded guilty on July 8. The guilty plea of Quino Canil marks the last of the six defendants to plead guilty to the conspiracy.  

HSI’s Washington, D.C. Field Office investigated the case in partnership with HSI Guatemala and HSI Mexico. Valuable assistance was provided by HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C.; HSI Houston; HSI Laredo; U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)’s International Interdiction Task Force; U.S. Border Patrol (USBP); Liberty County Constable, Precinct 6; ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Houston; U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas; and the Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT). The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions of the defendants. Guatemalan prosecutors from the Office of Public Ministry and Mexican Federal and State authorities including prosecutors from the Republic of Mexico’s Federal Prosecutions Office and the State of Chiapas, with the support of law enforcement officials from both countries, were also instrumental in furthering the investigation.

Senior Trial Attorney Danielle Hickman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary Lou Castillo and Jennifer Day for the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case, with substantial assistance from HRSP Latin American Specialist/Historian Joanna Crandall.

The investigation and charges are supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean, and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including HSI, U.S. Border Patrol and CBP’s Office of Field Operations, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 465 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 419 U.S. convictions; and more than 363 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

LAREDO, Texas – The last foreign national has pleaded guilty to smuggling charges related to the crash of a tractor-trailer packed with at least 160 illegal aliens which resulted in the deaths of more than 50 people, including unaccompanied children, and injured over 100 more. All six indicted have now admitted to their roles in a conspiracy to bring illegal aliens from Guatemala into the United States. 

Tomas Quino Canil, 38, Guatemala, acknowledged he conspired with other smugglers to transport illegal aliens, both adults and unaccompanied minors, from Guatemala through Mexico to the United States. 

Quino Canil and others recruited Guatemalan nationals, collected payments, and arranged transportation by foot, inside microbuses, cattle trucks, and tractor-trailers. 

Illegal aliens paid thousands of dollars to the conspirators to be smuggled into the United States. In some cases, the smugglers provided scripted language to unaccompanied minors for their use if U.S. immigration authorities apprehended them. 

During the conspiracy, on Dec. 9, 2021, Quino Canil and others arranged for more than approximately 150 aliens to board a tractor-trailer traveling through Mexico. The vehicle crashed north of the Guatemala-Mexico border near Tuxtla Guiterrez, Chiapas, Mexico, killing multiple people and seriously injuring others. 

“With Quino Canil's guilty plea, every member of this smuggling conspiracy has now been held accountable for one of the deadliest human smuggling tragedies in recent memory,” said U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz. “These criminals packed more than 150 illegal aliens into a trailer like they were cargo. Fifty people then died at the hands of these foreign criminals. My office will continue hunting down anyone who profits from this trade in human suffering, no matter where they hide or how long it takes to bring them to American justice.”

“Sadly, this preventable tragedy occurred because of these criminals’ callous disregard for the safety of men, women, and children, and our immigration laws, which resulted in serious injury and death in Chiapas, Mexico,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These defendants exploited vulnerable people and created an atmosphere with deadly consequences, all for money. These events will be investigated and prosecuted with the full resources of the Criminal Division.”

“This case stands as a stark reminder of the extreme dangers and devastating consequences caused by those who treat human lives as mere commodities,” said Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations. “The callous actions of these smugglers resulted in unimaginable loss and suffering for dozens of families. HSI will relentlessly pursue those who orchestrate and profit from such horrific crimes. The successful outcome of this case would not have been possible without the outstanding collaboration of our domestic and international law enforcement partners, whose dedication and expertise were critical in bringing these criminals to justice and protecting the most vulnerable from exploitation.” 

Quino Canil pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring and attempt to bring an illegal alien into the United States, placing life in jeopardy, causing serious bodily injury, and resulting in death. U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo has set sentencing for Oct. 6. At that time, he faces up to life in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. 

Agapito Jorge Ventura, 34, Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino, 26, Daniel Zavala Ramos, 42, Josefa Quino Canil de Zavala, 44, and Alberto Macario Chitic, 33, all of Guatemala, previously pleaded guilty to the same charges. 

Canil De Zavala, Macario Chitic, Zavala Ramos, Zavala Quino and Quino Canil were extradited from Guatemala in 2025 to face charges. U.S. authorities arrested Ventura at his residence in Cleveland in December 2024. 

HSI’s Washington, D.C., Field Office conducted the investigation in partnership with HSI Guatemala and HSI Mexico. Valuable assistance was provided by HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C.; HSI Houston; HSI Laredo; U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s International Interdiction Task Force; U.S. Border Patrol; Liberty County Constable, Precinct 6; ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston; U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas; and the Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions. Guatemalan prosecutors from the Office of Public Ministry and Mexican prosecutors from the Republic of Mexico’s Federal Prosecutions Office, with the support of law enforcement officials from both countries, were also instrumental in furthering the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary Lou Castillo and Jennifer Day are prosecuting the case along with Senior Trial Attorney Danielle Hickman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section with substantial assistance from HRSP Latin American Specialist/Historian Joanna Crandall.

The investigation and charges are supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha, the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking cartels and transnational criminal organizations commit. A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s HRSP Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section; Office of International Affairs and Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant United States Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 465 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 419 U.S. convictions; and more than 363 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 immigrants, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

HOUSTON – Another 199 people have been charged, including 175 illegal aliens, in 194 cases involving immigration and border security-related crimes from July 10-16.

A total of 146 criminal complaints were filed for felony reentry after prior removal, while another 17 people face charges of illegal entry. Most of those illegal aliens have prior felonies such as narcotics, violent crime, immigration crimes, and more. In addition, 28 people have been charged with human smuggling which includes 12 illegal aliens themselves. The remaining cases charged this week relate to other immigration crimes and firearms charges. 

One of the cases includes Pablo Ramirez-Mata, a Mexican illegal alien that law enforcement allegedly discovered unlawfully in the country near Roma. The criminal complaint against him alleges he has a prior conviction for online solicitation of a minor, and authorities had just removed him April 26. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.

In addition to the new cases, Saifullah Al-Mamun made his initial appearance in Laredo federal court following his extradition from Brazil. The Bangladeshi national allegedly participated in an international human smuggling conspiracy that facilitated the movement of illegal aliens through South and Central America and Mexico into the United States for financial gain. 

Also announced was the conviction of Jose Luis Reyes-Martinez, a previously removed illegal alien from Mexico who pleaded guilty to robbery, carjacking, brandishing a firearm, and illegal reentry. He robbed a Houston supermarket before breaking into a nearby residence, holding a family hostage at gunpoint for several hours, sexually assaulting a woman, and stealing the family’s vehicle. Authorities had previously removed Reyes-Martinez from the United States in 2012 before later discovering him illegally in Houston.

Two more illegal aliens were sentenced for illegal reentry after unlawfully returning to the United States. Nelson Alberto Fajardo, a Honduran illegal alien, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison after the court heard evidence of his criminal history, including convictions for burglary, aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a firearm, and shooting his girlfriend’s estranged husband. Mexican illegal alien Juan Francisco Juarez-Rodriguez received a 57-month-term of imprisonment after repeatedly returning to the United States following his first removal in 1999 and accumulating convictions for offenses including burglary, drug charges, carrying a concealed weapon, battery, and another previous illegal reentry.

The cases are referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, as well as the 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 immigrants, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the Southern 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 histories, including convictions for 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 10 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.

Link to Video

"My name’s Aaron Reitz. I’m the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, and I want to provide a statement on the shooting and death of Lorenzo Salgado here in Houston.

I want to assure the public that the appropriate law enforcement agencies are looking into this matter. That includes my office, the FBI, DHS, and other state and local partners. Based upon preliminary information my office has been provided to date, and without drawing any final conclusions while the investigation is ongoing, here’s what we have reason to believe happened:

On the morning of Tuesday, July 7th, federal officers were investigating two Guatemalan men known to be driving a white van. These men had previously evaded arrest and were potentially subject to deportation. While looking for the suspects’ white van, officers received a report of a similar van in the area. The officers’ two vehicles—each with two officers inside—turned on their police lights and attempted to pull over the van and the men that fit the suspects’ description. The aliens then fled, conducting a rapid U-turn and hopping a median to get away. The agents chose not to pursue. Later that morning, the agents came across the van again. And again, the illegal aliens attempted to flee, but this time the agents successfully surrounded the vehicle. At some point, two of the four officers got out of their vehicles and instructed the non-compliant aliens to put the van in park. Preliminary information indicates the driver shifted the van into reverse, then forward again, while an officer was partially inside the van or immediately next to it.

During this confrontation between federal agents and a group of illegal aliens attempting to flee, one of the officers fired a single shot. The round struck Lorenzo Salgado. The other federal officers on scene immediately began rendering first aid to preserve Mr. Salgado’s life. Yet sadly, as we know, Mr. Salgado later died at the hospital. 

Meanwhile, officers saw in plain view several small bags of a white, crystal-like substance inside the van. As a result, just yesterday the FBI executed a search warrant on the van in connection with possible narcotics trafficking and drug offenses. 

I want to reiterate: This assessment is based on preliminary information given to my office. We draw no decisive conclusions and believe federal law enforcement will conduct a thorough investigation. 

We are doing everything we can to seek the truth and do the right thing. In the meantime, I encourage the public to give the FBI and DHS the opportunity to investigate. Let the justice system work. And pray for safer communities in which law, order, and justice prevail.”

McALLEN, Texas – A 50-year-old Mission resident has been convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering, violating the Travel Act, and witness tampering.

The jury deliberated for approximately three hours before convicting Veronica Inez O’Cana following a three-day trial.

O’Cana had conspired with others to launder approximately $30,000 in funds for the benefit of a member of the Mission Consolidated Independent School District Board in return for favorable consideration and official actions. 

The jury heard that co-conspirators attempted to disguise or conceal the payments made to influence official actions through the use of third parties, fraudulent memo lines, and cash. The jury learned that payments were made in attempts to influence a series of actions that would lead to the awarding of an energy savings contract to Performance Services Inc. An employee of that company was also a conspirator in the scheme.

Testimony revealed the ultimate contract was expected to be worth $20-25 million. However, although an initial assessment contract was awarded and an investment grade audit contract signed, the final contract was never approved. 

Testimony revealed O’Cana obtained $24,000 during the scheme. Text messages and recordings also showed that she had received the payments.

Law enforcement uncovered the scheme in 2022 and subsequently served O’Cana with a federal grand jury subpoena. She was then recorded on WhatsApp calls with a co-conspirator discussing the need to have the same story regarding the reason for the payments.

The defense attempted to convince the jury there was no proof O’Cana sent the messages and that the witnesses were not credible. They did not believe those claims and found her guilty as charged. 

U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton presided over the trial and set sentencing for Oct. 7. At that time, O’Cana faces up to 20 years for the conspiracy to commit money laundering and witness tampering violations and a maximum of five years for the Travel Act violation. 

O’Cana was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing. 

FBI conducted the investigation with assistance from McAllen Police Department and Texas Department of Insurance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Roberto Lopez Jr., Ryan Sim, and Alexa Parcell prosecuted the case.

LAREDO, Texas - A 24-year-old Laredo man has been ordered to federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Jorge Humberto Medrano Jr. pleaded guilty Jan. 6.

U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen has now ordered Medrano to serve 135 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. 

At the hearing, the court heard how Medrano was closely tied to Cártel del Noreste. The court also considered the danger of fentanyl to include its high lethality and that Medrano trafficked fentanyl laced with xylazine which compounds its danger and possibility of death. Xylazine is a veterinary tranquilizer that is not affected by Narcan often used to save people overdosing on fentanyl. Xylazine can also lead to severe skin and soft tissue injuries characterized by deep ulcers that often expose tendons and bones. 

In handing down the sentence, Judge Kazen noted how Medrano compounded the already extreme danger of fentanyl as compared to other drugs by lacing it with xylazine. The court also noted the fentanyl epidemic and related overdoses and deaths in the community and how Medrano’s actions contribute to that. 

The investigation revealed Medrano trafficked fentanyl and smuggled aliens for multiple years. Medrano had sold fentanyl laced with xylazine to undercover law enforcement on over 20 occasions and attempted to recruit others to smuggle illegal aliens. 

His alien smuggling operation was directly tied to Cártel del Noreste. Authorities identified members in ledgers and intercepted alien smuggling events which included nearly 2,000 illegal aliens.  

During a search of Medrano’s residence, law enforcement recovered evidence of his criminal conduct and a hat bearing the insignia of Cártel del Noreste.

He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Scott Bowling prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is now part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF South Texas comprises agents and officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations; FBI; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Department of Transportation; IRS Criminal Investigation; Interpol/Department of State; and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas leading the prosecution.

Texas Department of Public Safety also provided significant assistance with this investigation. 

HOUSTON – A 35-year-old man from a small town in Grimes County has been indicted for allegedly transmitting interstate threats via social media.

Peter James Bloomfield remains in custody following his arrest June 24. A federal grand jury has now returned the three-count indictment, and he will appear for his arraignment before a U.S. magistrate judge in Houston in the near future. 

The charges allege authorities discovered a Texas-based X account with multiple threatening messages directed at federal law enforcement and others. The account allegedly made several posts about where the closest FBI building was, killing federal agents and others, spending money to blow up the White House, and negative comments about America. Bloomfield is linked to that account, according to the indictment. 

Law enforcement also allegedly identified a Facebook account in Bloomfield’s name that used the same profile image as the X account which posted additional threats against federal agents and notable figures. The indictment further alleges the Facebook account included comments about making a hit list that included President Trump during a Fox News broadcast of a recent Senate floor hearing. 

A federal search warrant of Bloomfield’s residence allegedly resulted in the discovery of over 20 firearms and a significant amount of ammunition. 

If convicted, Bloomfield faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine per count. 

The FBI - Bryan Resident Agency conducted the investigation with the assistance of Texas Department of Public Safety; Houston County, Alabama, Sheriff’s Office; Secret Service; and Grimes County Constable’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ganz 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.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 34-year-old Trenton, New Jersey, resident has been charged with possession with the intent to deliver a controlled substance resulting in death.

Authorities have now taken Edgar Guzman into custody at his residence. He will make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tonianne J. Bongiovanni in New Jersey and is expected to appear in Corpus Christi federal court in the near future.  

A federal grand jury returned the indictment July 8, 2026, which was unsealed upon his arrest. 

The charges allege that on April 18, 2026, law enforcement responded to a call in relation to a cardiac arrest and discovered an unresponsive individual. Emergency personnel arrived on scene and declared the victim to be deceased, noting signs of drug use in the residence and near the body, according to the allegations. 

Court records indicate the cause of death was fentanyl toxicity. 

Authorities allegedly recovered messages from the victim’s phone and other evidence from the residence. The indictment alleges the victim would order fentanyl from Guzman who would then ship it through the mail to Corpus Christi using flat rate shipping envelopes. 

If convicted, Guzman faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years and up to life in federal prison and a possible $1 million maximum fine.

Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Yasmine K. Tucker prosecuted 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.

HOUSTON – A 30-year-old illegal alien from Honduras illegally living in Houston has been sentenced for unlawfully reentering the country.

Nelson Alberto Fajardo pleaded guilty March 10, 2026. 

U.S. District Judge Charles Eskridge has now ordered Fajardo to serve 46 months in federal prison. As an illegal alien, he is expected to be once again removed from the United States following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence about his criminal history while illegally present in the country. 

Farjardo has multiple prior convictions for burglary, possessing a firearm after a felony conviction, and aggravated assault.

Authorities removed him from the country in 2015, but he illegally returned. In 2022, he shot his girlfriend’s estranged husband at a residence in Houston, ordered to prison, and ultimately charged with felony illegal reentry.

Fajardo 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 - Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robin Whitney and Amanda Alum 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 immigrants, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

LAREDO, Texas – A 39-year-old Bangladeshi national has made his initial appearance in Laredo federal court after being extradited from Brazil on July 8. A second superseding indictment charges Saifullah Al-Mamun for his role in a conspiracy that smuggled aliens from Bangladesh into the United States. 

According to court documents, Al-Mamun and his co-defendants, Mohamad Milon Hossain, 46 and Moktar Hossain, 38, both of Bangladesh, participated in a wide-ranging human smuggling operation and assisted other smugglers by facilitating the travel of scores of aliens from São Paulo, Brazil, and other locations in South America, Central America, and Mexico so that the aliens could illegally enter the United States. Al-Mamun housed aliens in São Paulo and arranged their travel, while Mohamad Milon Hossain housed aliens in Tapachula, Mexico, and facilitated their transportation to Monterrey, Mexico, according to the charges. Moktar Hossain allegedly housed aliens in Monterrey and instructed them how to cross the Rio Grande River into the United States, but many had difficulty safely doing so. The charges allege aliens paid as much as tens of thousands of dollars to individuals in Bangladesh to help them travel illegally to the United States. 

Al-Mamun was arrested in Brazil in October 2019.

Al-Mamun is charged with conspiracy to bring an alien to the United States and conspiracy to encourage and induce an alien to enter the United States and faces up to 10 years in federal prison. He could also receive up to 15 years for multiple counts of bringing an alien to the United States for financial gain.

Mohamad Milon Hossain and Moktar Hossain pleaded guilty to their roles ole in the operation and were each sentenced to 46 months in prison. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Phoenix is investigating this case with assistance from the HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., U.S. Customs and Border and Protection’s (CBP) International Interdiction Task Force, CBP – Counter Network Division, HSI Laredo, HSI Brasilia, HSI Bogota, U.S. Embassy in Brazil including the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, Brazil Federal Police, Colombian National Police, and U.S. Marshals Service.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest and extradition from Brazil. The Justice Department thanks its Brazilian law enforcement counterparts for their assistance in this matter.

The investigation and indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated prosecutors from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE HSI and Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 464 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 414 U.S. convictions; and more than 360 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 immigrants, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law. 

Bangladeshi national Saifullah Al-Mamun, 39, made his initial appearance in Laredo, Texas, today after being extradited from Brazil on July 8. A second superseding indictment charges Al-Mamun for his role in a conspiracy that smuggled aliens from Bangladesh into the United States. 

According to court documents, Al-Mamun and his co-defendants — Mohamad Milon Hossain, 46 and Moktar Hossain, 38, both of Bangladesh — participated in a wide-ranging human smuggling operation and assisted other smugglers by facilitating the travel of scores of aliens from São Paulo, Brazil, and other locations in South America, Central America, and Mexico so that the aliens could illegally enter the United States. Al-Mamun housed aliens in São Paulo and arranged their travel, Mohamad Milon Hossain housed aliens in Tapachula, Mexico, and facilitated their transportation to Monterrey, Mexico. Moktar Hossain housed aliens in Monterrey and instructed them how to cross the Rio Grande River into the United States. Many of the aliens had difficulty safely crossing the Rio Grande River. The aliens paid as much as tens of thousands of dollars to individuals in Bangladesh to help them travel illegally to the United States. Al-Mamun was arrested in Brazil on Oct. 31, 2019.

Mohamad Milon Hossain pleaded guilty to his role in the operation and was sentenced to 46 months in prison. Moktar Hossain also pleaded guilty to his role in the operation and was also sentenced to 46 months in prison.

Al-Mamun is charged with conspiracy to bring an alien to the United States, multiple counts of bringing an alien to the United States for financial gain, and conspiracy to encourage and induce an alien to enter the United States. If convicted on all counts of bringing an alien to the United States for financial gain, he faces a minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. If convicted of conspiracy to bring and/or conspiracy to encourage and induce and alien to enter the United States, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz for the Southern District of Texas; and Special Agent in Charge Jason T. Stevens of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Phoenix made the announcement.

HSI Phoenix is investigating this case with assistance from the HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., U.S. Customs and Border and Protection’s International Interdiction Task Force, U.S. Customs and Border Protection – Counter Network Division, HSI Laredo, HSI Brasilia, HSI Bogota, , U.S. Embassy in Brazil including the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, Brazil Federal Police, Colombian National Police, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest and extradition from Brazil. The Justice Department thanks its Brazilian law enforcement counterparts for their assistance in this matter.

The investigation and indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated prosecutors from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/HSI and Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 464 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 414 U.S. convictions; and more than 360 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.

Trial Attorney Spencer M. Perry of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie Cortez for the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

HOUSTON – A 35-year-old illegal alien from Mexico who unlawfully resided in Houston has pleaded guilty to robbery, carjacking, brandishing a firearm, and illegal reentry. 

On September 9, 2023, Jose Luis Reyes-Martinez entered the Fiesta Supermarket on Airline Drive in Houston. He brandished a handgun at two employees, forced one into a frozen meat locker, and demanded cash before fleeing on a bicycle. 

Reyes-Martinez then broke into a nearby residence and held a family hostage at gunpoint for several hours. He tied one of them up, sexually assaulted a woman while again brandishing the firearm, and then stole their car. 

Forensic analysis on a condom recovered from the assault matched Reyes-Martinez. 

Authorities had first encountered Reyes-Martinez in Arizona in 2012. He had illegally entered the United States and was subsequently deported. However, law enforcement discovered him in Houston on October 21, 2023. 

U.S. District Judge Sim Lake will impose sentencing September 24. At that time, Reyes-Martinez faces up to 20, 15, and two years for the robbery, carjacking, and illegal re-entry convictions, respectively. In addition, he will also receive a minimum of seven years and up to life for brandishing a firearm which must be served consecutively to any other prison term imposed. All convictions also carry as possible punishment up to a $250,000 fine. 

The FBI and Houston Police Department conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco J. Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.

HOUSTON – A 48-year-old illegal alien from Mexico has been sentenced for unlawfully reentering the country again.

Juan Francisco Juarez-Rodriguez illegally resided in Houston and pleaded guilty on March 10, 2026. 

U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks has now ordered Juarez-Rodriguez to serve 57 months in federal prison. As an alien in the United States illegally, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence about his criminal history while illegally present in the United States.

Juarez-Rodriguez has prior convictions for carrying a concealed weapon, burglary, criminal mischief, drug charges, resisting an officer, shoplifting, criminal trespass, battery, and illegal reentry.

Authorities first removed him from the United States in October 1999, and he repeatedly returned illegally. On January 25, 2023, law enforcement again discovered him in Houston with no authorization to be in the country. 

Juarez-Rodriguez 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 - Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Hostetter 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.

HOUSTON – A 49-year-old illegal alien from Mexico has been sentenced for unlawfully reentering the country again.

Israel Garcia-Garcia illegally resided in Houston and pleaded guilty March 20, 2026. 

U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein has now ordered Garcia-Garciato serve 54 months in federal prison. As an illegal alien in the United States illegally, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence about his criminal history while illegally present in the United States.

Garcia-Garcia has prior convictions for illegal reentry and transporting illegal aliens.

Authorities removed him from the United States seven times since the first instance in February 2008. He repeatedly returned illegally. On December 25, 2025, law enforcement again discovered him in Houston with no authorization to be in the country. 

Garcia-Garcia 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 - Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Hostetter and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Whitney 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.

HOUSTON – In support of Operation Take Back America, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Southern District of Texas has filed another 181 cases in immigration and border security-related matters from July 3-9. 

The cases include charges against 21 people allegedly involved in human smuggling. A total of 33 criminal complaints were filed for illegal entry, while another 129 people face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felonies related to narcotics, violent crime, immigration offenses, and more. The remaining cases charged this week involve other immigration crimes.

As part of these new matters, two illegal aliens from Mexico have been charged with unlawfully reentering the country. Authorities had just removed Gilberto Cuenca-Pedroza on May 6 but found him again in the United States near La Joya, Texas. Wilson Perez-Landeros had also been previously removed, but law enforcement discovered him near Rio Grande City, according to the criminal complaint. The charges further allege Cuenca-Pedroza and Perez-Landeros both have prior narcotics convictions, distribution of heroin and meth, respectively.  

If convicted of illegally reentering the United States without authorization, both face up to 20 years in federal prison. 

In addition to these new cases, a federal jury in Corpus Christi convicted a 46-year-old Honduran national of illegally reentering the United States after a one-day trial and 15 minutes of deliberation. Carlos Lopez-Mejia fled on foot following a traffic stop before authorities apprehended him. The jury heard evidence of his two prior removals in 2001 and 2019.

In Laredo, Guatemalan human smugglers Agapito Jorge Ventura and Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino pleaded guilty in a scheme tied to a tractor-trailer crash that killed more than 50 people and injured over 100 more. They conspired with others to transport illegal aliens, including unaccompanied minors, from Guatemala through Mexico to the United States. They recruited individuals, collected payment, and arranged travel via foot and various other forms of transportation. In some cases, they provided scripted language if authorities apprehended them. Both face up to life in prison at the time of their sentencing.

Also of note was the sentencing of Mexican national Ivan Garcia-Lopez in Houston. The court considered the dangerousness of his other crimes and lack of respect for the law before imposing the 60-month sentence. Garcia-Lopez has previous convictions for illegal reentry, engaging in organized crime, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. 

The cases are referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement 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.

Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the Southern 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 histories, including convictions for 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 10 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.

HOUSTON – A 37-year-old illegal alien from Mexico with a felony criminal history has been sentenced for illegally entering the country without authorization, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Ivan Garcia-Lopez pleaded guilty April 10. 

U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett has now ordered Garcia-Lopez to serve 60 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen and with a current removal order, he will be immediately removed from the country following his imprisonment. In handing down the sentence, the court considered the dangerousness of his other crimes and lack of respect for the law. 

Garcia-Lopez has previous convictions for illegal reentry, engaging in organized crime and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. 

He was first removed from the country in 2012. However, authorities discovered him again in Houston Sept. 8, 2025, following his arrest for felony evading arrest with a motor vehicle. 

Garcia-Lopez will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. 

Immigration Customs Enforcement - Enforcement Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Law 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.

HOUSTON – Today Aaron Reitz took his oath as the new U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. He was sworn in by U.S. District Judge Nicholas J. Ganjei. Reitz will lead one of the largest and busiest U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the country.

“I’m honored to serve as the chief federal law enforcement officer and lawyer for this mission-critical district,” said Reitz. “Our office will relentlessly combat violent crime, illegal immigration, drug and human trafficking, corruption, and fraud. We will faithfully uphold the rule of law and protect the public. Things are about to get very bad for criminals in the Southern District of Texas.” 

Reitz comes to the office from private practice with Hance Scarborough, LLP where he represented and counseled clients in litigation and investigations before federal and state courts and agencies, and advised corporations, executives, and public entities on complex constitutional, regulatory, administrative, and commercial disputes.

Prior to that, Reitz served as the presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy. As the assistant attorney general over OLP, Reitz was charged with developing and implementing DOJ’s significant policy initiatives, handling special projects that implicate the interests of multiple DOJ components, and serving as the primary policy advisor to the U.S. Attorney General. As chief regulatory officer, Reitz also reviewed and coordinated all regulations promulgated by DOJ. Lastly, he identified and vetted candidates for federal judgeships and coordinated the nomination and confirmation process with the White House and Senate.

Before DOJ, Reitz served as Senator Ted Cruz’s chief of staff, where he oversaw domestic policy, legislative, communications, administrative, Commerce Committee, Judiciary Committee, and Foreign Relations Committee teams, as well as several regional offices throughout the state of Texas. 

Reitz also previously served as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s deputy attorney general for legal strategy, where he planned, staffed, and executed the agency’s most consequential affirmative lawsuits and legal initiatives on matters including immigration, federal-state-local relations, election integrity, voting rights, Big Tech, consumer protection, energy, and the U.S. and Texas Constitutions.

Reitz clerked for now-Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock on the Texas Supreme Court and practiced both corporate law and commercial litigation in Houston and Austin. He graduated from the University of Texas School of Law, where he was president of the Texas Federalist Society and editor in chief of the Texas Review of Law & Politics.

Before law school, he was an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. He spent nearly five years on active duty and deployed to the northern Helmand Province of Afghanistan, where he was embedded with the Afghan National Army. Reitz is still in the Marine Corps Reserve as a major.

As U.S. Attorney, Reitz is the chief federal law enforcement officer for one of the largest districts in the United States. The SDTX typically prosecutes more cases against more defendants than most other USAOs nationwide, representing 43 counties and over 10 million people, and covering 44,000 square miles. The district is comprised of seven U.S. District Court divisions in Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen, and Laredo. 

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 22-year-old Premont man has been ordered to federal prison for possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Damian Rodriguez aka Diablo pleaded guilty March 31. 

U.S. District Judge David Morales has now ordered Rodriguez to serve 60 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that described Rodriguez’s use of the firearm with the obliterated serial number to commit several crimes, including attempted murder of a local victim as well as a police officer. In handing down the sentence, Judge Morales noted the Rodriguez’s actions and sentenced him to the maximum possible sentence allowed under the law. At the sentencing hearing, Rodriguez was held responsible for the attempted murder of both the local victim and the police officer.

On Dec. 29, 2025, law enforcement was dispatched to a local residence in response to a call regarding multiple gunshots. Surveillance footage of the area revealed the shooter, later identified as Rodriguez, firing multiple gunshots into the residence from an adjacent alley. Further investigation revealed he had made multiple threats to the victim’s life on social media. Authorities recovered 11 shell casings at the residence, but the victim did not sustain any injuries. 

Two days later, a local police officer discovered multiple threats on his life from Rodriguez’s social media accounts. Law enforcement learned Rodriguez had been walking in the area with a loaded gun and attempted to locate him. Rodriguez saw them and began shooting. During another incident the same day, shots had also been fired at law enforcement. The shell casings at those scenes matched those from the prior attempted murder scenes.   

The investigation led to a residence where authorities located Rodriguez. Among his belongings was a Colt .223 caliber rifle with an obliterated serial number. Analysis and tests showed a match between the firearm and the shell casings from the prior shootings.  

At the time of his arrest, Rodriguez had also made multiple comments regarding his attempts to shoot and kill the police officer.  

Rodriguez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.  

Police departments in Premont and Falfurrias, Brooks County Sheriff’s Office and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Griffith is prosecuting the case. 

McALLEN, Texas – A 20-year-old Edinburg man has been sentenced for distributing child pornography and coercion and enticement of a minor, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Carlos Genaro Rodriguez-Luna Jr. pleaded guilty April 23, 2025. 

U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton has now sentenced Rodriguez-Luna to 262 months and 60 months for the coercion and enticement of a minor and distribution of child pornography convictions, respectively. They will run in part consecutively for a total 300-month term of imprisonment. 

At the hearing, the court heard about the disturbing content Rodriguez-Luna collected and distributed to others. Additionally, the court heard how Rodriguez-Luna communicated with a 13-year-old minor victim discussing his disturbing fantasies.  

In handing down the prison terms, the court noted the seriousness and gravity of the content involved in the case. Rodriguez-Luna was further ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to a known victim and will serve 10 years on supervised release following 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-Luna will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. 

The investigation began in December 2024 after authorities identified a social media account sharing images and videos of people performing self-inflicted harm and child sexual abuse material. Rodriguez-Luna was the owner of that account. 

Law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence where they located and seized several electronic items and his cell phone. Authorities observed a current conversation between Rodriguez-Luna and a 13-year-old female who he identified as his girlfriend. The investigation revealed Rodriguez-Luna distributed child pornography to the minor and discussed sexual assault fantasies. He also asked her to produce sexually explicit material and send to him. 

Additional content on the devices included sexual acts committed on infants, toddlers and prepubescent children as well as other severe material he collected and distributed. 

Rodriguez-Luna admitted to previously downloaded and viewed child pornography at his Edinburg residence.

He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

FBI McAllen conducted the investigation. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexa D. Parcell prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice 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.

HOUSTON – A 71-year-old Bacliff man has been ordered to federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse material for the second time, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Wesley Joseph Slanina pleaded guilty Dec. 17, 2024. 

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown has now sentenced Slanina to serve 186 months in federal prison. The sentence will be immediately followed by 10 years of supervised release, during which time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. 

At the hearing, the court held him accountable for possessing over 7,000 images and heard additional information that Slanina was previously convicted of possessing child sexual abuse material and using a government-issued laptop to access prohibited material. Slanina was further ordered to pay $71,000 in restitution to the victims and will also be ordered to re-register as a sex offender.

The investigation began in June 2019 when law enforcement discovered Slanina sharing multiple files containing child sexual abuse material using peer-to-peer software. The videos and images depicted children, including infants and toddlers, in various sexual acts. 

On June 10, 2020, authorities executed a search warrant at his home and discovered and seized several electronic devices. 

Forensic analysis of his personal computer and 129-gigabyte storage card resulted in the discovery of 2,503 videos and 7,172 images containing child sexual abuse material. 

Slanina 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 Kimberly A. Leo, Amanda Alum and Michael Day prosecuted the case. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice 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. 

LAREDO, Texas – Two foreign nationals have pleaded guilty to smuggling charges related to the crash of a tractor-trailer packed with at least 160 illegal aliens which resulted in the deaths of more than 50 people, including unaccompanied children, and injured over 100 more. These two are part of a group of six who were charged in this case. Five have now admitted to their role in a conspiracy to bring illegal aliens from Guatemala into the United States. 

Agapito Jorge Ventura, 34, an illegal alien from Guatemala, and Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino, 26, a Guatemalan national extradited in 2025, acknowledged they conspired with other smugglers to transport illegal aliens, both adults and unaccompanied minors, from Guatemala through Mexico to the United States. 

Aliens paid Ventura, Zavala Quino and their co-conspirators to be smuggled into the United States, with Ventura coordinating from the Houston area. During the previous administration’s policy to parole illegal aliens into the United States, Ventura also facilitated the release of Guatemalan aliens who were smuggled illegally into the United States from U.S. immigration authorities, to include unaccompanied minors. Ventura provided co-conspirators, including Zavala Quino, with falsified scripts and instructions to provide to adults and unaccompanied minors on what to say to immigration officials if apprehended to secure their release. Ventura would also provide a person who would falsely pose as a relative of the apprehended alien to gain the alien’s release.

On Dec. 9, 2021, Ventura, Zavala Quino and others arranged for the aliens they were smuggling to the United States to be loaded into a tractor trailer that was to transport them through Mexico. Over 150 illegal aliens, including adults and unaccompanied minors, were crammed into the trailer. The vehicle ultimately crashed north of the Guatemala/Mexico border near Tuxtla Guiterrez, Chiapas, Mexico, resulting in deaths and serious bodily injury.

“With today’s guilty pleas, five defendants charged in this case have now been held accountable for one of the deadliest human smuggling tragedies in recent memory,” stated Marck. “These defendants treated more than 150 people as cargo, packing them into a tractor-trailer for profit with total disregard for human life. The Southern District of Texas will continue to hunt down smugglers wherever they hide, because there is no place on earth safe enough to escape justice for the lives lost on that Chiapas roadside.”

“This crime shows that human smugglers care only about profiting from their crimes, not about the illegal aliens they transport and the life-and-death risks to which they expose them” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These defendants worked together to exploit vulnerable people by breaking the immigration laws of this country, with deadly consequences that followed. Robust border enforcement avoids deadly results like this. The Criminal Division will continue to pursue those who put profit over people and ensure our nation’s immigration laws are enforced.”

“This case underscores U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations’ relentless pursuit of transnational criminal organizations that profit from the exploitation of vulnerable individuals,” said Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon of HSI. “The guilty pleas of these defendants send a clear message: those who orchestrate and facilitate dangerous human smuggling operations — placing lives at grave risk — will be held accountable. HSI remains committed to working with our domestic and international partners to dismantle these criminal networks, protect our borders and uphold the rule of law.”

Ventura and Zavala Quino pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring and attempt to bring an illegal alien into the United States, placing life in jeopardy, causing serious bodily injury and resulting in death. U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo has set sentencing for Oct. 6. At that time, all face up to life in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. 

Daniel Zavala Ramos, 42, Josefa Quino Canil de Zavala, 44, and Alberto Macario Chitic, 33, all of Guatemala, previously pleaded guilty to the same charges. 

Canil De Zavala, Macario Chitic, Zavala Ramos, Zavala Quino and Tomas Quino Canil were extradited from Guatemala in 2025 to face charges. U.S. authorities arrested Ventura at his residence in Cleveland in December 2024. 

HSI’s Washington, D.C. Field Office conducted the investigation in partnership with HSI Guatemala and HSI Mexico. Valuable assistance was provided by HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C.; HSI Houston; HSI Laredo; U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s International Interdiction Task Force; U.S. Border Patrol; Liberty County Constable, Precinct 6; ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston; U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas; and the Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions. Guatemalan prosecutors from the Office of Public Ministry and Mexican prosecutors from the Republic of Mexico’s Federal Prosecutions Office, with the support of law enforcement officials from both countries, were also instrumental in furthering the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary Lou Castillo and Jennifer Day are prosecuting the case along with Senior Trial Attorney Danielle Hickman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section with substantial assistance from HRSP Latin American Specialist/Historian Joanna Crandall.

The investigation and charges are supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha, the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking cartels and transnational criminal organizations commit. A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s HRSP Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section; Office of International Affairs and Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant United States Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 464 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 414 U.S. convictions; and more than 360 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.

An illegal alien from Guatemala and a Guatemalan national have pleaded guilty to human smuggling charges related to the crash of a tractor-trailer packed with at least 160 illegal aliens which resulted in the deaths of more than 50 people, including unaccompanied children, and injured over 100 more. These two defendants are part of a group of six who were charged in this case. Five of six defendants have now admitted to their role in a conspiracy to bring illegal aliens from Guatemala into the United States. 

Agapito Jorge Ventura, 34, and an illegal alien from Guatemala, and Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino, 26, a Guatemalan national extradited to the United States in 2025, acknowledged that they conspired with other smugglers to smuggle and transport illegal aliens, both adults and unaccompanied minors, from Guatemala through Mexico to the United States. 

 “This crime shows that human smugglers care only about profiting from their crimes, not about the illegal aliens they transport and the life-and-death risks to which they expose them” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These defendants worked together to exploit vulnerable people by breaking the immigration laws of this country, with deadly consequences that followed. Robust border enforcement avoids deadly results like this. The Criminal Division will continue to pursue those who put profit over people and ensure our nation’s immigration laws are enforced.”

“With today’s guilty pleas, five defendants charged in this case have now been held accountable for one of the deadliest human smuggling tragedies in recent memory,” said U.S. Attorney John E. Marck for the Southern District of Texas. “These defendants treated more than 150 people as cargo, packing them into a tractor-trailer for profit with total disregard for human life. The Southern District of Texas will continue to hunt down smugglers wherever they hide, because there is no place on earth safe enough to escape justice for the lives lost on that Chiapas roadside.”

“This case underscores U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) relentless pursuit of transnational criminal organizations that profit from the exploitation of vulnerable individuals,” said Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon of  HSI. “The guilty pleas of these defendants send a clear message: those who orchestrate and facilitate dangerous human smuggling operations — placing lives at grave risk — will be held accountable. HSI remains committed to working with our domestic and international partners to dismantle these criminal networks, protect our borders, and uphold the rule of law.”

Aliens paid Ventura, Zavala Quino, and their co-conspirators to be smuggled into the United States, with Ventura coordinating from the Houston area. During the previous administration’s policy to parole illegal aliens into the United States, Ventura also facilitated the release of Guatemalan aliens who were smuggled illegally into the United States from U.S. immigration authorities, to include unaccompanied minors. Ventura provided his coconspirators, including Zavala Quino, with falsified scripts and instructions to provide to adults and unaccompanied minors on what to say to immigration officials if apprehended to secure their release. Ventura would also provide a person who would falsely pose as a relative of the apprehended alien to gain the alien’s release.

On Dec. 9, 2021, Ventura, Zavala Quino, and others arranged for the aliens they were smuggling to the United States to be loaded into a tractor trailer that was to transport them through Mexico. Over 150 illegal aliens, including adults and unaccompanied minors, were crammed into the trailer. The vehicle ultimately crashed north of the Guatemala/Mexico border near Tuxtla Guiterrez, Chiapas, Mexico, resulting in deaths and serious bodily injury.

Ventura and Zavala Quino pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring and attempt to bring an illegal alien to the United States, placing life in jeopardy, causing serious bodily injury, and resulting in death. They will be sentenced on Oct. 6 and each face a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Daniel Zavala Ramos, Josefa Canil De Zavala, Alberto Macario Chitic, Tomas Quino Canil, and Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino, were extradited from Guatemala in 2025 to face charges. Authorities arrested Jorge Agapito Ventura, 33, at his residence in Cleveland, Texas, in December 2024. 

Zavala Ramos, 42, pleaded guilty on April 7. Canil De Zavala, 44, and Macario Chitic, 33, pleaded guilty on June 11. 

HSI’s Washington, D.C. Field Office investigated the case in partnership with HSI Guatemala and HSI Mexico. Valuable assistance was provided by HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C.; HSI Houston; HSI Laredo; U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s International Interdiction Task Force; U.S. Border Patrol; Liberty County Constable, Precinct 6; Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Houston; U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas; and the Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions of the defendants. Guatemalan prosecutors from the Office of Public Ministry and Mexican prosecutors from the Republic of Mexico’s Federal Prosecutions Office, with the support of law enforcement officials from both countries, were also instrumental in furthering the investigation.

Senior Trial Attorney Danielle Hickman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary Lou Castillo and Jennifer Day for the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case, with substantial assistance from HRSP Latin American Specialist/Historian Joanna Crandall.

The investigation and charges are supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean, and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 464 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 414 U.S. convictions; and more than 360 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.

HOUSTON – A total of 259 individuals have been charged in immigration and border security-related crimes from June 26-July 3, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck. 

The Southern District filed a total of 188 criminal complaints for felony reentry after prior removal, while another 40 people face charges of illegal entry. Most of those individuals have previous convictions, such as narcotics and violent crimes, immigration offenses and more. The cases also include 26 people allegedly involved in human smuggling, while the remaining five matters relate to other immigration offenses and assaulting officers. 

Among those charged with felony reentry include a Guatemalan illegal alien with a prior conviction for rape of a child, according to the charges. However, law enforcement discovered Jelber Botello-Hernandez near La Grulla, with no authorization to be in the United States. Also found in the same area was Mexican national Rogelio Rodriguez-Jaimes who allegedly has a prior conviction for unlawful transportation of firearms. 

Authorities also allegedly found Mexican nationals Armando Almaguer-Trejo and Eva Karina Gomez-Salazar in the McAllen area without legal authorization to be in the United States. According to the criminal complaints, Almaguer-Trejo has a prior conviction for DUI with a child, while Gomez-Salazar was previously convicted of drug trafficking, according to their respective charges. 

All four had just been removed during various months this year, according to the charges. If convicted of felony reentry after removal, all face up to 20 years in federal prison.

The cases are referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement 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.

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 histories, including convictions for 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 10 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.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 46-year-old illegal alien who resided in Corpus Christi has been convicted of illegally reentering the United States, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

A federal jury deliberated for approximately 15 minutes before returning the guilty verdict against Carlos Lopez-Mejia aka Eddi Alberto Lopez-Mejia following a one-day trial.

On Sept. 6, 2025, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle with excessively tinted windows and a non-complaint stop lamp. The driver presented a Mexican identification card and admitted he was present in the United States illegally.

Lopez-Mejia was the passenger in the front seat. Authorities also asked for his identification, but he refused to provide it or answer any questions. Upon the arrival of additional members of law enforcement, Lopez-Mejia exited the vehicle and fled on foot to a nearby apartment, but was quickly taken into custody.  

The investigation revealed Lopez-Mejia had been removed from the United States in 2001 and 2019.

At trial, the jury heard from several members of law enforcement who provided details about the arrest, his prior removals from the United States, fingerprint analysis confirming his identity and that Lopez-Mejia had never sought status to legally enter or remain in the United States.

The defense attempted to convince the jury that the records of the prior removals were unreliable. They did not believe those claims and found Lopez-Mejia guilty as charged. U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos presided over the trial and set sentencing for Oct. 7. At that time, Lopez-Mejia faces up to two years in federal prison.

He has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Izaak Bruce and Zachary Bird 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.

HOUSTON – A 50-year-old Tomball resident has been charged with wire fraud after allegedly stealing approximately $996,174 from Tomball Independent School District, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Kristi Williams is set to make her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard W. Bennett July 13 at 10 a.m.

According to the criminal information, Williams was the manager of Property Tax Administration at Tomball ISD from January 2018 until November 2023 and oversaw the collection of local property taxes.

The charges allege that when a taxpayer paid in cash, a tax office employee would place it inside an envelope and record the payment in specialized software as part of a batch. Once the amounts reached a certain threshold, either $15,000 or $20,000, the batch was closed and Williams was expected to deposit the money into Tomball ISD’s bank accounts, according to the allegations.  

Williams allegedly used the software to reverse the payments in the system and kept the funds for her own personal use.

If convicted, Williams faces up to 20 years in federal prison as well as a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Lewis 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.

HOUSTON – A 63-year-old Mexican national illegally residing in Houston has been ordered to federal prison for theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Ana Silvia Garcia pleaded guilty April 14.

U.S. District Judge Charles R. Eskridge has now ordered Garcia to serve 27 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, she is expected to face removal proceedings following her imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard testimony from the victim describing the emotional toll of the crime. In handing down the sentence, Judge Eskridge noted Garcia’s use of the victim’s identity was an ongoing crime that was intentionally done and therefore was not aberrant behavior despite her lack of prior criminal history. Garcia was further ordered to pay $278,385 in restitution to the Social Security Administration.

Beginning in 1992, Garcia used a Social Security number belonging to a U.S. citizen. Using that identity, she submitted immigration petitions on behalf of family members and obtained disability and Medicare benefits. 

As a result of the scheme, Garcia unlawfully received more than $278,000 in benefits from 2013 through February 2026. She was not entitled to those funds.

Garcia later admitted her true identity following her arrest in February.

She has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The SSA - Office of Inspector General and Department of State - Diplomatic Security Service conducted the investigation with the assistance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Bauman prosecuted the case.

The Department of Justice has created the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse within federal benefit programs.

GALVESTON, Texas – A 55-year-old Pearland resident has been ordered to federal prison again for possessing child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Jason Doehring pleaded guilty Oct. 15, 2025. 

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Vincent Brown has now sentenced Doehring to 120 months in federal prison. At the hearing, the court heard additional information detailing how he possessed over 300 images on his laptop. Doehring was further ordered to serve five years 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. Doehring will also be ordered to again register as a sex offender.

The investigation into Doehring began when authorities discovered a registered sex offender was accessing the social media pages of underage children. 

On Feb. 9, 2022, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Doehring’s residence in Pearland. They located and seized 11 electronic devices and found them to contain multiple images of child sexual abuse material. 

Doehring has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the future

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ekua Assabill and Kimberly Leo prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice 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. 

HOUSTON – The owner of a high-end flower business has entered a guilty plea to making and subscribing a false tax return, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.  

Le Hao Tran owned and operated a flower business in Houston called Blooming Gallery LLC. She also owned HTX Rental and Delivery Service LLC. Both companies provided goods or services for high-end events, including weddings and corporate gatherings. At times, her clients paid via checks - sometimes exceeding tens of thousands of dollars. In one instance, a corporate client paid her over $2.7 million for floral services at a corporate gathering.  

Tran admitted she failed to report to the IRS all the income she received from these businesses for the 2019 through 2022 tax years. Often, she would divert money and hide income from the IRS by taking customer checks to check-cashing businesses. She would also at times deposit checks in her bank account without accounting for those checks in her business books and records.  

Tran pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false tax return for the 2022 tax year. In that year alone, she earned over $9 million in gross income yet reported approximately only $7 million. By under-reporting this income, she paid to the IRS less than she actually owed.  

In total, Tran admitted her conduct resulted in a tax loss to the IRS of $1,391,167 and has paid this amount in restitution.  

U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks will impose sentencing Sept. 11. At that time, Tran faces up to three years in federal prison and a maximum $250,000 possible fine. 

She was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.

IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Gray is prosecuting the case. 

The Department of Justice has created the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse within federal benefit programs.