Southern District of Texas

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 47-year-old Corpus Christi man has been ordered to federal prison for attempting to smuggle two illegal aliens through the Intracoastal Waterway, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Christopher Henson pleaded guilty Sept. 29, 2025.

U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now ordered Henson to serve 36 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Henson’s prior smuggling conduct and possession of a firearm on two occasions despite being a felon.

The investigation revealed Henson used his boat to bypass interior Border Patrol checkpoints while transporting illegal aliens along coastal waters. He posed trips as fishing excursions, sailing south to pick up illegal aliens at Port Mansfield, then traveling north to dock at locations beyond the checkpoints.

On March 30, 2025, authorities were conducting surveillance in an area known as a drop-off point for illegal aliens transported along coastal waterways. They observed Henson preparing to dock his boat.

As law enforcement approached, Henson jumped into the water and attempted to flee. Authorities soon took him into custody and discovered a firearm in his jacket.

A search of the vessel revealed two illegal aliens who had traveled north with Henson from Port Mansfield.

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

U.S. Coast Guard, BP, Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Lamont prosecuted the case.

This case is also part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the DOJ to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood..

LAREDO, Texas – A 42-year-old foreign national has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring an illegal alien into the United States, placing life in jeopardy, causing serious bodily injury and resulting in death, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Daniel Zavala Ramos aka Dany ZR admitted he conspired with others in the smuggling scheme tied to a tractor-trailer crash involving at least 160 illegal aliens – many of them from Guatemala – that killed more than 50 people and injured over 100 more.

According to court documents, Ramos and others transported illegal aliens, both adults and unaccompanied minors, from Guatemala though Mexico to the United States. He and his co-conspirators recruited Guatemalan aliens, collected payment and arranged for the aliens to travel by foot, inside microbuses, cattle trucks and tractor-trailers.

Illegal aliens paid Zavala Ramos and his co-conspirators to be smuggled to the United States. In some cases, Zavala Ramos and others provided scripted language for unaccompanied minors to use if U.S. immigration authorities apprehended them.

On Dec. 9, 2021, Zavala Ramos and co-conspirators arranged for the aliens they were smuggling to the United States to be loaded into a tractor trailer that was to transport the aliens through Mexico. The vehicle ultimately crashed north of the Guatemala/Mexico border near Tuxtla Guiterrez, Chiapas, Mexico, resulting in the death of 56 people. Over 100 other illegal aliens were injured, some very seriously.

Ramos was extradited in 2025 to face charges in the United States.

U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo will impose sentencing July 7. At that time, Ramos faces up to life in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s – Homeland Security Investigations’ Counter Proliferation Investigations Group in Washington D.C. conducted the joint investigation with HSI offices in Guatemala and Mexico with substantial assistance of HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit and HSI offices in Houston and Laredo, Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center, Operation Sentinel, Border Patrol, Liberty County Constable - Precinct 6; ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations in Houston, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas and Justice Department’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 and Mexican prosecutors, 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 charges are a result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha. JTFA, a partnership with Department of Homeland Security, has been elevated and expanded with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of California, Districts of Arizona and New Mexico and Western and Southern Districts of Texas. Dedicated support is provided by the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Office of Enforcement Operations and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 450 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 395 U.S. convictions; more than 345 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 DOJ to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood..

A Guatemalan national charged in connection with the Dec. 9, 2021 mass casualty event in Chiapas, Mexico, pleaded guilty today to human smuggling charges related to the crash of a tractor-trailer packed with at least 160 illegal aliens — many of them Guatemalan nationals — which resulted in the deaths of more than 50 people, including unaccompanied children, and injured over 100 more.

According to the factual summary entered into the record and court documents, Daniel Zavala Ramos, also known as “Dany ZR,” 42, of Guatemala, acknowledged that he conspired with other smugglers to transport undocumented aliens, both adults and unaccompanied minors, from Guatemala though Mexico to the United States. Zavala Ramos and his co-conspirators recruited Guatemalan aliens, collected payment and arranged for the aliens to travel by foot, inside microbuses, cattle trucks and tractor-trailers. Daniel Zavala Ramos was extradited from Guatemala in 2025 to face charges.

The factual summary further provided that aliens paid Zavala Ramos and his co-conspirators to be smuggled to the United States. In some cases, Zavala Ramos and his co-conspirators provided scripted language for unaccompanied minors to use if apprehended by U.S. immigration authorities. During the conspiracy, on Dec. 9, 2021, Zavala Ramos and his co-conspirators arranged for the aliens they were smuggling to the United States to be loaded into a tractor trailer that was to transport the aliens through Mexico. The tractor trailer ultimately crashed north of the Guatemala/Mexico border near Tuxtla Guiterrez, Chiapas, Mexico, resulting in the death of 56 people. Over 100 other illegal aliens were injured, some very seriously.

Zavala Ramos pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring and attempt to bring an undocumented alien to the United States, placing life in jeopardy, causing serious bodily injury and resulting in death. Zavala Ramos will be sentenced on July 7 and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

HSI’s Counter Proliferation Investigations Group in Washington D.C. investigated the case in partnership with HSI Guatemala and HSI Mexico. Valuable assistance was provided by HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit; 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, Beaumont Division; 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 (HRSP) 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 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 450 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 395 U.S. convictions; more than 345 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) and Project Safe Neighborhood.

HOUSTON – A 43-year-old Mexican national who illegally resided in Houston has been sentenced for illegally reentering the country without authorization, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Miguel Carreon pleaded guilty Sept. 29, 2025.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt has now ordered Carreon to serve 57 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. In handing down the sentence, the court considered the dangerousness of his other crimes, lack of respect for the law and need for deterrence. Judge Hoyt noted Carreon chose to re-enter the United States illegally and commit other crimes and that reducing his sentence would send the wrong message to him and others.

Carreon has a prior felony conviction for conspiracy to distribute meth. He was first removed from the United States in January 2016. Authorities discovered him again in Houston after he was convicted for aggravated assault with a firearm.

He 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 – Another 508 cases have been filed as a result of efforts along the South Texas border in support of Operation Take Back America from March 27-April 2, the most in Southern District since initiative’s implementation, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

A total of 31 people are charged with human smuggling crimes. Another 200 criminal complaints were filed for illegal entry, while 274 people face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felony convictions, including narcotics, violent crime, immigration offenses and more. The remaining cases involve firearms charges and other immigration crimes.

Among those charged with felony reentry include two men with prior convictions to include possession of cocaine, discharging a firearm, assault causing bodily injury, unlawful carrying of a weapon or driving while intoxicated, according to the allegations. Roberto Efrain Portillo-Funes and Jani Manuel Pereda-Figueredo had been removed Nov. 7 and Nov. 28, 2025, according to their respective charges. However, authorities allegedly discovered them in the McAllen area without authorization to be in the United States.

Another illegal alien facing charges this week is Mexican national Jose Garza Lopez, whom law enforcement allegedly discovered unlawfully in the country near Bonito. According to court documents, he was previously removed June 15, 2023. The complaint alleges he has prior convictions for transportation or harboring of aliens, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and two convictions for possession with intent to distribute.

Additional charges allege two previous felons had also illegally reentered the country. Mexican nationals Fernando Perales-Hernandez and Luis Miguel Zagaon-Melchor had both been previously removed Jan. 23, 2015, and April 14, 2017, according to their respective complaints. Perales-Hernandez allegedly has a previous conviction for manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance, while Zagaon-Melchor has a previous conviction for transporting or harboring aliens, according to his complaint.

If convicted, all five men face up to 20 years in federal prison.

In addition to the new cases, a San Juan resident received a 33-month term in federal prison for transporting illegal aliens. Mario Trevino drove a tractor-trailer to the Border Patrol checkpoint near Sarita and claimed it was empty, but authorities discovered six illegal aliens concealed in the sleeper area. Some were hidden underneath a blanket, while others hid in a cabinet. They reported illegally entering the United States and being transported through multiple locations in the Rio Grande Valley before being directed to enter the tractor-trailer. They further stated Trevino instructed them to remain hidden and not move.

These cases were 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 nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.

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

HOUSTON – A 33-year-old Houston man has been sentenced for his role in the distribution of multiple narcotics, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Cyrus Boujabadi pleaded guilty June 6, 2025, to possessing MDMA with the intent to distribute it and for engaging in a monetary transaction in criminally derived property.

U.S. District Ewing Werlein Jr. has now ordered Boujabadi to serve a total of 240 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. The court also imposed a $5,000 fine. In handing down the sentence, the court heard additional evidence detailing Boujabadi’s leadership role in the scheme. The court found he acted as an organizer and took steps to insulate himself from law enforcement by using couriers. He had also used his residence to distribute drugs,  engaged in drug trafficking as a pattern of criminal livelihood and possessed a firearm in connection with his drug trafficking enterprise.

From January 2019 to approximately July 2023, Boujabadi conspired with others to distribute MDMA, meth, cocaine, marijuana, psilocybin and DMT. As part of the conspiracy, he coordinated drug transactions using a messaging application, directed others to deliver controlled substances and accepted payment in cash and electronic transfers.

Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Boujabadi’s residence and seized meth, MDMA tablets, Xanax, marijuana, DMT, THC oils and edibles and psilocybin mushrooms. They also found drug trafficking equipment, cash and cryptocurrency. Further investigation revealed the funds and digital assets were proceeds of drug trafficking.

Boujabadi deposited the drug proceeds into accounts he controlled to enrich himself, including purchasing multiple properties in Tennessee, which have now been forfeited.

To date, five others have been convicted and sentenced in connection with the conspiracy.

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

This operation 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 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 Houston comprises agents and officers from Drug Enforcement Administration; Texas Department of Public Safety; Houston Police Department; Harris County Sherriff's Office; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Department of Transportation/IRS and Katy Police Department with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas leading the prosecution.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey N. MacDonald and Anibal J. Alaniz prosecuted the case. AUSAs Tyler Foster and Elizabeth Wyman handled the forfeiture matters. 

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 53-year-old San Juan resident has been sentenced for transporting six illegal aliens, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Mario Trevino pleaded guilty Dec. 29, 2025.

U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now ordered Trevino to serve 33 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence detailing how the illegal aliens were transported in a confined space and that at least one expressed concern for their safety. The court also heard about Trevino’s prior attempts to evade law enforcement. In handing down the sentence, the court noted his criminal history, which included possession with intent to distribute meth, evading arrest and a prior conviction for smuggling illegal aliens. 

On Oct. 28, 2025, Trevino drove a tractor trailer to the Border Patrol checkpoint near Sarita. He claimed the trailer was empty, and he was heading to pick up a load.

Law enforcement conducted a search of the vehicle where they observed six illegal aliens concealed in the sleeper area. Some were hidden underneath a blanket, while others hid in a cabinet.

The illegal aliens reported they had illegally entered the United States and were transported through multiple locations in the Rio Grande Valley before being directed to enter the tractor-trailer. They further stated Trevino instructed them to remain hidden and not move.

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

Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Izaak Bruce 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.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 35-year-old Alice resident has been ordered to federal prison for his role in receiving meth using a commercial carrier service, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Scott Garza pleaded guilty Dec. 30, 2025, to knowingly and intentionally possessing meth with the intent to distribute it.

U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now ordered Garza to serve 265 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard evidence about the abandoned, boarded-up house where the box of drugs was delivered and the firearm Garza had in his possession at the time. In handing down the sentence, Judge Morales noted that although Garza may have been a low-level dealer before this offense, he graduated to the next by participating in this crime.

On Aug. 7, 2025, law enforcement identified an international package shipped from Mexico and destined for an address in Alice. An X-ray examination and K-9 alert resulted in the discovery of 10 clay bricks. Each brick contained meth mixed within the clay material.

The investigation led to Garza, who had travelled to the abandoned house to pick up the package which he later opened at his home.

The drugs had a total weight of nearly eight kilograms with an estimated street value of $160,000.

Authorities conducted a search at his residence where they also found additional narcotics including distributable quantities of cocaine, meth, Xanax tablets, marijuana and synthetic marijuana as well as three firearms.

Previously on bond, Garza was taken into custody following the sentencing where he will remain pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance of Texas Department of Public Safety and Jim Wells County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley A. Pruitt prosecuted the case.

HOUSTON - A 61-year-old Mexican national has been sentenced for illegally re-entering the United States after removal, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Jose Antonio Villegas-Herrera pleaded guilty July 16, 2024.

U.S. District Judge Charles R. Eskridge has imposed a 55-month-term of imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard about Herrera’s criminal history which included a federal felony conviction of possession with intent to distribute cocaine for which he was ordered to serve 55 months in prison. In imposing this sentence, the court noted Herrera had cut off his ankle monitor and fled prior to the hearing.

He was removed from the country in 2007. However, authorities discovered him in Houston July 28, 2022, with no authorization to be in the United States.

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

Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Whitney prosecuted the case.

HOUSTON – A 41-year-old area man has been ordered to federal prison for multiple child pornography convictions, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Joshua Jerome Finney pleaded guilty Jan. 5.

U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal has now imposed a total 160-month-term of imprisonment – 160, 160 and 120 months for the respective counts of distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography to be served concurrently. At the hearing, the court heard and considered additional evidence regarding the lifelong damage Finney caused to the minor victims and how he encouraged further abuse for his pleasure.

Finney was further ordered to pay restitution and will serve 10 years on supervised release following completing of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to the internet. 

In December 2023, authorities discovered child sexual abuse material on a dark web forum.

The investigation eventually led to Finney who had been communicating with others. In some of the text messages, Finney discussed having sex with minors and received several CSAM images and videos.

A search warrant at Finney’s residence resulted in the seizure of his cell phone. Forensic examination ultimately uncovered 178 images and 260 videos depicting CSAM. The material depicted children under the age of 12, sadistic or masochistic conduct, bestiality and acts of violence such as the penetration of the minors.

Communication on that device also showed he was receiving and distributing child pornography with other individuals through his Telegram account.  

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

FBI - Houston conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Valenti and Kimberly Leo are prosecuting 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. 

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 31-year-old local man has entered a guilty plea to production of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

The investigation into Troy Vasquez began after law enforcement discovered he had been uploading child pornography over the internet. They executed a search warrant at his home where they discovered child sexual abuse material he had created the day before the search.

A forensic examination of his phone uncovered another video Vasquez recorded two days after Christmas 2024. In it, he is encouraging a three-year-old child to perform sexual acts.

U.S. District Judge David Morales will impose sentencing June 20. At that time, Vasquez faces up to 30 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

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 the Corpus Christi Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Overman 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 local woman has admitted to aiding or assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

From 2017 to 2023, Jamie Nevid Wallace owned Donahue Tax Service and operated as a “ghost preparer” to conceal her involvement in the scheme. As such, she made it seem that clients were filing their own returns without the assistance of anyone else. Wallace was required to obtain and use a Provider Tax Identification Number on any returns she prepared but instead concealed her role by creating accounts for her clients using tax preparation software.

Wallace prepared false tax returns that included fraudulent Schedule A deductions and Schedule C business and education credits, which generated refunds her clients should not have received. She also charged fees for those returns.

As part of her plea, she admitted to filing a false 2021 income tax return that included $68,453 in false Schedule A deductions, $36,852 in false Schedule C losses for a business that did not exist and a false education credit showing expenses supposedly paid to a local university. These false entries resulted in $18,075 in tax loss. 

Wallace has admitted responsibility for $244,824 in losses to the IRS and has agreed to pay that amount in restitution.

U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett will impose sentencing June 25. At that time, Wallace faces up to three years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum 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.

HOUSTON – A total of 439 new cases have been filed against 440 individuals in immigration and border security matters from March 20-26, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

The Southern District of Texas filed 187 criminal complaints for illegal entry, while another 236 people face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felony convictions, including narcotics, violent crime, immigration offenses and more. The cases also include charges against 12 people allegedly involved in human smuggling. The remaining cases involve other immigration crimes and firearms.

Six of those charged were allegedly found in and around the McAllen area this week. According to one criminal complaint, authorities discovered Honduran national Jose Roberto Serrano-Miranda near Relampago even though he had been removed from the United States in September 2025. The charges allege he has prior convictions for domestic assault bodily injury and aggravated assault strangulation.

Five others are all allegedly from Mexico. The criminal complaint alleges Ruben Davila-Trujillo and Daniel Eduardo Munoz-Najar were just removed in January and February, respectively, while Jose Manuel Gomez-Jimenez and Loreto Hernandez De Loera had both been ordered removed from the country in June 2025. With the exception of De Loera, who has multiple convictions for driving under the influence and a felony driving while intoxicated, each has prior convictions for various drug offenses, according to the allegations. Ricardo Josue Gutierrez had also allegedly been previously removed. His charges allege he has a prior conviction for transportation or harboring of illegal aliens.

If convicted of illegal reentry, all six face up to 20 years in federal prison.

In addition to the new cases, a man known as “Two-Face” was ordered to serve 180 months for being an illegal alien in possession of a weapon linked to the shooting death of a local woman. Savin Seng is an admitted gang member from Cambodia and illegally resided in Victoria.

On Oct. 3, 2025, an incident occurred at a residence in the Telferner community outside Victoria, where authorities found a female victim deceased from a gunshot wound to the head. The shooter had left his cell phone and fled the scene.

An image on the phone showed Seng holding a Glock pistol with an extended magazine. A witness had also identified him as the murder suspect.

Law enforcement located Seng less than a mile from the scene of the shooting and took him into custody. At the time of his arrest, he had a loaded Glock 17, 9mm pistol in his shorts along with a loaded 31-round extended magazine.

Seng had illegally entered the United States as a child from Cambodia and never held lawful immigration status in the country. Court documents allege he had been ordered removed as an aggravated felon in April 2016 but had not been physically removed. He has been in custody in California, Georgia and Louisiana, according to court records, and had an active arrest warrant from 2022 for another homicide in Los Angeles, California.

Seng admitted he possessed many guns while remaining in the United States illegally. 

These cases were 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 all 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 nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.

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

HOUSTON - A 27-year-old local resident has been convicted of possession of a machine gun, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

A federal jury sitting in Houston deliberated for approximately three hours before convicting Tyler John Jordan following a three-day trial.

The case involved a deadly shooting that occurred March 16, 2025, at the McDonalds located on North Fry Road in Katy.

The jury heard evidence that Jordan and others entered the restaurant intending to start a fight with another group of individuals. During the altercation, multiple bullets were fired into the crowded lobby from a Glock pistol that was equipped with a machinegun conversion device, commonly known as a switch. One of the bullets struck and killed a 61-year-old innocent bystander.

The investigation revealed a video on Jordan’s phone showing him holding the weapon approximately five hours before it was used in the shooting. 

A crime scene investigator and other law enforcement officers testified about how Jordan had attempted to lie numerous times throughout the case. The jury saw evidence that Jordan was a gun fanatic and heard he had previously admitted to possessing the firearm and knowing it was a machine gun.   

However, the defense attempted to convince the jury Jordan was not aware the gun was equipped with a switch and that his confession was false. The jury did not believe those claims and found him guilty as charged.   

U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett presided over trial and set sentencing for June 25. At that time, Jordan faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

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

Harris County Sheriff’s Office and FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as well as Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anh-Khoa Tran and Charles Hagerman are prosecuting the case. 

HOUSTON - A 26-year-old man who was in the United States on a Green Card has been sentenced for laundering fraud proceeds through an unlicensed money transmitting business, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Ayobami Omoniyi pleaded guilty Aug. 19, 2024.

U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen has now ordered Omoniyi to serve 32 months in federal prison and pay $202,273.80 in restitution. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to be removed from the country following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard additional information that Omoniyi had been committing crimes since arriving in the United States and that he had been a recruiter for the scheme.

In 2021, Omoniyi and others operated an unlicensed money transmitting business that received and transferred funds from business email compromise victims, including a fishing company in Australia. Victims received spoofed emails that appeared to come from legitimate businesses and were tricked into sending payments to accounts conspirators controlled.

As part of his plea, Omoniyi admitted he moved money through multiple bank accounts. The funds originated from fraudsters involved in a business email compromise wire fraud scheme.

Omoniyi also acknowledged receiving victims’ funds and, for a fee, transmitting the fraud proceeds to others.

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

FBI-Bryan Resident Agency and Houston Police Department conducted the investigation with assistance from the Australian Federal Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Belinda Beek prosecuted the case.

VICTORIA, Texas – A 41-year-old illegal alien from Cambodia has been ordered to federal prison for unlawfully possessing a weapon linked to a fatal shooting, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.  

Savin Seng aka “Two-Face” pleaded guilty Nov. 18, 2025.

U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos has now ordered him to serve 180 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following the sentence.

On Oct. 3, 2025, an incident occurred at a residence in the Telferner community outside Victoria, where authorities found a female victim deceased from a gunshot wound to the head. The shooter had left his cell phone and fled the scene.

An image on the phone showed Seng holding a Glock pistol with an extended magazine. A witness had also identified him as the murder suspect.

Law enforcement located Seng less than a mile from the scene of the shooting and took him into custody. At the time of his arrest, he had a loaded Glock 17, 9mm pistol in his shorts along with a loaded 31-round extended magazine.

Seng had illegally entered the United States as a child from Cambodia and never held lawful immigration status in the country. Court documents allege he had been ordered removed as an aggravated felon in April 2016 but had not been physically removed. He has been in custody in California, Georgia and Louisiana, according to court records, and had an active arrest warrant from 2022 for another homicide in Los Angeles, California.

Seng admitted he possessed multiple guns while remaining in the United States illegally.

The 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 – Two local men have been ordered to federal prison for conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute meth, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

The jury deliberated for less than an hour before finding Edgar Prudencio Ruiz, 24, and Damian Lee Gutierrez, 24, guilty Nov. 18, 2025, following a two-day trial.

U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen has now imposed a 162-month term of imprisonment for both men. They must also serve five years of supervised release following their sentences. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence the meth was imported from Mexico and that the two men had been in contact with others regarding price and delivery. The court also considered information about their involvement in prior shootings and carrying loaded firearms during the drug transactions. In handing down the prison terms, Judge Hanen noted the extremely large amount of pure meth involved in the case.

At trial, the jury heard that Guiterrez and Ruiz had delivered five kilograms of meth to an undercover officer June 17, 2025. Authorities subsequently followed the men as they entered an apartment. Both men later exited the residence with Ruiz carrying a box which he placed in the backseat of a Toyota Tacoma. Guiterrez and Ruiz left in the vehicle, after which law enforcement conducted a traffic stop, and a K-9 alerted to the left passenger door.

Authorities discovered the box in the truck contained 10 gallon-sized bags filled with crystal meth. They also found two loaded 9mm pistols. One was near the ignition, while the other - with an extended magazine - was under the front passenger seat.

Testimony further revealed Gutierrez believed the bags contained meth and admitted he had additional quantities at his residence.

Authorities executed a search warrant and seized approximately 122 more gallon-sized bags of crystal meth from the residence, each weighing approximately one kilogram.

In total, they discovered approximately 137 bags totaling nearly 133 kilograms of actual meth with an estimated street value of over $200,000.

The defense cited lack of fingerprint evidence and attempted to convince the jury the men did not actually possess the drugs. They did not believe the claims and found Gutierrez and Ruiz guilty as charged.

Both 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 with the assistance of Harris County Precinct 3 Constable’s Office, police departments in Houston, Pasadena, Stafford and La Porte as well as Harris County Sherrif’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer B. Lowery and Eric Smith prosecuted the case.

McALLEN, Texas - Six South Texas men have been charged with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Authorities took Porfirio Palacios, 46, San Juan; Ricardo De La Rosa, 54, Pharr; Colin Alexander McLean, 21, McAllen; Antonio Basaldua Rocha, 23, Edinburg; Henry Martinez Lopez, 53, Rio Grande City; and Honduran national Anael Jossue Rodriguez-Rodas, 35, who illegally resided in Donna, into custody during enforcement actions this week.

McLean, Lopez and Rodriguez-Rodas are expected to make their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Juan F. Alanis at 9 a.m. De La Rosa and Rocha are expected to appear March 23. Palacios has already made his initial appearance and is set for a probable cause and detention hearing March 23 at 2 p.m.  

All are charged in separate, but related and similar criminal complaints that detail an undercover chat operation from March 17-19. The six men allegedly believed they were communicating with a 16-year-old minor female via various online social media applications. The charges allege the conversations discussed engaging in sexual activities.  

According to the complaints, the men enticed the “minor female” to meet up with them in order to have sex. The charges allege each man went to the arranged place at the discussed time and waited for the girl to arrive.

If convicted, all six face a mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance of Edinburg Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys M. Alexis Garcia, Sarina S. DiPiazza and Alexa D. Parcell are prosecuting the cases which were 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 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 43-year-old Richmond resident has admitted to theft of government funds, fraud, unlawful use or transfer of identity documents and aggravated identity theft in an extensive scam involving hundreds of fraudulent financial aid applications, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

For approximately five years, Emmanuel Finnih submitted over 100 false applications for financial aid to the Department of Education for numerous straw students across several colleges and universities in Texas. 

Finnih, who worked as a professor at a local university, used the personal identifiers of other individuals to prepare, submit and sign false and fraudulent financial aid applications and master promissory notes in their names. In furtherance of his scheme, Finnih utilized mailing addresses, telephone numbers and email accounts he controlled to ensure ED and colleges would send any communications directly to him. He then obtained the financial aid refunds via electronic transfer, check and prepaid debit cards sent either to mailing addresses or bank accounts he designated and controlled.

Finnih further admitted to the aggravated identity theft of two victims whose personal identifiers had been repeatedly used to apply for and obtain federal financial aid over the course of several years. He also acknowledged he was fraudulently in possession of false identity documents - temporary driver permits and identification cards - with the intent to unlawfully use or transfer those documents in furtherance of the fraud scheme.

Some victims had tens of thousands of dollars in loans in their name, and the fraudulent applications significantly impacted their credit. 

The scheme also caused at least $600,000 in losses to the United States.

“Finnih spent years stealing victims’ identities and defrauding the federal government—today, he stood in court and admitted exactly that,” said Marck. “In the Southern District of Texas, fraud against the American taxpayer is not a financial strategy—it is a path to federal prison.”

“Federal student aid exists so that individuals can make their dream of a higher education a reality. Ensuring that those who steal student aid are stopped and held accountable for their criminal actions is a big part of our mission,” said Special Agent in Charge John Woolley of ED - Office of Inspector General’s Central Regional Office. “I’m proud of the work of the Office of Inspector General and our law enforcement partners for their work in this case and we will continue to work together to stop those who steal Federal education funds. America’s students and taxpayers deserve nothing less.”

U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen will impose sentencing June 22. At that time, Finnih faces up to 10 years in federal prison for theft of government funds, while the student financial aid fraud and unlawful use or transfer identity documents each carries a possible five-year prison term. He will also be ordered to serve a mandatory two years for aggravated identity theft which must be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed. In addition, Finnih could be ordered to pay up to $250,000 in fines for each count and restitution.

Finnih was permitted to remain on bond pending his sentencing hearing.

ED – OIG conducted the investigation with assistance from Lone Star College Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shirin Hakimzadeh and Brad R. Gray prosecuted the case.

HOUSTON – The Southern District of Texas has filed 371 cases in immigration and related matters from March 13-19, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

A total of 22 people are charged with human smuggling crimes. Another 141 criminal complaints allege instances of illegal entry, while 204 people face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felonies such as narcotics, violent crime, immigration crimes and more. The remaining six cases involve firearms charges and other immigration crimes.

Two charged in recent days are Mexican nationals with felony criminal histories to include injury to a child or the elderly, or aggravated assault, according to the allegations. Ivis Anibal Olvera-Moreno and Carlos Alberto Chairez-Estala had allegedly been removed July 11 and July 19, 2025, according to their respective charges. However, law enforcement allegedly discovered them in the McAllen area without authorization to be in the United States.

Authorities found another foreign national from Mexico near Donna, despite also having been previously removed within the past year. The criminal complaint alleges Daniel Davalos-Ayala has multiple prior convictions for illegal reentry, possession with intent to distribute and unauthorized use of a vehicle.

Another case alleges Jorge Armando Pineda-Samaniego, Mexico, has a prior conviction for illegal reentry and was previously removed May 9, 2018. Authorities allegedly discovered him again near Edinburg.  

All four are charged with felony reentry after removal and face up to 20 years in federal prison, if convicted.

In addition to the new cases, Mexican national Fernando Ramirez-Noria was ordered to serve 84 months in federal prison for his illegal reentry conviction. The court considered his criminal history while unlawfully present in the United States, including convictions for domestic violence, driving while intoxicated and illegal reentry. Authorities first removed him in January 2015, but he repeatedly returned. Law enforcement found him again in the country following a 2023 DWI arrest.

In Houston, Jose Rosario Belmontes-Lira pleaded guilty and was sentenced for unlawful reentry into the United States. He has prior convictions for burglary, driving while intoxicated and illegal reentry. Law enforcement discovered him in January in Houston without authorization to be in the country. Also sentenced was Honduran national Alex Ramon Reyes. He has prior convictions for possession of a controlled substance, theft and human smuggling.

These cases were 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 all 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 nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.

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

HOUSTON – A 34-year-old Houston resident has been ordered to federal prison for illegal possession of a firearm, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Chase Langston Wiatt pleaded guilty Sept. 25, 2025.

U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal has now ordered Wiatt to serve 92 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard about Wiatt’s prior convictions and arrests involving the possession and use of a firearm. In handing down the sentence, the court noted his extensive criminal history and prior violence.

On Oct. 28, 2021, law enforcement responded to a call regarding an unconscious driver in a vehicle. They arrived and found Wiatt unresponsive in the driver’s seat with the vehicle in drive.

Authorities noted Wiatt had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. He admitted to consuming a cannabis edible prior to operating the vehicle.

A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of two pistols - one located between the driver’s seat and center console and the other on the passenger seat.

The investigation revealed Wiatt had prior felony convictions for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, escape and credit card abuse. As such, he 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 Houston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luis Batarse prosecuted the case. 

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 77-year-old resident has been ordered to federal prison following the discovery of homemade videos depicting the sexual assault of a child, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Rosendo Camarillo-Jimenez pleaded guilty Sept. 30, 2025.

U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. has now ordered Camarillo to serve 121 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Camarillo will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. Restitution will be determined at a later date.

In January 2024, authorities discovered Rosendo Camarillo-Jimemez had been sexually assaulting children for years.

The investigation led to the execution of a search warrant at his residence where law enforcement found homemade videos of Camarillo-Jimemez sexually assaulting a child. The videos were timestamped as created in 2003.

Camarillo 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,  Rio Grande Valley Child Exploitations Investigations Task Force conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ana C. Cano 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 federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment involving the Homietos outlaw motorcycle gang, a criminal enterprise that allegedly controlled territory throughout the Houston area.

All 17 alleged gang members and associates are charged with racketeering conspiracy. Several also face allegations of racketeering murder, attempted murder and assault; and/or firearms offenses.

Ralph Eugene Kellum aka REK, 42, Vidor, is set to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina A. Bryan at 10 a.m. March 19, while Romeo Jose Ferrer aka Primo, 36, Kingsville, is expected to appear in Corpus Christi at 9:45 a.m. Mark Anthony Magallan aka Loco, 51, Houston, will have a detention hearing at 2 p.m. before Judge Bryan March 19. The remaining individuals have already made appearances in federal court in Houston or are expected to in the near future. 

“The indictment alleges a pattern of violence, intimidation and murder to expand the reach of a criminal enterprise and settle scores on our streets and highways,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck. “That kind of lawlessness has no place in the Southern District of Texas. Anyone who attempts to turn our roadways into battlegrounds should expect an aggressive federal response, and today we delivered on that commitment.”

“It’s not every day you get to disrupt and dismantle a criminal motorcycle gang driven by violence and intimidation, but with this morning’s arrests of four more Homietos alleged members and associates and their superseding indictment, today is that day,” announced Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson, of the FBI Houston Field Office. “The charges are significant and are the long-awaited result of an extensive investigation fueled by the relentless pursuit for justice by our FBI Houston team and numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement partners. The Homietos outlaw motorcycle gang is no more.”

According to the charges, Homietos OMG was an organization engaged in crimes such as murder, robbery, narcotics distribution and witness intimidation. The gang allegedly formed in 2015 in the Houston area as an extension of the Tango Blast prison gang, then expanded beyond Houston and Texas. The group recruited members and associates, enforced rules, rewarded violence and used intimidation, threats and assaults to protect and enhance its power, territory, reputation and profits, according to the indictment. They also allegedly created a “Mexican Terror” patch to reward violence on behalf of the enterprise.

The superseding indictment, returned under seal March 11, also alleges overt acts in furtherance of the conspiracy including directives to engage in violence against rivals. Some of the allegations include a February 2020 shooting of a rival outlaw motorcycle gang member in Harris County, a September 2020 assault and robbery involving members of another motorcycle club at a Homietos anniversary party in Houston, an April 2022 shooting at suspected rivals along Interstate 45 near Madisonville and multiple April 14, 2023, shootings that allegedly resulted in the deaths of three rival gang members.

Ferrer, Magallan and Kellum along with Joe Frank Barrera aka LJ, 37, Houston, and Bryce Clay Hazleton Cook aka Cowboy, 28, Angleton, are all charged with engaging in a pattern of racketeering activity that included violent retaliation against members of rival gangs.

Ferrer, Magallan and Kellum also allegedly committed racketeering murder. In that instance on April 14, 2023, Homietos members traveling in a convoy on an interstate highway encountered members of the rival Bandidos motorcycle gang, according to the charges. Magallan allegedly shot and killed a Bandido member. The charges further allege that shortly thereafter, Ferrer and Kellum shot and killed two other Bandidos and wounded a third.

Others also charged in relation to the overall conspiracy with various offenses to include racketeering attempted murder, racketeering assault and/or using a firearm during violent crimes are Raymond William Burnett aka Ray Ray, 38, Alvin; Morgan Shane Cooper aka Coop, 51, William Espinoza, 49, Mario Humberto Gomez aka Gator, 52, Edgar Mauricio Hinojosa aka Charro Bean, 40, Ricardo Quinones aka Scooter, 40, and Moises Soriano aka Oso, 42, all of Houston; Rudolph Christopher Lopez aka Yao, 40, Fort Worth; Jesse James Mulrein aka Fort Worth G, 38, Dallas; Joe Rios aka Jo Daddy, 50, Baytown; Mahir Alihodzic aka Geno, 40, Kansas City, Kansas; and Christopher Daniel Holt aka Butt Head, 32, Harrah, Oklahoma.

If convicted of the racketeering conspiracy, each faces up to life imprisonment. The murder in aid of racketeering charges are punishable by a mandatory sentence of life in prison with the possibility of death. Those charged with assault in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to assault in aid of racketeering and attempted murder in aid of racketeering could receive up to 20, three and 10 years, respectively, upon conviction. The other related firearms and other offenses carry penalties ranging from 10 years to life in federal prison. Each count also carries a potential fine of up to $250,000.

FBI – Houston led the investigation along with Texas Department of Public Safety - Criminal Investigative Division, Texas Rangers and Highway Patrol, and Texas Board of Criminal Justice – Office of Inspector General with assistance of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; sheriff’s offices in Montgomery, Harris and Leon counties; police departments in Huntsville, Madisonville, Fort Worth, Houston and Shenandoah, as well as Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; U.S. Marshals Service; and district attorney’s offices in Walker, Madison and Montgomery counties. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Keri L. Fuller and Byron H. Black are prosecuting the case along with Trial Attorney Ben Tonkin of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.

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 44-year-old man who illegally resided in Houston has been ordered to federal prison for unlawfully reentering the country for the fifth time, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Fernando Ramirez-Noria pleaded guilty Aug. 12, 2025.

U.S. District Judge Charles R. Eskridge has now ordered Ramirez-Noria to serve 84 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence about his criminal history while illegally present in the country.

Ramirez-Noria has previous convictions for domestic violence, driving while intoxicated and illegal reentry.

Law enforcement first removed Ramirez-Noria in January 2015, and he repeatedly returned. He was last removed in June 2020, but authorities discovered he was again unlawfully in the United States following his DWI arrest in 2023.

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 - Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luis Batarse 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.

McALLEN, Texas – A 36-year-old South Texas resident has been sent to prison after sexting with a young girl and sending child pornography involving minors as young as newborns, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Jaime Christian Flores pleaded guilty June 2, 2025.

U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now imposed a 216-month federal prison term. At the hearing, the court heard from a victim via letter explaining how she feels scarred and traumatized and wanted the judge to make sure Flores doesn’t hurt anyone else. Flores was further ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to each of 28 victims and will serve five 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. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

In April 2024, authorities discovered Flores was part of an online group dedicated to sharing child sexual abuse material. He shared 30 images and one video of CSAM while in the chat room.

Flores later admitted to using his cellphone to download and distribute CSAM. He also stated he had been communicating with a 17-year-old minor for the past year and regularly sent CSAM and sexted with her. The investigation revealed Flores sent approximately 292 videos depicting minors ranging from newborn to 13 years of age engaged in sexual conduct or depicting their genital areas.

A forensic examination of Flores’s cellphone revealed a total of 7,647 images and 4,019 videos of CSAM.

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

Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Alexis Garcia 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. 

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 45-year-old Falfurrias resident has pleaded guilty to conducting multiple narcotics transactions in the Corpus Christi area, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

The investigation into Rodolfo Alvarado began in March 2025. Authorities were able to extract numerous text messages and financial transactions that indicated widespread drug trafficking. In the following months, law enforcement conducted controlled buys from Alvarado and other co-conspirators.

On Aug. 8, 2025, authorities executed a search warrant at Alvarado’s residence and located items commonly used in narcotics distribution, including digital scales and plastic baggies. They also discovered a wooden board covering a hole in the ground beneath a shaded structure. Inside the hole, they located a plastic bag containing approximately 303.73 grams of meth.

U.S. District Judge David S. Morales will impose sentencing June 18. At that time, Alvarado faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Lamont and Ashley Pruitt are prosecuting the case. 

HOUSTON – A 49-year-old Houston resident is now facing federal charges for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Johna Robinson has now been taken into federal custody.

He is set to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina A. Bryan March 16.  

According to allegations in the criminal complaint filed under seal Feb. 27 and unsealed upon the arrest of Robinson, authorities were conducting a murder investigation Feb. 24 at a Houston apartment complex where a victim was found shot to death. Per the criminal complaint, a vehicle linked to Robinson had been used in the shooting.

Law enforcement located Robinson at a nearby residence and observed him entering and exiting the location several times before departing in a different vehicle, according to the complaint. Court documents show authorities conducted a stop after Robinson committed a traffic violation. At that time, they allegedly discovered a loaded Taurus .38-caliber revolver in his waistband.

The criminal complaint further alleges Robinson has prior federal convictions for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances in the Northern District of Florida and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine in the Southern District of Texas. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition per federal law, according to court documents.

The investigation also revealed law enforcement had allegedly encountered Robinson during a traffic stop in July 2025. Robinson fled the scene, but authorities soon took him into custody, according to the charging document. A search of his vehicle allegedly yielded a plastic bag in the rear passenger floorboard area containing 972.8 grams of methamphetamine.

The criminal complaint states that the drugs were intended to be used to press pills, a method commonly associated with the manufacture of counterfeit pharmaceuticals. Authorities also allegedly discovered communications involving Robinson related to drug trafficking.

If convicted, Robinson faces up to life in federal prison if convicted of the drug offense with a mandatory minimum of 25 years and a possible $20 million maximum fine. He could also receive up to 15 years and a possible $250,000 maximum fine on the firearm charge.

The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of Houston Police Department; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron H. Black is prosecuting the case.

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

HOUSTON – A 43-year-old Conroe man has been sentenced to federal prison for his role in operating a fentanyl-laced pill distribution network, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Johnny Quoc Tran pleaded guilty Oct. 19, 2023.

Senior U.S. District Judge Sim Lake has now ordered Tran to serve 300 months in federal prison, to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence detailing Tran’s leadership role in a drug trafficking organization responsible for manufacturing and distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine-laced pills. Tran distributed the narcotics through members of the organization, including Devon Williams who acted as a courier.

In imposing the sentence, Judge Lake determined Tran led a large, well-organized drug trafficking organization and was involved at every level of the operation. The court also noted Tran distributed thousands of fentanyl pills and emphasized fentanyl is a deadly poison.  

The investigation began in March 2019 when authorities identified a Houston-based drug trafficking organization with additional operations in Dallas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. Authorities determined Tran led the organization and operated a pill press laboratory out of an auto repair shop.

His wife, Amber Logston, assisted him by maintaining drug ledgers and concealing drug trafficking proceeds through financial transactions.

On Nov. 21, 2019, authorities executed a search warrant at Tran’s residence and auto shop. They seized approximately 180 kilograms of fentanyl-laced pills and fentanyl powder, more than 90 kilograms of methamphetamine laced pills, four pill press machines and other equipment used to manufacture and distribute narcotics.

Williams, 46, Houston, and Logston, 44, Conroe, also pleaded guilty for their roles in the case and have now been sentenced to federal prison.

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

The Texas Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigations Division, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, Houston Police Department, IRS Criminal Investigation and Harris County Constable’s Office Precinct 4 conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jimmy Leo prosecuted the case.

This investigation and 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 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 Houston comprises agents and officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security investigations; DEA; 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 the Naval Criminal Investigative Service with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas leading the prosecution.

HOUSTON – A total of 459 cases have been filed in immigration and related matters from March 6-12, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

The Southern District filed 193 criminal complaints for illegal entry, while another 235 people face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felony convictions, including narcotics offenses, violent crimes, and immigration-related offenses. The cases also include charges against 26 people allegedly involved in human smuggling. The remaining seven cases filed this week involve other immigration crimes.

Among the new cases are three men from distinct countries, all charged with felony reentry after removal.

Authorities allegedly found El Salvadoran national Josue Alberto Villalobos-Bonilla and Honduran national Brayan Arman Hernandez-Mendez near La Grulla without legal authorization to be in the United States. According to the criminal complaints, both had previously been removed July 25 and July 26, 2025, respectively. Villalobos-Bonilla has a prior conviction for sexual solicitation of a minor, while Hernandez-Mendez has prior convictions for illegal reentry and evading arrest.

Law enforcement also allegedly discovered Mexican national Juan Barrientos-Soto near San Juan after he had been removed Dec. 24, 2025. Court records reflect prior convictions for illegal reentry, theft of property and assault.

Another defendant charged in a separate case is Mexican national Jordan Velasco-Martinez. The criminal complaint alleges he attempted to unlawfully reenter the United States within two months of his most recent removal. According to the complaint, authorities removed him Feb. 1. The charges also allege Velasco-Martinez has prior convictions for felony driving while intoxicated and illegal reentry. Law enforcement allegedly discovered him near Roma without legal authorization to be in the United States.

All face up to 20 years in prison, if convicted.

In addition to the new cases, in Corpus Christi the ringleader of a human smuggling organization received a 36-month federal prison sentence. From October 2024 to May 2025, Hugo Jimenez Jr. oversaw numerous alien smuggling operations throughout South Texas. He conspired with others to transport illegal aliens further into the United States and recruited local drivers to conceal them in vehicle cargo areas areas to circumvent Border Patrol checkpoints. Jimenez also scouted checkpoints in advance and coordinated rendezvous points north of inspection sites. At times, he personally transported the illegal aliens to San Antonio and Houston.

Several others also received federal prison sentences in Houston for illegal reentry, including Mexican nationals Edgar Jaramillo-Escobar, Jose Guadalupe Mendoza-Cabrera and Faustino Rosales-Hernandez. Each has prior felony convictions including illegal reentry, driving under the influence of alcohol, family violence assault and assault causing bodily injury.

Mexican national Jose Mario Cervantes-Luna was also ordered to federal prison for illegally reentering the country. He has prior convictions for illegal reentry, driving while intoxicated and sexual assault of a minor. Authorities previously removed him in 2004, 2011 and three times in 2012.  

In another case, Sergio Benavides-Melgar pleaded guilty to illegal reentry after law enforcement discovered him illegally present in the United States after being removed. According to court records, he has prior convictions for illegal reentry as well as aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child. 

These cases were 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 nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.

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

HOUSTON – A 42-year-old Mexican national has been ordered to federal prison for illegally reentering the United States again, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Jose Mario Cervantes-Luna pleaded guilty Dec. 10, 2025.

U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett has now ordered Cervantes-Luna to serve 24 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. In imposing the sentence, the court noted Cervantes-Luna's repeated removals, significant criminal history, and the danger he posed to the community given his previous sexual offense conviction.

Cervantes-Luna has prior convictions for illegal reentry and sexual assault of a minor under 14 years of age.

Authorities previously removed him from the United States in 2004, 2011 and three times in 2012. On Dec. 17, 2020, law enforcement discovered him once again in the United States with no authorization to be in the country.  

Cervantes-Luna 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 Amanda Alum and Benjamin 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.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 21-year-old Weslaco man has been ordered to prison for his role in conspiring to smuggle illegal aliens, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Hugo Jimenez Jr. pleaded guilty Nov. 13, 2025.

U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now ordered Jimenez to serve 36 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that Jimenez attempted to mislead law enforcement about a failed smuggling attempt that resulted in the seizure of his vehicle. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Jimenez’s leadership role and the significant number of illegal aliens he transported.

From October 2024 to May 2025, Jimenez oversaw numerous alien smuggling events throughout South Texas and conspired with others to transport illegal aliens further into the United States.

Jimenez recruited local drivers to drive the illegal aliens through Border Patrol checkpoints by concealing them in the cargo areas of their vehicles. He often scouted the checkpoints in advance and coordinated rendezvous points north of the inspection sites.

At times, Jimenez personally transported the aliens to San Antonio or Houston.

Previously released on bond, Jimenez was taken into custody where he will remain pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Border Patrol’s Intelligence Unit and the Kingsville Abatement Team conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Rio Grande Valley Sector Targeting and Intelligence Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Lamont 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 – An 18-year-old Houston man is now facing federal carjacking and firearms charges following a fatal shooting in the Heights area and subsequent vehicle and foot pursuit, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Darius Dewayne Hall is in custody on related state charges and is expected to make his appearance in federal court in the near future.

The federal criminal complaint alleges Hall shot the victim on the evening of March 6, stole the vehicle she was driving, changed his clothes to avoid identification, and engaged in a vehicle and foot pursuit before his arrest.   

According to the allegations, the victim had dropped off a friend at an apartment complex in the Heights area of Houston after, spending the day at MD Anderson Cancer Center. She then parked the vehicle - a 2019 Toyota Highlander - on the street and began walking back toward the residence.

Shortly thereafter, the charges allege witnesses heard a female scream, followed by a loud popping sound. Hall was allegedly seen going through the victim’s purse near the area before driving off in the Toyota Highlander. According to the allegations, the victim had suffered a single gunshot wound to the neck. Authorities took her to Memorial Hermann Hospital where medical personnel pronounced her deceased shortly after midnight.

Law enforcement was able to locate the stolen Toyota Highlander and attempted a traffic stop, but it fled, according to the complaint. A short pursuit resulted in a crash, at which time Hall ran from the driver’s side and attempted to evade capture on foot, according to the charges.

Hall was allegedly wearing the same clothing observed at the shooting scene. However, during the ensuing foot chase, law enforcement recovered clothing Hall had allegedly discarded as he fled before they took him into custody.

The federal carjacking charge carries up to a life sentence or the possibility of death. He also faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life if convicted of the related firearms offense. Both convictions could also result in a $250,000 maximum possible fine.  

FBI-Houston Field Office conducted the investigation with the assistance of Houston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron H. Black is prosecuting the case.

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

A Texas man was sentenced Friday to 90 months in prison for his role in a $59.9 million conspiracy to pay kickbacks and submit claims for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME) to Medicare.

According to court documents, Patrick Cassells, 65, of Fulshear, Texas, owned and operated three DME companies and concealed his role in one of those companies by falsely identifying another individual as the sole owner and manager in a Medicare enrollment application. Cassells paid illegal kickbacks to co-conspirators who sent him signed doctors’ orders and other paperwork necessary to bill Medicare for orthotic braces such as knee, back, shoulder and wrist braces. The kickbacks were disguised by referring to the doctors’ orders as “leads” and the services provided as “marketing.” Based on these orders, which were issued without doctors examining or treating the patients, Cassells submitted claims to Medicare that falsely represented that the braces were medically necessary. In total, through the three companies, Cassells caused over $59.9 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, for which Medicare paid over $27 million. Cassells used proceeds of the fraud to purchase personal vehicles and vehicles that he intended to export to Nigeria.

In June 2024, Cassells pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Texas to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

In addition to the prison sentence, Cassells was ordered to pay $25,402,614.97 in restitution and forfeiture, and to forfeit four vehicles and three properties in the Houston area.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas; Special Agent in Charge Jason Meadows of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Dallas Region; Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams of the FBI’s Houston Field Office; and Chief William Marlow of the Texas Attorney General’s Office, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit made the announcement.

HHS-OIG, FBI, and the Texas Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case.

Acting Assistant Chief Catherine Wagner and Trial Attorney Adam Tisdall of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristine Rollinson for the Southern District of Texas prosecuted the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of eight 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. 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.

LAREDO, Texas – A 24-year-old Mexican national has been sentenced for his role in bringing illegal aliens into the United States resulting in death, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Alejandro Hernandez-Alcudia pleaded guilty Nov. 24, 2025.

U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana has now ordered Hernandez-Alcudia to serve 70 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Hernandez-Alcudia made the deliberate decision to leave the victim behind, resulting in his death.  

The investigation revealed Hernandez-Alcudia had been involved in human smuggling for at least three months as a guide.

On Aug. 1, 2025, authorities apprehended four illegal aliens walking through the brush near El Cenizo. Hernandez-Alcudia had assisted them in crossing the Rio Grande by raft earlier that day and then continued guiding them through the brush.

According to the aliens, the group ran out of water approximately five hours earlier. When one-member became ill, Hernandez-Alcudia instructed him to sit and rest but continued leading the others, abandoning him in the brush.

When law enforcement approached, Hernandez-Alcudia ordered the group to flee and ran in the opposite direction to avoid apprehension.

Authorities later located the deceased man, who was identified as a 37-year-old Mexican national that had died as a result of heat stroke. Records show temperatures ranged from 93 to 106 degrees during the time the group traveled through the brush.

Hernandez-Alcudia admitted taking orders from an individual linked to Cartel del Noreste. He further acknowledged being paid to smuggle illegal aliens across the Rio Grande and guide them through the brush.

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

Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations

and Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer L. Day prosecuted the case.

This arrest is 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 ICE-HSI; 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 the Naval Criminal Investigative Service with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas leading the prosecution.

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 that cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations commit. A highly successful partnership between the departments of Justice and 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 Human Rights and Special Prosecutions 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 U.S. Attorney detailees from the Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas; Southern District of California; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and Districts of Arizona, New Mexico and 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 440 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 390 U.S. convictions; more than 330 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets. 

HOUSTON – U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei has announced he will resign as chief law enforcement officer for the Southern District of Texas effective upon his appointment to the federal bench.

“The American people provided our office with a mandate to secure the border, annihilate the drug trade, and crack down on violent crime in their communities—and every day the men and women of SDTX work tirelessly to deliver on that commitment. In the past year we’ve accomplished more than we ever thought possible, but there’s still no time to rest,” said Ganjei. “Ensuring that the Southern District of Texas is a safe place to live, work, and raise a family is more than just a job, it’s a promise we’ve made to our fellow citizens. In meeting this challenge, I could not have asked for greater colleagues, greater law enforcement partners, or greater support from our Southern District communities. Although I will now be hanging up my spurs as an advocate, I look forward to serving the American people in a new capacity.”

Ganjei was responsible for prosecuting and defending the interests of the United States in one of the largest districts in the country, with the Southern District of Texas stretching across 43 counties, covering 44,000 square miles, and having over nine million residents. Ganjei oversaw nearly 400 employees, including over 200 Assistant U.S. Attorneys, spread across the district’s seven offices.

Since Ganjei’s appointment in January 2025, the Southern District of Texas has prioritized border security and immigration enforcement, the aggressive prosecution of violent crime, and the dismantling of transnational criminal organizations, particularly narcoterrorists. 

During his tenure, SDTX prided itself on being both aggressive and nimble, filing over 10,000 indictments and nearly 18,000 criminal complaints, while maintaining a 96 percent conviction rate. To date in fiscal year 2026, SDTX is projected to file more cases than any other district nationwide.   

In 2025, SDTX delivered a record number of southern border-related enforcement actions, with over 14,000 individuals charged in cases related to immigration and smuggling, assaults on officers, firearms offenses, violent crimes, narcotics trafficking, and other matters. To date in 2026, over 2000 additional persons have already been charged in similar actions. The number of illegal crossings and encounters have plummeted to their lowest level in more than half a century. 

The Southern District of Texas’s Civil Division also played a major role in the office’s efforts to secure the border, working to obtain parcels of land and easements to facilitate border wall construction, as well as handling over 1300 habeas corpus petitions brought by illegal aliens seeking immediate release from custody.

On the criminal side of border security, the Southern District secured the extradition of three Guatemalan nationals on charges arising from a fatal human smuggling event in Chiapas, Mexico in 2021. This event, in which a tractor-trailer, packed with at least 160 people, crashed, resulted in the death of more than 50 people, including unaccompanied children, and injured over 100 more. The smugglers, now in federal court in Laredo, face a potential life sentence.

Under Ganjei, the Southern District of Texas has been a national leader in the prosecution of narcoterrorist gangs and cartels.  In December of 2025, SDTX charged four alleged members of Tren de Aragua (“TdA”) with material support of a terrorist organization and cocaine distribution. Two of the men charged—Yohan Jose Romero and Juan Gabriel Rivas Nunez—are believed to be two of the top three leaders of TdA. In Galveston, eight high-level Mara Salvatrucha (“MS-13”) gang members pleaded guilty to racketeering activity, including murder, extortion, and drug trafficking, and are now facing prison terms of 35-50 years. In Operation Liquid Death, the Southern District of Texas indicted a father and son on charges of conspiring to materially support a Mexican cartel and money laundering based on the duo’s alleged illegal importation of tens of millions of dollars of stolen oil.

The Southern District has also been tireless in its pursuit of U.S.-based criminal organizations and has adopted a more aggressive posture toward the use of federal racketeering (RICO) charges, which carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. In Houston, SDTX brought racketeering, murder, firearms, and drug trafficking charges against 20 suspected members and associates of the “Free Money” gang, a group accused of committing numerous high-profile violent crimes, including a brazen June 2022 daytime shootout in a shopping center parking lot. Also in 2025, the Southern District of Texas indicted 14 members of the Katy-based “Welcome to Hell” chapter of the Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang on 22 counts of racketeering, assault, and murder stemming from, in part, a violent turf war with a rival motorcycle gang.

Under Ganjei’s leadership, SDTX also launched several innovative, “first of its kind” initiatives to address to address longstanding and persistent criminal threats. One such program was Operation Lighthouse, an effort to combat sexual assault of rideshare passengers. The initiative leverages federal resources and sentencing laws to secure more meaningful penalties against perpetrators, bring justice to victims, and ultimately promote a greater sense of safety within the ridesharing community.

Another initiative, Operation Pick-Off, targets criminal illegal aliens who are currently serving terms of probation following convictions for state crimes, such as murder, drug offenses, human smuggling, fraud, burglary, assault, and other crimes. The multiagency effort, launched in August 2025 in the Rio Grande Valley, will remain an ongoing enforcement priority for the Southern District.

In one quality-of-life initiative, Operation Double Down, the Southern District targeted and shut down 30 illegal gaming rooms in greater Houston, which operated openly and attracted drug dealing, prostitution and other blight. The operation, believed to be one of the largest in the Southern District’s history, resulted in the indictment of 16 defendants and the seizure of over $16 million in currency, accounts, and assets.

During Ganjei’s tenure, the Southern District of Texas also took a more aggressive approach to the threat posed by Chinese-backed espionage against the United States. The Southern District indicted Xu Zewei, an alleged China state-sponsored hacker, for his suspected involvement in U.S. computer intrusions, including that of U.S.-based universities and researchers conducting COVID-19 vaccine, treatment, and testing research.  Zewei was later arrested in Italy at the United States’ request. More recently, in Operation Gatekeeper, SDTX indicted three individuals for their alleged role in the illegal smuggling of $160 million of critical AI technology destined for the PRC.

Finally, the Southern District collected a total of $148,149,674.47 in combined criminal, civil, and asset forfeiture actions in calendar year 2025. Across all criminal matters, SDTX collected $21,572,847.34 in restitution for crime victims and recovered an additional $85,932,764.13 through civil enforcement actions for the American taxpayer. Working with partner agencies and divisions, the Southern District also collected $40,644,063 through asset forfeiture. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice’s Asset Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.

Then-Acting Attorney General James McHenry named Ganjei as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Jan. 29, 2025. Ganjei later received the unanimous vote of the district judges in May 2025, re-appointing him to continue his service to the district. 

Ganjei is a longtime federal prosecutor who previously served as Acting U.S. Attorney and First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas.

Ganjei joined the Department of Justice in 2008 as an Assistant U.S. Attorney on the U.S.–Mexico border. As an AUSA, Ganjei prosecuted organized crime, immigration, narcotics, and human trafficking cases, as well as fraud, public corruption and white collar matters.

Before joining the Department, Ganjei clerked for the Honorable Richard Allen Griffin of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and for then-U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Erickson, who has since been elevated to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ganjei has also taught on the subjects of civil, criminal, and constitutional law at both the collegiate and law school levels.

Immediately prior to his service with the Southern District of Texas, Ganjei was Chief Counsel to U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, where he oversaw all legal matters related to criminal justice, border security, judicial nominations, antitrust, intellectual property, and religious liberty.

On Nov. 12, 2025, President Trump nominated Ganjei to serve as a United States district court judge for the Southern District of Texas. The United States Senate confirmed Ganjei on Feb. 3, 2026. Ganjei is now set to begin his tenure as a judge in the Houston Division of the Southern District.

Ganjei was the first Persian-American to ever serve as a United States Attorney anywhere in the country, and, upon appointment to the federal bench, will become the first-ever Persian-American federal Article III judge.

Upon Ganjei’s departure, management responsibilities will be handed off to John G.E. Marck, who presently serves as the office’s First Assistant U.S. Attorney. 

HOUSTON – A total of 395 cases have been filed against 396 people in immigration and related matters from Feb. 27-March 5 in continuing enforcement actions to protect the southern border, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Criminal complaints allege 23 people were involved in human smuggling crimes. Another 165 individuals have allegedly entered the country illegally, while 206 face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have previous convictions for narcotics, violent crime, immigration offenses and more. The remaining cases relate to other immigration crimes.  

Some of those charged with felony reentry this week include two men who have prior convictions for assault with a deadly weapon and were just removed within the last several months, according to their criminal complaints. Authorities allegedly found Cuban national Onnis Alvarez Rubio near Penitas and El Salvadorian national Eduardo Neftali Rodriguez-Cubas near Havana with no authorization to be in the United States.  

Four others also charged with felony reentry after prior removal include Mexican nationals Francisco Gonzalez-Angeles, Jesus Lerma-Villarreal, Oswaldo Odinez-Garcia, and Mario Alberto Munoz-Garcia. The complaints allege they have previous convictions such as illegal reentry, transporting/harboring aliens, evading arrest, or driving while intoxicated (third or more). Law enforcement discovered them all in the McAllen and surrounding areas, according to their charges.

All face up to 20 years in prison, if convicted.

In addition to the new cases, “Operation Pick-Off” has now expanded to the Houston area. The SDTX initiative that began in the Rio Grande Valley in August 2025 has now resulted in federal charges in all divisions against illegal alien offenders who were serving terms of probation or supervision for other state crimes while unlawfully residing in the United States.  

“Our office created Operation Pick-Off based upon an extremely simple concept—that a state probation sentence should not be a sanctuary from federal immigration laws. Take note, the Southern District of Texas is not a safe harbor for those who enter the United States illegally and commit crimes against our citizens,” said Ganjei. “Now, these offenders, who so brazenly flouted our laws, have earned themselves a jail stay before their one-way flight home. My office promised to bring this targeted operation to every corner of the district. Promise kept.”

Also announced this week was the sentencing of MS-13 gang member Ronald Alberto Rivas-Aguilar. He must now serve 23 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States. In 2016, Rivas and another MS-13 member conspired to murder a rival gang member in Fort Bend County. Rivas transported the victim to Buffalo Run Park and tied the victim’s ankles with shoelaces before a coconspirator beat the victim to death with a machete. Authorities later removed Rivas to El Salvador; however, he illegally returned to the United States.

Two other illegal alien felons were also ordered to federal prison for unlawfully reentering into the country. Honduran nationals Angel Arquimedez Coto-Martinez and Kevin Alexander Bueso-Medina received 38 months and 24 months, respectively. Both have multiple prior convictions for illegal reentry. Bueso-Medina was also previously convicted of importation and possession with intent to distribute marijuana, manufacture/delivery of cocaine and driving while intoxicated.

These cases were 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 nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.

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

HOUSTON – Several people who unlawfully resided in the greater Houston area are now in custody for illegal reentry into the United States after removal, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. 

Those arrested during recent enforcement actions include Guatemalan nationals Karen Paola Cabeza-Magana aka Karen Hernandez, 29, and Julio Gonzalez-Portillo, 54; Mexican nationals David Rodriguez Solis, 52, and Jose Garcia Zamora, 39; along with Salvadoran national Jose Mario Alvarado aka Julio Mario Alvarado, 57. They remain in custody pending further criminal proceedings.

Those charged include foreign nationals from the countries of Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala. All allegedly have convictions for various state crimes, such as assault and aggravated assault of a family member, driving under the influence, and narcotics offenses, among others. They were all allegedly on probation or serving a term of supervision and were at least once already removed from the United States.

“Our office created Operation Pick-Off based upon an extremely simple concept—that a state probation sentence should not be a sanctuary from federal immigration laws. Take note, the Southern District of Texas is not a safe harbor for those who enter the United States illegally and commit crimes against our citizens,” said Ganjei. “Now, these offenders, who so brazenly flouted our laws, have earned themselves a jail stay before their one-way flight home. My office promised to bring this targeted operation to every corner of the district. Promise kept.”

“FBI Houston is levering its intelligence and investigative resources to locate and apprehend individuals who have allegedly committed various crimes and are residing unlawfully in the greater Houston area. All these individuals were previously convicted, deported, and re-entered the United States illegally,” said FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson. “Through Operation Pick-Off, FBI Houston is partnering with the Department of Homeland Security and federal prosecutors to remove these alleged offenders from our Texas communities.”

“Each of the criminal illegal aliens targeted under this operation have allegedly entered the U.S. at least once, if not multiple times unlawfully, and have gone on to commit criminal offenses in our local communities,” said Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston acting Field Office Director Gabriel Martinez. “By working together with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to expand a commonsense operation like this to the Houston area, we can bring an end to this lawlessness and ensure these alleged criminal aliens are held accountable for their actions.”

“Houston’s close proximity to the Southern border has made it a magnet for dangerous criminal illegal aliens who have illegally reentered the United States multiple times and endanger public safety,” said ICE - Homeland Security Investigations acting Special Agent in Charge Erin Burke. “By expanding this operation to the area and bringing together the resources and expertise of HSI, FBI, and ERO, we will be better postured to protect the local community from harm and hold these criminal illegal aliens accountable for brazenly flouting our nation’s system of laws.”

Operation Pick-Off began in August 2025 in the Rio Grande Valley as a multi-agency immigration and violent crime enforcement effort targeting criminal illegal aliens on state probation or supervision. The initiative has since expanded to additional regions within the Southern District of Texas which now includes Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties. While enforcement efforts in the region remain in their early stages, Operation Pick-Off will operate on a continuous basis, with authorities engaging in rolling arrests and prosecutions.

Various assistant U.S. attorneys from the Houston Division are prosecuting the cases.

ICE-ERO and FBI-Houston Field Office conducted the Houston area investigations and arrests with ICE-HSI in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The collaborative effort 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.

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

A Russian national made his initial appearance in Houston, Texas, today on a charge that he laundered over $1.2 million derived from a health care fraud scheme that targeted Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs) that administer Medicare Part C.

According to court documents, Nikolai Buzolin, 38, formerly of Houston, Texas, and originally of Tyumen, Russia, established Verisola, Inc. in Houston and registered it as a durable medical equipment (DME) company in July 2025. Over the course of just nine days from July through August 2025, Buzolin allegedly opened six different bank accounts in the name of Verisola at six different financial institutions. He opened an additional two bank accounts at two other financial institutions in September and October 2025. To disguise the true ownership and control of Verisola, Buzolin allegedly submitted false documentation to these financial institutions listing himself as the sole owner, member or president, when in fact he did not have beneficial ownership or control of Verisola.

From August 2025 through January 2026, Verisola allegedly submitted over $400 million in false and fraudulent claims to MAOs for DME, including orthotic braces and glucose monitors that were never actually provided to patients. Based on these fraudulent claims, the MAOs collectively reimbursed Verisola at least $1.7 million, which was deposited into the various Verisola bank accounts that Buzolin opened. Buzolin then allegedly moved these fraud proceeds between bank accounts for no legitimate business purpose. Buzolin and his co-conspirators wired at least $1.2 million of fraud proceeds to overseas entities and bank accounts.

According to the indictment, after Verisola wound down its fraudulent billing scheme, Buzolin traveled from Houston, Texas, to Los Angeles, California, where he purchased a same-day airline ticket for a one-way flight to Moscow, Russia. The FBI arrested Buzolin before he boarded the flight, and he remains detained pending trial.

Buzolin is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering by concealing and disguising the true nature, location, source and ownership of the fraud proceeds and by engaging in financial transactions greater than $10,000 knowing that they involved the proceeds of unlawful activity. If convicted, he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas; Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason M. Hudson of the FBI’s Houston Field Office; Chief William Marlowe of the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit; and Commissioner Amanda Crawford of the Texas Department of Insurance made the announcement.

HHS-OIG, FBI, the Texas Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Texas Department of Insurance are investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Andrew Tamayo and Emily Reeder-Ricchetti of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of eight 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. 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.

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

LAREDO, Texas – A 40-year-old Mexican national has been sentenced for the transportation of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Raul Velasco-Leon pleaded guilty June 16, 2025.

U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now sentenced Velasco-Leon to 115 months. He must also 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. Velasco-Leon will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

On March 12, 2025, Velasco-Leon attempted to cross the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge in Laredo to enter Mexico. After Velasco-Leon was referred to secondary inspection, agents found what appeared to be a piece of youth-sized clothing with the words “Girl Power” tucked inside a jean pocket. Law enforcement also discovered multiple electronic devices, including 10 USB flash drives, two cell phones, and a laptop. On one of the devices, agents discovered six files containing child sexual abuse material of minor victims of approximately 10 years of age. One of the videos containing CSAM also included Velasco-Leon on a split screen.

Velasco-Leon admitted he had been engaged in a video chat and would screen record the CSAM he viewed. A forensic analysis of the other devices uncovered an additional twenty-three images and twenty-one videos containing CSAM.

Velasco-Leon 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 the assistance of Customs and Border Protection.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine A. Cortez 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 45-year-old foreign national has been ordered to federal prison for his role in selling tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of counterfeit oncology pharmaceuticals into the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Sanjay Kumar pleaded guilty Oct. 30, 2025, to conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods.

U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal has now ordered Kumar to serve 43 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by a one-year term of supervised release. In imposing the sentence, the court noted the cruel nature of Kumar’s conduct, commenting that he had intentionally marketed a drug that was intended for people who thought they were extending their lives, and instead, they received “junk.” Judge Rosenthal further ordered him to pay a $58,823 money judgment. 

“When a patient takes a drug to treat a medical condition, they expect it to be legitimate, effective, and safe. When victims are instead sold worthless counterfeit medicine, it undermines not only their own health outcomes, but also public confidence in the American medical system as a whole,” said Ganjei. “The conduct in this case was particularly depraved because Kumar was selling false hope to those battling cancer, knowing full well his fugazi drugs would do nothing to help against this life-threatening disease. The Southern District of Texas will find and punish any person who, like Sanjay Kumar, attempts to make a quick buck by endangering patients’ lives.”

From August 2018 to June 2024, Kumar and others arranged the sale of counterfeit versions of the cancer drug Keytruda valued at tens of thousands of dollars.

Keytruda is an FDA-approved immunotherapy used to treat melanoma and Hodgkin lymphoma as well as lung, head, neck, gastric, cervical and breast cancers. Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, formerly Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., holds the exclusive right to authorize the manufacture and distribution of genuine Keytruda.

The counterfeit medication was chemically inconsistent with real Keytruda and did not contain the active ingredient necessary for the drug to serve its medical purpose, thereby making it wholly ineffective. The packaging was also counterfeit and closely resembled trademarks registered to Merck.

During an undercover operation, Kumar attempted to sell additional quantities of counterfeit Keytruda. He admitted he knew the drugs would not work to treat cancer and described them as “just like water.”

Kumar and others received approximately $89,268 for the sales of the fake drug.

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

ICE-HSI conducted the investigation with assistance from FDA.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman prosecuted the case along with Trial Attorneys Ethan Cantor, Bryce Rosenbower and Jeff Pearlman of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. 

Indian national Sanjay Kumar, 45, was sentenced today to 43 months in prison and one year of supervised release for conspiring to sell tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of counterfeit oncology pharmaceuticals into the United States. Kumar pleaded guilty last year to one count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods.

According to court documents, between approximately August 2018 and June 2024, Sanjay Kumar, with the aid of co-conspirators, arranged for the sale of counterfeit versions of the prescription drug, Keytruda, used to treat cancer to undercover law enforcement agents. Keytruda is a cancer immunotherapy treatment that is approved in the United States for a variety of different conditions, including certain types of melanomas, lung cancer, head and neck cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma, gastric cancer, cervical cancer, and breast cancer. Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC has the exclusive right to authorize the manufacture of Keytruda for introduction into interstate commerce.

Kumar and his co-conspirators sold fake Keytruda that bore counterfeit marks. The medication that Kumar pled guilty to trafficking was chemically inconsistent with real Keytruda, and did not contain the active ingredient necessary for the drug to serve its medical purpose, thereby making it wholly ineffective. Kumar and his co-conspirators received approximately $89,268 for their sales of purported Keytruda with counterfeit marks to undercover investigators.

Before his arrest in Houston, Kumar attempted to arrange for additional sales and shipments of Keytruda into the United States when meeting in-person with undercover law enforcement agents. Kumar made it clear in this meeting that he understood the risks posed by counterfeit pharmaceuticals, explaining that counterfeit Keytruda would not work to treat cancer and was “just like water.” 

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S.  Attorney Nicholas Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Houston acting Special Agent in Charge Erin Burke, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Lamb of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations, Kansas City Field Office made the announcement.

HSI investigated the case with assistance provided by the FDA. 

Trial Attorneys Ethan Cantor and Bryce Rosenbower of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman for the Southern District of Texas prosecuted the case. CCIPS Trial Attorney Jeff Pearlman also provided valuable assistance.

CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime and intellectual property crime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cybercriminals and IP criminals, and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds.  

HOUSTON – A 26-year-old Mexican national who illegally resided in Houston has been sentenced for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Andres Reyes-Morales pleaded guilty Oct. 31, 2024.

U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett has now ordered Reyes-Morales to serve 144 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment.

The investigation began in November 2022 when authorities identified Reyes-Morales as a member of a transnational criminal organization. The organization was responsible for smuggling and distributing methamphetamine from Mexico into South Texas and on to Houston. Reyes-Morales was a conversion lab operator, courier and facilitator.

As part of an undercover operation, authorities purchased approximately five kilograms of methamphetamine from Reyes-Morales. He then coordinated with Moices Moreno-Marin and Franciso Reyes Solorzano-Duarte to complete the deliveries.

On April 14, 2023, authorities executed a search warrant at Reyes-Morales’ residence and seized approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine concealed in a shoe box in a bedroom closet.

Reyes-Morales admitted the narcotics belonged to him.

Moreno-Marin, 38, and Solorzano-Duarte, 27, also Mexican nationals, pleaded guilty for their roles and were sentenced to 36 and 54 months in prison, respectively.  

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

The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Day prosecuted the case.

LAREDO, Texas – A 46-year-old Mexican national has been ordered to federal prison for a conspiracy involving over 15 kilograms of methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Jose Calleros Avila pleaded guilty Nov. 4, 2025.

U.S. District Judge John Kazen has now ordered Avila to serve 87 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. 

Avila crossed the Colombia Solidarity Bridge in Laredo June 1, 2025, driving a 2003 Chevrolet Suburban. He claimed he was coming back from Matehuala, Mexico, with two duffel bags full of candy for his children. However, during a routine inspection, authorities located two bundles inside a bag mixed in with children’s candies. The bundles tested positive for methamphetamine, which prompted further inspection and the discovery of a total of 15 bundles weighing 15.44 kilograms.

Avila had planned to transport the drugs to another individual in Dallas for further distribution throughout the United States. After delivering the methamphetamine, Avila would return to the location in Dallas, pick up cash, and wire the money to various individuals throughout Mexico. 

He admitted he had transported various narcotics at least five times, doing so for cash payments. 

Avila 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 Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tory R. Sailer is prosecuting the case. 

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Two San Antonio residents have admitted to an identity theft scheme involving stolen mail, postal keys, and locks throughout the Corpus Christi area, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

From August 2025 through December 2025, Summer Muniz and Eusebio Valdez conspired to steal mail from hundreds of residents in Corpus Christi. Additionally, Muniz stole a postal lock, and Valdez used counterfeit postal keys to access apartment building mailboxes. Muniz used information gained from the stolen mail to steal at least $2,500 from a victim’s bank account. 

Sentencing has been set before U.S. District Judge David Morales June 3. At that time, Valdez faces up to 10 years for possessing the postal keys. Muniz faces a mandatory two years of imprisonment for the identity theft conviction and will pay restitution for damages to the apartment mailboxes, and for the amount the victims lost.

Valdez and Muniz have been and will remain in custody pending their sentencing hearings.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation with assistance of San Antonio Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley A. Pruitt prosecuted the case.

HOUSTON – A 27-year-old area man has been ordered to federal prison after coercing and enticing minors and possession of child sexual abuse material, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Reuben Waller Boyer pleaded guilty Sept. 23, 2025.

U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal has now sentenced Boyer to 14 years for the coercion and enticement of minors and 10 years for possession of child pornography convictions, respectively. They will run concurrently for a total 168-month term of imprisonment. In handing down the prison terms, the court noted the danger the Boyer presents to the community. Boyer was further ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to an identified victim and will serve five 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. Boyer will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

On Feb. 19, 2021, law enforcement discovered an online user, later identified as Boyer, sharing files containing child sexual abuse material in a public KIK chat room. The investigation led to the discovery of a MEGA link containing approximately 70 videos of CSAM.

Authorities subsequently discovered communications between Boyer and a 14-year-old minor which detailed the live child pornography Boyer had the child create for Boyer’s sexual gratification.

Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Boyers’ residence and seized his electronic devices. Forensic analysis resulted in the discovery of over 1,000 images and videos of CSAM depicting the sadistic sexual abuse of pre-pubescent minors.

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

FBI - Bryan Resident Agency conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luis Batarse 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.

HOUSTON – A 34-year-old member of the 52 Hoover Gangster Crips has been ordered to federal prison for sex trafficking young teenage girls, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Clarence Christopher Chambers aka Crazzi Chris pleaded guilty Nov. 24, 2025.

U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. has now sentenced Chambers to serve 420 months in federal prison. At the hearing, the court heard information and evidence detailing Chambers’s exploitation and victimization of numerous teenage girls. The court emphasized the lasting trauma the victims suffered including physical abuse, threats, and profound psychological harm. In handing down the prison terms, the court noted Chambers lacked genuine remorse and characterized him as a predator who should not be free to prey on others.  

Chambers will serve 10 years on supervised release following the completion of his prison term, after which he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. Restitution will be determined at a later date.

“Chambers stole his young victims’ dignity and innocence,” said Ganjei. “They were beaten, threatened, and treated as commodities for someone else’s profit. Today’s sentence is about these courageous victims, recognizing the depth of harm they endured and affirming that they matter and their lives are not disposable. My office will continue to stand with victims and use every federal tool available to hold human traffickers accountable.”

From April to September 2019, Chambers and others worked to recruit young teenage girls and forced them to engage in sex acts with “clients” for money in cars and motels around the Bissonnet “blade” or “track.”

The Bissonnet blade is an area near I-59 Southwest Freeway and Bissonnet Street in Houston where pimps and traffickers place their victims to engage in commercial sex.

Chambers targeted vulnerable teenage girls, including runaways from foster care and unstable homes, some as young as 14. He lured them with false promises of financial security, affection, and housing.

He then used violence and threats to coerce them into engaging in commercial sex for his profit. Chambers forced the young victims walk the blade while he and others kept the profits.

Co-conspirators Michael Anthony Gonzalez aka Mumbles, 29, Jerreck Michael Hilliard aka Jmoney, 37, and Javon Yaw Opoku aka Glizzy, 25, all of Houston, were previously sentenced to 240, 292 and 365 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in the sex trafficking conspiracy.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate Suh, Sharad Khandelwal, Anthony Franklyn, Amanda R. Alum, and former AUSA Richard W. Bennett prosecuted the case.

The Houston Police Department conducted the investigation as part of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance with the assistance of Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations and Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

HTRA law enforcement includes members of HPD, FBI, ICE-HSI, Texas Attorney General’s Office, IRS Criminal Investigation, Department of Labor, DOL – Wage and Hour Division, Department of State, Texas Alcoholic and Beverage Commission, Texas Department of Public Safety, Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General, Social Security Administration – OIG and Sheriff’s Offices in Harris and Montgomery counties in coordination with District Attorney’s offices in Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend Counties.

Established in 2004, the United States Attorney’s office in Houston formed HTRA to combine resources with federal, state and local enforcement agencies and prosecutors, as well as non-governmental service organizations to target human traffickers while providing necessary services to those that the traffickers victimized. Since its inception, HTRA has been recognized as both a national and international model in identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking and prosecuting those engaged in trafficking offenses. 

HOUSTON – A 59-year-old resident of San Benito has been ordered to federal prison and must pay a substantial fine for his role in a long-running and violent conspiracy to monopolize the transmigrante forwarding agency industry in the Los Indios border region near Harlingen and Brownsville.

Roberto Garcia Villarreal pleaded guilty Feb. 6, 2025, to conspiracy to illegally fix prices and allocate the market for transmigrante forwarding agency services, conspiracy to monopolize the transmigrante market, and conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion.

U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks has now imposed a 30-month term of imprisonment. Villarreal must also pay a $50,000 criminal fine. He was ordered into custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Villarreal and others controlled the transmigrante industry through monopolization and by extorting competitors.

“Roberto Garcia Villarreal chose to join a criminal enterprise that seized control of an industry through threats and violence, rigged prices against legitimate businesses, and laundered its proceeds—and now, he is headed to federal prison,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei of the Southern District of Texas. “Today’s sentence serves as proof that no participant of this conspiracy will walk away without consequence. Although, the conspiracy may be finished, the Southern District of Texas is just getting started.”

“Antitrust criminals deserve lengthy sentences for the economic — and in this case physical — violence they sow. The Antitrust Division is proud to have worked with our law enforcement colleagues on this long-running investigation that will restore competition and punish violent criminals at the U.S.-Mexico border,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Daniel W. Glad of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “We will continue working to incarcerate antitrust criminals and hold accountable the remaining co-defendants in this scheme.”

“The use of violence and intimidation to threaten and remove competition will not be tolerated,” said Acting Assistant Director Gregory Heeb of the FBI Criminal Division. “Today’s sentencing shows the FBI’s commitment to investigating and holding accountable those responsible for price fixing and extortion schemes.”

“This case highlights the significant danger posed by transnational criminal organizations operating near our borders,” said acting Special Agent in Charge John A. Pasciucco of Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations, San Antonio. “As an accomplice in carrying out a violent operation that targeted small businesses for extortion, manipulated market prices, and concealed millions of dollars in illicit funds—undermining the security and fairness of lawful trade—HSI will relentlessly seek out those who harm legitimate industries through dishonest actions and intimidation. Our dedication to protecting our communities and economic stability remains firm.”

Transmigrantes arrange for and transport used vehicles and other goods from the United States through Mexico for resale in Central America. There are only a few locations where Transmigrantes can cross from the United States into Mexico, one of those being the Los Indios Bridge.

Transmigrante forwarding agencies are U.S.-based businesses that provide services to transmigrante clients, including helping those clients complete the customs paperwork required to export vehicles into Mexico. Villarreal and others fixed prices for transmigrante forwarding agency services and created a centralized entity known as the “Pool” to collect and divide revenues among the conspirators, limit competition from other agencies, and increase prices for their services.

Forwarding agencies who were not part of the conspiracy had to join and pay into the Pool. Villarreal and other Pool members enforced the rules by monitoring whether forwarding agencies were charging the agreed-upon prices and making payments. Forwarding agencies were also required to pay other extortion fees, including a “piso” for every transaction processed in the industry. 

To date, eight others have been convicted, seven of whom have already been sentenced in the case, including the leader - Carlos Martinez, 39, McAllen, who received an 11-year prison term.

Three others - Rigoberto Brown, Miguel Hipolito Caballero Aupart and Diego Ceballos-Soto were also charged in the superseding indictment and remain fugitives.

ICE-HSI and FBI conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander L. Alum prosecuted the case along with Senior Litigation Attorney John Davis and Trial Attorneys Brittany E. McClure, Anne Veldhuis, and Michael G. Lepage of the Antitrust Division; and Trial Attorney Christina Taylor of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.

Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the HSI Tip Line at 866-347-2423; the FBI Tip Line at tips.fbi.gov or by contacting the FBI San Antonio Field Office at 210-225-6741; or the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations. Whistleblowers who voluntarily report original information about antitrust and related offenses that result in criminal fines or other recoveries of at least $1 million may be eligible to receive a whistleblower reward. Whistleblower awards can range from 15 to 30 percent of the money collected. For more information on the Antitrust Whistleblower Rewards Program, including a link to submit reports, visit https://www.justice.gov/atr/whistleblower-rewards.

The U.S. Department of Justice today announced that Roberto Garcia Villarreal, 59, of San Benito, Texas, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay a $50,000 criminal fine for his role in a long-running and violent conspiracy to monopolize the transmigrante forwarding agency industry in the Los Indios, Texas, border region, located near Harlingen and Brownsville, Texas. Villarreal and his co-defendants controlled the transmigrante industry through monopolization and by extorting competitors.The Court remanded Villareal into custody to begin his sentence immediately.

“Antitrust criminals deserve lengthy sentences for the economic — and in this case physical — violence they sow,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Daniel W. Glad of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Antitrust Division is proud to have worked with our law enforcement colleagues on this long-running investigation that will restore competition and punish violent criminals at the U.S.-Mexico border. We will continue working to incarcerate antitrust criminals and hold accountable the remaining co-defendants in this scheme.”

“Roberto Garcia chose to join a criminal enterprise that seized control of an industry through threats and violence, rigged prices against legitimate businesses, and laundered its proceeds — and now, he is headed to federal prison,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei of the Southern District of Texas. “Today’s sentence serves as proof that no participant of this conspiracy will walk away without consequence. Although, the conspiracy may be finished, the Southern District of Texas is just getting started.”

“The use of violence and intimidation to threaten and remove competition will not be tolerated,” said Acting Assistant Director Gregory Heeb of the FBI Criminal Division. “Today’s sentencing shows the FBI’s commitment to investigating and holding accountable those responsible for price fixing and extortion schemes.”

“This case highlights the significant danger posed by transnational criminal organizations operating near our borders,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge John A. Pasciucco of the HSI San Antonio Field Office. “As an accomplice in carrying out a violent operation that targeted small businesses for extortion, manipulated market prices, and concealed millions of dollars in illicit funds—undermining the security and fairness of lawful trade — HSI will relentlessly seek out those who harm legitimate industries through dishonest actions and intimidation. Our dedication to protecting our communities and economic stability remains firm.”

Transmigrantes arrange for and transport used vehicles and other goods from the United States through Mexico for resale in Central America. There are only a few locations where transmigrantes can cross from the United States into Mexico, one of those being the Los Indios Bridge in Texas.

Transmigrante forwarding agencies are U.S.-based businesses that provide services to transmigrante clients, including helping those clients complete the customs paperwork required to export vehicles into Mexico. According to court documents and statements made in court, Villarreal and his co-defendants fixed prices for transmigrante forwarding agency services and created a centralized entity known as the “Pool” to collect and divide revenues among the co-conspirators, limit competition from other agencies and increase prices for their services.

Forwarding agencies who were not part of the conspiracy had to join and pay into the Pool. Villarreal and other Pool members enforced the rules of the Pool by monitoring whether forwarding agencies were charging the agreed-upon prices and making payments to the Pool. Forwarding agencies were also required to pay other extortion fees, including a “piso” for every transaction processed in the industry.

Villarreal pleaded guilty to conspiracy to illegally fix prices and allocate the market for transmigrante forwarding agency services; conspiracy to monopolize the same market; and conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion.

To date, eight others have been convicted, seven of whom have already been sentenced in the case, including the leader - Carlos Martinez, 39, McAllen, who received an 11-year prison term.

Three others - Rigoberto Brown, Miguel Hipolito Caballero Aupart and Diego Ceballos-Soto were also charged in the superseding indictment and remain fugitives. Anyone with information about their whereabouts or with information in connection with this investigation is asked to contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258 or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the FBI investigated the case.

Senior Litigation Attorney John Davis and Trial Attorneys Brittany E. McClure, Anne Veldhuis and Michael G. Lepage of the Antitrust Division; Deputy Chief Kelly Pearson of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander L. Alum for the Southern District of Texas prosecuted the case.

Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the HSI Tip Line at 866-347-2423; the FBI Tip Line at tips.fbi.gov or by contacting the FBI San Antonio Field Office at 210-225-6741; or the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations. Whistleblowers who voluntarily report original information about antitrust and related offenses that result in criminal fines or other recoveries of at least $1 million may be eligible to receive a whistleblower reward. Whistleblower awards can range from 15 to 30 percent of the money collected. For more information on the Antitrust Whistleblower Rewards Program, including a link to submit reports, visit https://www.justice.gov/atr/whistleblower-rewards.

HOUSTON – A 26-year-old woman has been arrested for forcibly assaulting a federal officer, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Grace Kirkness has now made her initial appearance in federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena H. Palermo. 

According to the criminal complaint filed March 2, Kirkness was being held at the Houston Contract Detention Facility in Houston pending her removal to Canada.

On Jan. 21, Kirkness allegedly refused to follow orders from contract detention officers at the facility. When authorities attempted to place her in handcuffs, she allegedly punched, kicked, and bit an officer, according to the charges.

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

Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ganz is prosecuting the case.

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

HOUSTON – A 28-year-old El Salvadorian national who illegally resided in Houston has been sentenced for unlawfully reentering the country after removal, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Ronald Alberto Rivas-Aguilar pleaded guilty Nov. 10, 2025.

U.S. District Judge Charles R. Eskridge has now ordered Rivas to serve 23 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to again face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence about his criminal history while illegally present in the country.

“Rivas-Aguilar pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit murder, was convicted, and removed from the United States—and still, he came back,” said Ganjei. “Gang members who believe that a prior removal is nothing more than an inconvenience should look carefully at what is happening in the Southern District of Texas. Working with our law enforcement partners, we will ensure that you never have the chance to bring your violence back into our country.

In 2016, Rivas and another MS-13 gang member conspired to murder a rival gang member in Fort Bend County. Rivas transported the victim to Buffalo Run Park and tied the victim’s ankles with his shoelaces. A coconspirator then beat the victim to death with a machete. Rivas was subsequently removed to El Salvador after pleading guilty for conspiring to commit a murder.

However, he illegally returned to the United States. In July 2025, authorities encountered him during a traffic stop and took him into custody.  

Rivas 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 Lauren Valenti 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 immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.