Western District of Texas

DEL RIO, Texas – An Eagle Pass man was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio on Monday to 170 months in prison for conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens causing serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents, Rodolfo Daniel De Hoyos aka “Rufles,” 22, was arrested on Nov. 22, 2021, in Kinney County. A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper observed three passengers in De Hoyos’s vehicle, each wearing dirty clothing, hiking boots, and camouflage backpacks. De Hoyos admitted that the three passengers were illegal aliens whom he was transporting to Del Rio. He said he would be paid $1,500 for smuggling the aliens, who were determined to be from Guatemala.

De Hoyos was arrested again in August 2023 for transporting illegal aliens for co-conspirator Anthony Ballones Jr. Information corroborating the admission was found in De Hoyos’s cell phone. The August 2023 smuggling event involved transporting a family of illegal aliens from San Antonio to Austin. The family, consisting of a man, a pregnant woman, and their seven-year-old child, were taken hostage by the Alien Smuggling Organization. In addition to sexually assaulting the pregnant woman, the defendants threatened to kill the woman’s seven-year-old boy if payments were not made, and they also threatened to sell the woman’s unborn baby if they did not get the money they sought. On July 9, 2023, a relative paid at least $1,000 to the ASO due to the threats made toward the family. Still, the ASO continued to demand payment to different accounts as a condition for the release of the aliens.

De Hoyos had been working with Ballones Jr. for approximately one year. He pleaded guilty to count one of a six-count indictment on Nov. 26, 2024.

On Feb. 11, co-defendant Juan Antonio Flores was sentenced to 212 months for his role in the case. Co-defendants Edwin Alfredo Barrientos-Mateo and Nelson Abilio Castro-Zelaya were sentenced to 360 months and 180 months in federal prison, respectively. Tomas Estrada-Torres was sentenced to 151 months. Four other co-defendants, Ambar Obregon, Pedro Ruiz Gonzalez, Armando Garcia-Martinez, and Ballones Jr., have pleaded guilty and are pending sentencing. Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses presides over the case.

ICE Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Miner 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 187 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Feb. 27 to March 5, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for violent crimes, DWIs, and multiple prior removals.

Among the new cases, Mexican national Erick Eduardo Carillo-Fierro was charged with illegal re-entry after being arrested by USBP agents near Val Verde. His first deportation was Feb. 6, but he has been convicted three times in California. In 2009, Carillo-Fierro was sentenced to 15 years and 8 months in prison for carjacking and fleeing with a weapon from a pursuing officer. While serving that sentence in 2011, he was convicted for manufacturing a weapon in prison. In 2022, he was convicted for possessing narcotics, drugs, or alcohol in prison.

U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested Mexican national Jorge Salinas-Cabrera near Kinney on Monday. Salinas-Cabrera is charged with illegal re-entry after being previously deported four times, the most recent being on Aug. 16, 2025. In addition to a 2013 illegal re-entry conviction, his criminal history includes two convictions for assault causing bodily injury, one conviction for driving while intoxicated, and one for evading arrest.

Mexican national Luis Fidel Leos-Angel was encountered at the Bexar County Jail in January after he was arrested for assault causing bodily injury to a family member and evading arrest. He was released from the jail on Tuesday and transported to ICE Enforcement Removal Operations San Antonio for processing. Leos-Angel’s criminal history revealed he was previously convicted of aiding and abetting the transportation of an unlawful alien and sentenced to 18 months in prison.

In Austin, a Guatemalan national was arrested for a supervised release violation after serving a 27-month federal prison sentence. Freyman Mejia-Vasquez has been removed from the U.S. seven times, and his criminal record includes interfering with an emergency call, a DWI, and assault causing bodily injury.

Salvadoran national Oscar Enrique Ramos-Tepas is charged in Austin with illegal re-entry, having been previously removed from the U.S. twice. In 2024, he was convicted for assault impeding breath or circulation and tampering with evidence with intent to impair. Ramos-Tepas has also been convicted of a DWI, two violations of a protective order and two additional assaults causing bodily injury.

Mexican national Miguel Angel Torres-Rueda aka Everado Torres-Rueda was found in the Travis County Jail and detained by ICE. Torres-Rueda has been deported twice. His prior convictions include two DWIs, one assault causing bodily injury, and an improper entry by an alien.

Guatemalan national Efrain Celso Garcia-Pedro was found approximately 5.7 miles east of the Tornillo Port of Entry on Feb. 28. He had previously been removed on Aug. 29, 2025, four months after receiving 20 years of probation and community service in Cherokee County, Georgia for exploiting and inflicting pain to deprive essential services to a disabled or elder person.

Mexican national Armando Jose-Gaspar aka Armando Pedro Juan was also arrested in El Paso after he was found near the 4000 block of Truman Avenue. Jose-Gaspar has been removed from the U.S. 10 times, the last being in December through Nogales, Arizona.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

These 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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DEL RIO, Texas – A Mexican national was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 84 months in prison for conspiracy to traffic firearms, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents, Martin Edgar Garza Pacheco, 42, of Melchor Muzquiz, Coahuila, was arrested at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry based on an investigation into the trafficking of firearms from the U.S. into Mexico. The investigation determined Garza Pacheco used co-conspirators Shiddartha Salinas Avila and Victor Ulysses Ybarra-Daniels to purchase a total of 36 firearms at various retail stores in the San Antonio area. Once the firearms were purchased, Garza Pacheco would travel from Mexico to San Antonio via the Eagle Pass POE, then smuggle the firearms back to Mexico in his vehicle.

Garza Pacheco was arrested April 22, 2023, and charged with one count of conspiracy to traffic firearms. He pleaded guilty to the indictment on Aug. 21, 2023.

Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses presided over the case. Ybarra-Daniels was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison on Oct. 8, and Salinas Avila was sentenced to 42 months on Nov. 3, 2025.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, ICE Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nallely Duarte and Daisy Gonzalez 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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DEL RIO, Texas – A Legal Permanent Resident cardholder from Mexico was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 168 months in prison for healthcare fraud, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents, in 2008, Orlando Omar Garcia-Moya, 54, of Piedras Negras, founded an ambulance company known as Fleet Ambulance Service Inc., which operated in and around Brackettville. As part of a fraud conspiracy involving Garcia-Moya and two of his employees, Oscar Gutierrez and Melody Ann Villarreal, the three conspirators fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid for services and received reimbursement they were not authorized or entitled to receive.

Garcia-Moya, Gutierrez Jr. and Villarreal fraudulently created run sheets for patients that were not transported, transported patients in personal vehicles or in vehicles not approved for appropriate medical transfers, and used “ghost employees” in the run sheets.

From 2008 to 2012, Fleet Ambulance billed Medicare, Medicaid, and Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) more than $12.3 million. Medicare and Medicaid paid a total of $4,741,601.73. From Jan. 1, 2013, to April 2016, Fleet Ambulance billed Medicare, Medicaid and MCOs more than $5.6 million. Medicare and Medicaid paid a total of $2,142,491.12. The total amount paid out by Medicare and Medicaid as a result of the fraud was $6,856,186.85.

Garcia-Moya, Gutierrez Jr. and Villarreal were named in a 13-count indictment on Aug. 21, 2019. On March 2, 2022, Garcia-Moya opted for a bench trial and was found guilty on all 13 counts of the indictment. Gutierrez Jr. and Villarreal each pled guilty and were sentenced on March 1, 2023, to 60 months and 48 months in federal prison, respectively. During the sentencing hearing Thursday, Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses also ordered Garcia-Moya to pay $6,856,186.85 in restitution.

U.S. Health and Human Services and the Office of Inspector General - Medicaid Fraud Control investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Chung prosecuted the case.

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SAN ANTONIO – A former Houston Independent School District teacher’s aide was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio on Wednesday to 24 months in prison for her role in a drug trafficking organization, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents, Tonya Vonci Middleton-Harris, 57, of Houston, conspired in June 2021 to traffic 992.4 grams of 100% methamphetamine and 526 grams of cocaine. Texas Department of Public Safety agents conducted a traffic stop on Middleton-Harris after she was observed receiving two bags of narcotics from drug trafficker, Terry Clay. Clay was also arrested after being found to possess $11,213 in U.S. currency and a pill bottle containing 11.2 grams of oxycodone pills.

Middleton-Harris pleaded guilty on Oct. 8, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The following co-defendants have already been sentenced in this case:

• Timothy Bland, 235 months in federal prison
• Crandall Jones, 63 months in federal prison
• Luis Tovias, 132 months in federal prison
• Valerie Nichole Garcia, 84 months in federal prison
• Pamela Felita Breeding, 140 months in federal prison
• John Russup, 144 months in federal prison
• Dana Harrington, 40 months in federal prison
• Michelle Katherine Bilskey, sentenced to time served (1,050 days)

The sentence hearing for Clay is set for March 11. U.S. District Judge Jason Pulliam presides over the case.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Gonzales County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Spears prosecuted the case.

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DEL RIO, Texas – A New Jersey man was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 120 months in prison for his role in a failed human smuggling event, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

On April 6, 2023, Texas Department of Public Safety agents working in La Pryor pulled over a vehicle and detained one of several fleeing backseat occupants before the vehicle took off at a high rate of speed. The detained individual was determined to be a Mexican national who had no lawful status in the U.S. According to court documents, Cameron Alexander Ford, 23, of Camden, New Jersey, was determined to be the owner of an abandoned cell phone found by the troopers in the same area.

An investigation revealed that the vehicle was a rental from the Philadelphia International Airport, reported stolen two days after the smuggling event, on April 8. The abandoned cell phone contained photos leading to Ford, whose name yielded a warrant for robbery from the Philadelphia Police Department. Ford’s phone also contained location information showing he stayed at a hotel in Eagle Pass on April 5 and 6. Text conversations and other evidence found on the phone revealed a smuggling conspiracy between Ford and co-defendant John Klotz aka “Remy,” who was determined to be the son of the woman that reported the stolen rental vehicle.

The investigation revealed that Ford and Klotz drove the rental vehicle from New Jersey to Eagle Pass in the days preceding the smuggling attempt. After the two conspirators fled from DPS on April 6, they managed to fly from San Antonio to Philadelphia.

Further search warrants identified a third conspirator, Van Donovan Brown aka “Sledge,” as the individual that facilitated the smuggling attempt through a WhatsApp group chat. Records also indicated that Brown paid Klotz through CashApp.

Ford was indicted along with Klotz and Brown on Oct. 2, 2024. He was arrested on April 1, 2025. He pleaded guilty on Sept. 29, 2025, to one count of conspiracy to transport aliens and placing lives in jeopardy. Ford’s 10-year sentence will run consecutive to a 47-month sentence he received from the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia for carjacking and aiding and abetting.

Klotz and Brown have also pleaded guilty and are both scheduled to be sentenced on April 23. A fourth defendant, Jeffrey Ray Jilpas was named in a superseding indictment on Feb. 11 and arrested on Feb. 20. U.S. District Judge Ernest Gonzalez presides over the case.

“This smuggler thought that he could come to Texas, break the law, flee from law enforcement, and then resume his life back home as if nothing happened,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “Thanks to a lengthy and thorough investigation by our law enforcement partners and federal prosecutors’ dogged commitment to justice, his home for the foreseeable future will be a prison cell.”

“This 10-year prison sentence is a testament to the resolve and expertise of Homeland Security Investigations in confronting the threat posed by human smuggling,” said acting Special Agent in Charge, John A. Pasciucco, HSI San Antonio. “HSI’s special agents worked relentlessly to dismantle a criminal network that showed blatant disregard for human life and the rule of law. We will not tolerate those who exploit vulnerable individuals and undermine our nation’s security. HSI remains committed to pursuing justice and protecting our communities from these dangerous operations.”

Homeland Security Investigations and the Texas Department of Public Safety investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol, the Zavala County Sheriff’s Offices, and the Frio County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Ellis-Dotson 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 175 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Feb. 20 to Feb. 26, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for sex crimes, violent crimes, drug trafficking, DWIs, gang affiliations, and multiple prior removals.

Among the new cases, Mexican nationals Heriberto Vasquez-Salinas and Felix Ermundo Jose-Jose aka Jose Felix-Edmundo were both charged with illegal re-entry in San Antonio after being arrested on Feb. 18. Texas Department of Public Safety advised Cotulla Border Patrol agents of a possible stolen vehicle that had failed to yield on Interstate 35 northbound. The vehicle was soon found empty on a private ranch east of Dilley. A criminal complaint alleges that, after an extensive joint search using a DPS helicopter, USBP agents apprehended Vasquez-Salinas and Jose-Jose.

Salvadoran national and documented Tango Blast gang member Franklin Ulises Rodriguez-Rivas was charged with illegal re-entry. According to a criminal complaint, the San Antonio Police Department conducted an aggravated kidnapping investigation and executed a search warrant on Feb. 19. Rodriguez-Rivas allegedly jumped out of a window as officers were approaching the residence, and he was subsequently arrested. He was previously convicted of illegal re-entry and removed from the U.S. in March 2022.

Honduran national Juaquin Vardalez-Zepeda was arrested for assault causing bodily injury to a family member and booked in the Bexar County Adult Detention Center. He was transferred into ICE custody and charged with illegal re-entry.

On Thursday, Honduran national Carlos Navil Rodriguez-Banegas was transferred into ICE custody from the Bexar County Adult Detention Center, where he had been booked on a DWI charge. Rodriguez-Banegas was previously removed from the U.S. to Honduras in December 2022.

David Adony Lemus-Villeda,also a Honduran national, was transferred into ICE custody from the Bexar County Adult Detention Center on Wednesday. He had been arrested for discharge of a firearm within a municipality. Lemus-Villeda was previously removed from the U.S. to Honduras in January 2021.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested Mexican national Olegario Martinez-Ramirez after an alleged foot pursuit near the north side of the Chamizal National Park in El Paso. A criminal complaint alleges Martinez-Ramirez paid a smuggler $2,500 and was going to pay an additional $8,000 once he arrived at his destination in Los Angeles, California. Martinez-Ramirez was just deported for the third time on Feb. 3, from Calexico, California. He’s been convicted four times for driving under the influence.

Mexican national Roberto Salazar-Alcantar was transferred into ICE custody on Feb. 20 from the El Paso County Detention Facility, where he had completed a sentence for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Immigration records indicated that Salazar-Alcantar was issued an Expedited Removal Order in New Mexico on May 25, 2010, and was subsequently removed to Mexico on June 1, 2010. He returned to the U.S. following is deportation and was convicted in October 2023 of illegal re-entry, a charge he faces once again.

Guatemalan national Cirilo Ramirez-Sebastian was arrested approximately two miles west of the Fort Hancock Port of Entry, having been deported to Guatemala on Jan. 7 through Phoenix, Arizona. Ramirez-Sebastian was convicted of assault in April 2025, and has two DUIs since October 2020, along with another conviction for false reporting.

A Mexican national has been federally charged with illegal re-entry after he was found in the Travis County Jail last year. Ramon Franco-Martinez was convicted of sexual assault in 2025 and booked into the Travis County. Upon identifying him as an illegal alien, ICE lodged a detainer. In 2013, Franco Martinez was removed from the U.S., following a DWI conviction.

U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested Mexican national Nabor Florentino-Franco near Kinney on Feb. 21. Florentino-Franco has been deported twice, the most recent being on Nov. 22, 2025. His criminal record consists of four misdemeanors resulting in convictions, including unlawful restraint and assault causing bodily injury to a family member. Two days before his November removal, Florentino-Franco was convicted of the felony offense of being an alien in possession of a firearm.

Cuban national Daynel Torres-Perez was arrested for illegal re-entry near Maverick, having been deported in June 2025. The twice convicted felon has prior convictions for third-degree grand theft, unarmed burglary of an occupied structure, and driving with a suspended license.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

These 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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SAN ANTONIO – A federal jury convicted a Venezuelan national Monday on five counts related to the sex trafficking of a 16-year-old starting in Columbia and extending to Richmond, Kentucky and San Antonio, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Nelson Adrian Perez-Martinez, 23, harbored, provided, transported, obtained, advertised, and maintained a 16-year-old undocumented Venezuelan orphan. Co-conspirator Giannys Alexandra Ramirez-Fernandez, 21, began a relationship with the girl when the child was 13 years old and living with her adopted parents in Colombia.  Ramirez-Fernandez was 17 years old at the time. The two crossed illegally into the United States in December 2022, residing in Richmond, Kentucky. Perez-Martinez, a friend of Ramirez-Fernandez from Venezuela, crossed illegally into the U.S. in December 2023 and joined them in Kentucky in June 2024. Perez-Martinez and Ramirez-Fernandez decided to take their victim to San Antonio where they would have her engage in prostitution. Perez-Martinez and Ramirez-Fernandez intended to keep any money she earned.  The three traveled via bus in July 2024 from Richmond to San Antonio for that purpose.

An investigation revealed that Perez-Martinez and Ramirez-Fernandez accompanied the minor to approximately six different motels in San Antonio from July 19 to July 30, 2024. The three shared a room at each location, paid for in cash by proceeds from the child’s commercial sex acts.

On Oct. 1, 2025, Perez-Martinez was charged in a five-count indictment with aiding and abetting the sex trafficking of children, aiding and abetting the benefitting from sex trafficking of children, conspiracy to sex traffic children, aiding and abetting coercion and enticement of a minor, and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. The fees collected from the minor’s commercial sex acts were knowingly used by Perez-Martinez and Ramirez-Fernandez for food, shelter, transportation, and other items. The two conspirators lived solely off of the proceeds for approximately six weeks.

Perez-Martinez and Ramirez-Fernandez were arrested on July 30, 2024, as part of an ongoing investigation into domestic sex trafficking. An undercover San Antonio Police officer with the Human Exploitation Unit responded to an advertisement posted on a website for escort services. Posing as a customer, the officer contacted the phone number on the advertisement and was instructed to meet at the Studio 6 motel on Pasteur Court in San Antonio. Once the undercover was in the motel room with the minor, the girl agreed to prostitution services, and the officer signaled for the arrest team. Simultaneously, Perez-Martinez and Ramirez-Fernandez were arrested, as they were identified as spotters for the operation.

“When we tolerate the stolen innocence of children, we slowly lose our soul as a nation,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. “In the Western District of Texas, we have zero tolerance for aliens who enter our country illegally and commit heinous crimes like those committed in this case. We will use all resources available to us to hold accountable those, like the defendant here, who seek to enrich themselves via the sexual abuse of children.”

The trial for Perez-Martinez began Tuesday, Feb. 17, and on Monday, Feb. 23, the jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts. In October, an initial trial for Perez-Martinez resulted in a hung jury.

Ramirez- Fernandez pleaded guilty to three counts of a superseding indictment. She faces 10 years to life in prison and has an ICE immigration detainer in place to facilitate her deportation after she serves her sentence. Her sentencing hearing is currently set for April 20. U.S. District Court Judge Fred Biery is presiding over the case and has not yet set a date for the sentencing of Perez-Martinez.

Homeland Security Investigations and the San Antonio Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alicia McNab and Sade Bogart are prosecuting the case. Megan Ramirez, with the office’s Advanced Litigation Support unit, provided technical assistance to the trial team leading up to and during the trial.

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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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DEL RIO, Texas – A Quemado man was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 151 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens causing serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents, Tomas Estrada-Torres, 47, conspired with several others in the alien smuggling and hostage-taking of a family consisting of a man, a pregnant woman, and their seven-year-old child. In August 2023, the family was being held at a stash house in Eagle Pass, while the smugglers demanded a $21,000 ransom. Estrada-Torres and co-conspirator Ambar Obregon transported the pregnant woman from Eagle Pass to San Antonio, purchasing new clothes for her along the way and instructing her on what to say at a U.S. Border Patrol immigration checkpoint.

The woman was then transferred to a new stash house in Austin where, over multiple days, she was sexually assaulted by Pedro Ruiz Gonzalez, who also demanded payment from her, threatened to sell the unborn child, and threatened to kill her son.

On Sept. 21, 2023, USBP agents encountered Estrada-Torres at an immigration checkpoint near Eagle Pass with a passenger who was determined to be an illegal alien from Honduras. An investigation by Homeland Security Investigations resulted in Estrada-Torres admitting to transporting the pregnant woman to San Antonio.

Estrada-Torres was charged on April 24, 2024, with two counts in a six-count indictment. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens causing serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy on Dec. 16, 2024.

“I’ve said it many times, but I’ll say it again here: Mexican drug cartels and their associated alien smuggling organizations do not care about your hopes and dreams,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “They care only about money, and they will threaten and abuse you in any way imaginable to get more cash out of you or your family members. Thanks to the fine work by our AUSAs in Del Rio and our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, we were able to dismantle this alien smuggling group and ensure justice was done.”

On Feb. 11, co-defendant Juan Antonio Flores was sentenced to 212 months for his role in the case. Co-defendants Edwin Alfredo Barrientos-Mateo and Nelson Abilio Castro-Zelaya were sentenced to 360 months and 180 months in federal prison, respectively. Gonzalez, Obregon and three other co-defendants have pleaded guilty and are pending sentencing. Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses presides over the case.

HSI, USBP, and the Texas Department of Public Safety investigated the case with assistance from the Eagle Pass Police Department, Austin Police Department, Houston Police Department and the Comal County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Miner is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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DEL RIO, Texas – A North Carolina man and his two sons pleaded guilty in a federal court in Del Rio to conspiring to traffic firearms to the Sinaloa Cartel, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents, Jose Manuel Najera, 54, of Elon, North Carolina, arrived for outbound inspection at the Del Rio Port of Entry on Oct. 31, 2024, driving a gray pickup truck. U.S. Customs and Border Protection recognized that an alert had been placed on the vehicle for suspicious border crossing history. Najera, appearing nervous, provided a negative declaration for weapons, ammunition, and currency over $10,000, and stated he was traveling to Allende, Coahuila, Mexico from North Carolina. At secondary inspection, a CBP officer removed and unrolled a black tarp out of the bed of Najera’s truck, revealing a disassembled rifle along with a box magazine.

Najera subsequently claimed that he was driving to Mexico to help a friend tow a vehicle and did not know the firearm was concealed inside his vehicle. After being told that it was illegal to lie to federal agents, Najera stated that his son, Fernando Najera-Avalos, 26, had purchased the rifle in North Carolina to provide it to subjects in Mexico, specifically a subject named Hector, in Acuna. Najera was released from detainment.

A follow-up investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives revealed that, between June 2024 and October 2024, Najera made five trips between the United States and Mexico through the Del Rio Port of Entry. The trips typically occurred within a week after purchasing firearms. On those five occasions, Najera-Avalos purchased a total of 14 firearms, and his father, Najera, would take the trip to Mexico shortly after. Additionally, a text message between Najera and Najera-Avalos contained a screenshot of a text message wherein an unsaved Mexican phone number asked for 50 guns over a few months beginning in March 2024.

On July 30, 2025, Najera and Najera-Avalos were arrested and charged with conspiracy to traffic firearms. Najera-Avalos stated he had been in contact with the Sinaloa Cartel and was trafficking firearms for them due to debt he had accrued with the cartel. He added that he and his brother, Alonso Najera-Avalos, 22, would purchase the firearms and provide them to their father to transport into Mexico and give to the cartel. This led to the arrest of Alonso Najera-Avalos. In a post-arrest interview, Alonso Najera-Avalos admitted to owning the Sinaloa Cartel $70,000, and to conspiring with his father and brother to purchase and traffic firearms to Mexico. 

Najera and the Najera-Avalos brothers all pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic firearms. They each face up to 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The ATF investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Duarte II is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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DEL RIO, Texas – A Salvadoran national was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to the statutory maximum 20 years in prison for illegal re-entry, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents, Celso Rivas-Gonzalez was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents on July 26, 2025. In 2024, Rivas-Gonzalez was convicted of both illegal re-entry and indecency with a child. Prior to that, in 2021, he was convicted of a harassment felony that had been reduced from one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Rivas-Gonzalez has been deported from the U.S. twice, the last time being on Feb. 19, 2025. U.S. District Judge Ernest Gonzalez sentenced Rivas-Gonzalez exactly one year later.

“I hope the message is now clear, but if not, I’ll say it plainly. If you’re an illegal alien that has committed the types of heinous offenses that were committed by the defendant in this case, we will hold you to account.”  said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “The 20-year max imprisonment imposed here rightfully demonstrates that we will not let convicted sexual predators come into this country illegally and jeopardize the safety of Americans. I appreciate our law enforcement partners who vigilantly patrol our borderlands for their dedication to the mission to combat illegal immigration and keep Americans safe from this and many other types of criminals.”

“This case reflects the hard work of the men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol to keep our communities free of sex offenders and other criminals,” said Chief Patrol Agent Anthony S. Good, Del Rio Border Patrol Sector. “It also highlights the cooperation with other entities to bring those criminals to justice.”

The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carli Tuttle and Daisy Gonzalez 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 200 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Feb. 13 to Feb. 19, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for sex crimes, violent crimes, drug trafficking, DWIs, and multiple prior removals.

Among the new cases, U.S. citizens Arturo Reyes and Anthony Joseph Scalza were arrested west of Tornillo on Tuesday. U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered three illegal aliens, identified as citizens of Guatemala and El Salvador, hiding in a pecan orchard. A criminal complaint alleges that the agents obtained consent to search the subjects’ cell phones, which led to direct communication with a driver arranging to pick up and transport the three aliens. The complaint alleges Reyes and Scalza arrived in two separate vehicles at an agreed upon location to pick up the aliens but were instead met by USBP. Reyes and Scalza are each charged with one count of alien smuggling.

Guatemalan national and felon Julio Lucas Santos-Santos was found nearly 11 miles west of the Tornillo Port of Entry on Tuesday. On Feb. 28, 2023, Santos-Santos was convicted of rape in the first degree in Queens, New York. He was removed from the U.S. to Guatemala through Louisiana in July 2025.

Guatemalan national Edgar Gutierrez-Perez, who was deported for the fourth time in August 2025, is again facing an illegal re-entry charge after being found east of the Fort Hancock Port of Entry. In 2024, Gutierrez-Perez was convicted in Georgia for one count of battery family violence and one count of aggravated assault. He was sentenced to 114 days in federal prison following his illegal re-entry conviction last year in the District of New Mexico.

Mexican national Angel Eduardo Zamora-Yanez was found and arrested approximately a quarter of a mile west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry, having been previously deported for the eighth time in September 2025. In 2023, Zamora-Yanez was convicted of assaulting a peace officer and was sentenced to three years in jail. He has also been convicted once for improper entry and thrice for illegal re-entry.

In Austin, Honduran national Isman Manuel Garcia-Ozorto was found to be a previously removed alien whose most recent deportation was in August 2017. Garcia-Ozorto was convicted of evading arrest in 2012, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and assault causing bodily injury in 2013, possession of a controlled substance in 2016, and improper entry by an alien in 2017. He is now charged with one count of illegal re-entry.

Ever Rivera-Molina, also a Honduran national, was encountered at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center in San Antonio following his arrest for a DWI on Feb. 8. He was turned over to the custody of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations after it was found that his immigration records indicated he was previously removed from the U.S. in October 2022. In 2019, Rivera-Molina was convicted and sentenced for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

On Monday, U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested Mexican national Jose Octavio Medrano-Adame near Maverick. Medrano-Adame was deported for the second time in December 2025. In 2013, he was convicted of deadly conduct discharge of a firearm and sentenced to four years confinement.

Cuban national Rolando Portales-Zambrano was arrested near Maverick for illegal re-entry after just being removed from the U.S. to Mexico through Harlingen on Jan. 28. Portales-Zambrano has multiple convictions in his criminal record, including two separate felony convictions for smuggling of persons, assault causing bodily injury to a family member, and failure to give ID or intent to give false information as a fugitive.

Mexican national Audelio Salmeron-Gomez, who has been convicted of four DWIs including one with a child under 15 years old, was arrested for illegal re-entry near Terrell. His most recent DWI conviction came in June 2024 and resulted in an eight-year prison sentence. That case also included a conviction for assault causing bodily injury to a family member. He was subsequently deported from the U.S. to Mexico approximately one year later, in August 2025.

Mexican national and convicted felon German Ceniceros-Briones was arrested near Maverick for illegal re-entry, having been previously deported for the second time in March 2017. Ceniceros-Briones was convicted in 2004 for one count of delivery of a controlled substance and one count of possession of a controlled substance. For those charges, he was sentenced to 10 years confinement. In 2015, he was convicted of illegal re-entry and served 27 months of confinement.

Isaac Sanchez-Enriquez, also a felon, was arrested for illegal re-entry near Maverick. The Mexican national was deported for the fourth time in September 2023. He has been convicted of two drug trafficking felonies, one improper entry by an alien for his first immigration conviction and was convicted on two separate occasions for illegal re-entry.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

These 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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EL PASO, Texas – An El Paso woman was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to 33 months in prison for wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents, Carol Talamantes, 61, was employed as a certified public accountant for multiple real estate businesses operating in Texas and New Mexico, from which she stole $603,738.96 between Oct. 20, 2020, and Oct. 31, 2024. Talamantes fraudulently wrote company checks to herself, electronically transferred money from company bank accounts to her personal bank accounts, and transferred funds to herself via Automatic Clearing House (ACH) transactions through the real estate businesses. Talamantes initiated more than 90 fraudulent transactions from the real estate businesses directly to herself and used the proceeds for her own personal benefit, including to pay her home mortgage and personal credit card bill.

On Sept. 26, 2025, Talamantes was summoned to federal court, where she pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and was granted a $20,000 bond. She also agreed to a money judgment of $603,738.96.

The FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip Countryman prosecuted the case.

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SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man who conducted a $69.5 million fraud scheme pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to one count of wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents, from January 2023 to March 2025, Devin Ward Elder, 47, fraudulently raised more than $69.5 million from approximately 345 investor victims that participated in 17 real estate investments. Elder was the founder and CEO of the San Antonio-based investment firm, DJE Texas Management Group, LLC, which was formed in March 2015 and employed dozens of people. DJE invested in multifamily apartments, industrial flexible workspace units, land projects, commercial building projects, and offered investment in a so-called “Income Fund.” Fourteen of DJE’s 17 offered investments acquired real property, and each property was owned by a separate LLC created for the limited purpose of purchasing and owning the investment property.

Elder induced his victims to invest with him and made a series of material misrepresentations promising high returns with low risk. Among many other false representations, Elder promised that he would “co-invest” his own money. Additionally, in classic Ponzi fashion, Elder made interest payments to investors of one project using investor funds from other projects without disclosing the nature or source of those interest payments. Over the 26-month life of the scheme, investors received approximately $8.8 million in payments that Elder purported to be “interest” and “principal” payments. In reality, many of the payments consisted of the investments of investors in other funds rather than actual investment returns.

In March 2025, Elder halted interest payments to the victim-investors. He notified the investors that his businesses were having financial difficulties, the projects would not be completed, and they should expect to lose a large portion of their investments.

Elder was charged with one count of wire fraud on Jan. 28 and summoned to appear in federal court on Feb. 17, at which time he pleaded guilty. Elder is scheduled to be sentenced the week of June 2 and faces up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys William R. Harris, Steven Seward and Ray Gattinella are prosecuting the case.

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AUSTIN, Texas – A Bulgarian national was sentenced in a federal court in Austin today to 38 months time served for conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents, in August 2014, Milan Dimitrov, 51, began working at Multi Technology Integration Group EOOD (MTIG), a Bulgarian company created to enable two Russian companies to acquire U.S.-origin radiation-hardened and high-temperature electronic circuits from a company based in Austin. Earlier in 2014, following Russia’s invasion of Crimea, the U.S. imposed export controls that made it illegal to export those goods directly to Russia without a license from the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security.

In January 2015, the Bulgarian MTIG received a 16mB Static Random-Access Memory (SRAM) Wafer from a U.S. supplier in Austin. Approximately one month later, MTIG entered into a written contract to deliver the parts to a Russian engineering company called OOO Sovtest Comp. Over the next three months, Sovtest transferred more than $1 million split into three separate payments to MTIG and, after receiving the third payment, MTIG issued Sovtest a $158,125 invoice for the sale of the Austin-based supplier’s parts to the Russian company. MTIG thereafter shipped the parts to Sovtest in Russia, in violation of the Export Administration Regulations and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Between May 2014 and May 2018, a total of six wafers were shipped as part of the scheme for a total of approximately $497,000. When diced, one wafer creates approximately 180 individual chips.

Dimitrov was charged in a four-count indictment in July 2020. He was arrested in 2022 and extradited to the U.S. in 2024. Dimitrov pleaded guilty on Nov. 20, 2025, admitting that he had knowledge that the parts were shipped from the U.S. to Bulgaria and then to Russia, and that he facilitated and benefitted from the illegal activity as an employee of MTIG and close associate of Sovtest’s owner, co-conspirator Ilias Sabirov. At this time, Sabirov remains a fugitive, as does the defendant’s father Dimitar Dimitrov, co-founder of MTIG.

U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman presided over the case, sentencing Dimitrov to time served after the Bulgarian spent 38 months in custody.

The Commerce Department’s Office of Export Enforcement and the FBI investigated the case with assistance from Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Roomberg prosecuted the case with assistance from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with Greek authorities to secure the August 2024 extradition of Dimitrov to the United States.

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SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 255 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Feb. 6 to Feb. 12, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for child sexual assault, violent crimes, DWIs, and multiple prior removals.

Among the new cases, Mexican national Luis Soto-Leyva attempted to enter the United States through the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry (POE) in El Paso on Oct. 1, 2024. That encounter led him to an improper entry conviction. Soto-Leyva was detained again in February 2026, after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers observed him crossing the U.S.-Mexico border west of the Paso Del Norte POE. A criminal complaint alleges that Soto-Leyva stated he had been an alien smuggler for approximately four years, making an average of $1,000 to $3,000 per week. He is now charged with one count of alien smuggling and one count of illegal re-entry.

Brenda Nina Sanchez-Felix, who maintains a Lawful Permanent Resident Card, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents after agents located her pickup truck pulled over with a flat tire on TX-20. The maroon vehicle allegedly matched what a camera had captured near suspected alien activity eight miles west of the Tornillo POE. A criminal complaint alleges that agents noticed fresh wet mud on the trim of the vehicle door and several muddy footprints leading away from vehicle, leading the agents to discover nine individuals hiding in the brush. Eight of the individuals stated they were in the U.S. illegally, while one stated he was a U.S. citizen. In September 2025, Sanchez-Felix was convicted of alien smuggling and sentenced to two years of probation.

Convicted felon Marco Antonio De La Vega-Macias, a Mexican national, was found approximately half a mile west of the Bridge of the Americas POE in El Paso on Feb. 9. He was removed from the U.S. for the fourth time on Sept. 29, 2023, following his second illegal re-entry conviction. De La Vega-Macias has a prior conviction for engaging in sexual contact with a minor and multiple theft charges.

In San Antonio, Mexican national Abraham Hermilindo Gallegos-Mendez was charged with one count of alien in possession of a firearm. On Feb. 9, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers conducted a traffic stop on a sedan. A criminal complaint alleges Gallegos-Mendez exited the front passenger door of the vehicle and ran. The troopers apprehended him a short distance from the initial stop and conducted a search of the front passenger area where Gallegos-Mendez had allegedly been sitting in the vehicle. The complaint alleges that the troopers located a blue jacket containing a loaded 9mm handgun.

Mexican national Leonel Nazario Ramos-Guerrero was arrested near Maverick on Feb. 7 and charged with illegal re-entry. He was recently deported for the seventh time on Oct. 29, 2025. His criminal record includes illegal re-entry, two convictions for assault causing bodily injury, assault on a law enforcement officer, and resisting an officer.

Zeferino Turrubiates-Ramos, also a Mexican national, was arrested near Val Verde on Feb. 8 and charged with illegal re-entry. He was recently deported on Nov. 17, 2025—also for the seventh time. He was convicted in 2017 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and in 2018 for illegal re-entry. In 2021, he was found to have violated previously imposed conditions of probation.

Mexican national Ruben Villela Briones was taken into ICE custody on Feb. 6, after serving two years in the Travis County Jail for a stalking conviction. Briones has been previously removed from the U.S. three times with three additional voluntary returns. His criminal record also includes two assault convictions, resisting arrest, and illegal re-entry.   

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

These 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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EL PASO, Texas – An El Paso man was sentenced in federal court to 188 months in prison for distribution of fentanyl causing death, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents, on July 16, 2021, Isaiah Rene Acosta, 28, sold three counterfeit M-30 pills containing fentanyl to an individual, who purchased the pills on behalf of herself and another person. The pill recipients used the counterfeit M-30 pills the next day and shortly thereafter, one of the individuals died of fentanyl poisoning. Further analysis determined that the deceased “would not have died but for acute intoxication of fentanyl.” An investigation revealed that Acosta sold fentanyl pills and marijuana to both of the individuals on more than one occasion.

Acosta was indicted on Feb. 5, 2025, and arrested Feb. 21, 2025. He pleaded guilty on Nov. 18. U.S. District Judge Leon Schydlower presided over the case.

“Substance abuse in our communities—particularly fentanyl abuse—has been a persistent problem that has affected so many Americans. It’s important that we stay engaged and continue to find and prosecute dealers like this to curtail the flow of illegal and harmful substances on our streets,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “Many thanks to our law enforcement partners at the Drug Enforcement Administration, for their work on this case and so many cases like it. The DEA works tirelessly to use every tool at their disposal to stop fentanyl from coming into the U.S., but, when it does, they then work to ensure those responsible for the distribution of this terrible drug are held to account. The investigation and successful prosecution of these cases lets the American people know that their government is working to make this country a place where Americans cannot just survive but thrive.”

“This case serves as a stern warning to other drug dealers,” said Omar Arellano, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s El Paso Division. “If the drugs you sell kill someone, the DEA will investigate, build a case against you, and see that you face the consequences. As part of Fentanyl Free America, the men and women of the DEA are committed to protecting and supporting the communities we serve.”

The DEA investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip Countryman prosecuted the case.

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DEL RIO, Texas – An Eagle Pass man was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 212 months in prison for conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens causing serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy.

According to court documents, Juan Antonio Flores, 36, coordinated smuggling trips for an alien smuggling organization (ASO), making $4,000 per alien smuggled from Mexico to San Antonio. The aliens were often transported to Austin, where co-conspirator Pedro Ruiz Gonzalez would receive them. Flores and Gonzalez worked together on 15-20 illegal alien smuggling events. Another co-conspirator, Armando Garcia-Martinez aka “Leche,” had been a driver for Flores and Gonzalez, undertaking an average of two to three smuggling trips per week.

As part of one smuggling event, the ASO took a family of illegal aliens hostage and continuously demanded payments from their relatives in the form of electronic wire transfers. The family consisted of a man, a pregnant woman, and their seven-year-old child. On July 9, 2023, a relative paid at least $1,000 to the ASO due to the threats made toward the family. Still, the ASO continued to demand payment to different accounts as a condition for the release of the aliens.

Flores was named in a six-count indictment on April 24, 2024, and arrested on June 12, 2024. He pleaded guilty on Oct. 7, 2024.

Co-defendants Edwin Alredo Barrientos-Mateo aka “Waches” and Nelson Abilio Castro-Zelaya were sentenced to 360 months and 180 months, respectively. All other co-defendants have pleaded guilty and are pending sentencing. Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses presides over the case.

ICE Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol, and the Texas Department of Public Safety investigated the case with assistance from the Eagle Pass Police Department, Austin Police Department, Houston Police Department and the Comal County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Miner 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 242 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Jan. 30 to Feb. 5, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for child sexual assault, violent crimes, DWIs, and multiple prior removals.

Among the new cases, a Mexican national with multiple felonies was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents near Val Verde. Juan Bernardo Cardenas-Ledesma, who has been deported three times, is charged with illegal re-entry and has previously been convicted of grand theft auto, lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, and hit and run resulting in injury or death.

Mexican national Andres Campos-Martinez was detained by ICE after being booked in the Williamson County Jail in November. In March 2020, Campos-Martinez was put on ten years of deferred adjudication after committing the offense of aggravated sexual assault of a child in Travis County. He was removed to Mexico six months later in September 2020. On Tuesday, a motion to revoke his probation was denied by a Travis County district judge.

USBP agents arrested Honduran national Jose Mario David-Sauzo aka Raymundo Martinez near Maverick. David-Sauzo is also charged with illegal re-entry, having been deported five times, the last being in September 2024. His prior felony convictions include possession of a bludgeon and obstruction of justice, burglary of a dwelling with an explosive, and second-degree forgery of a public record.

On Wednesday, Mexican national Juan Gabriel Amezquita-Fabian attempted to enter the U.S. via the pedestrian lane at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry and allegedly presented a counterfeit State of Texas Birth Certificate along with a valid Texas ID card bearing the name, date of birth and photo of a different individual. A criminal complaint alleges Amezquita-Fabian stated he was a U.S. citizen and was returning home to El Paso after visiting family in Juarez, Mexico. Further inspection allegedly led to Amezquita-Fabian admitting to having lived in the U.S. illegally for approximately 30 years and that he paid $600 for the birth certificate and ID card. Amezquita-Fabian has been removed from the U.S. three times, the most recent being Dec. 15, 2025, following his fourth DUI conviction.

An El Paso man with five prior convictions was arrested at the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry and charged with alien smuggling. A criminal complaint alleges that Ronnie Oswaldo Carreon claimed he was the sole occupant of a vehicle that belonged to his sister, he had been living in Mexico, and he was traveling to visit his mother in El Paso. The complaint alleges that an X-ray of the vehicle depicted a person laying down between the back seat and trunk area, and during a secondary inspection, Customs and Border Protection officers discovered a female concealed in the cargo area underneath the floor panel.

Victor Eduardo De La Fuente, who was convicted of conspiracy to transport aliens in 2024, is again charged with alien smuggling after he was arrested Tuesday by USBP agents in El Paso. A criminal complaint alleges De La Fuente is the owner of a vehicle depicted in a TikTok video which showed the transfer of individuals from another vehicle to his. The complaint alleges that De La Fuente claims to be a U.S. citizen but lives in Juarez and that he had previously transported 10 illegal aliens for a fee of $100 per alien.

Jesus Emanuel Zendejas-Ovalle, also a Mexican national, was released to ICE Enforcement Removal Operations custody from the Bexar County Jail on Thursday. Zendejas-Ovalle had been serving a three-year sentence after being convicted of felon in possession of a firearm in 2023. He was previously removed from the U.S. in November 2014.

Mexican national Alberto Guebara-Urbina was also released to ICE ERO on Thursday. He was encountered at the Comal County Jail on Sept. 1, 2025, after he was arrested for a DWI. Guebara-Urbina was last removed from the U.S. to Mexico in 2007. In 2003, he was convicted of assault in the first degree and sentenced to five years of confinement.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

These 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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SAN ANTONIO – A federal grand jury in San Antonio returned an indictment Wednesday charging a Bexar County man with three counts related to his alleged tampering with public water systems, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents, Mark Anthony Cadena, 36, is alleged to have knowingly tampered with and attempted to tamper with a public water system on or about Feb. 2, 2025. The indictment also alleges Cadena hacked into the water utility’s well and pump control systems, intentionally causing at least $5,000 in damage to a protected computer threatening public health and safety.

Cadena is charged with one count of tampering with public water systems, one count of attempted tampering with public water systems, and one count of fraud and related activity in connection with computers. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison for count one and 10 years in prison each for counts two and three. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Mangels is prosecuting the case.

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

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DEL RIO, Texas – A Houston man was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 41 months in prison for conspiring to transport illegal aliens in his commercial semitruck, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents, Francisco Javier Diaz, 35, was arrested at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint near Eagle Pass on May 3, 2024. While Diaz waited in his semitruck in the inspection lane, a USBP canine conducted a free air sniff and alerted agents to the sleeper compartment of the vehicle. Further inspection revealed five people under the mattress in the compartment and an additional man hidden in a compartment on the side of the bed. All six passengers were determined to be illegal aliens, whom Diaz was transporting from Eagle Pass to Houston.

Diaz was indicted for one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, to which he pleaded guilty on Aug. 19, 2024. Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses presided over the case.

ICE Homeland Security Investigations and the USBP investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nallely Duarte 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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SAN ANTONIO – Two San Antonio men were arrested Tuesday on criminal charges related to their alleged conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents, Gerardo Pineda-Gallegos and Jose Lopez-Ruiz were identified as distributors of methamphetamine, participating in the transportation, packaging and distribution of narcotics. A criminal complaint alleges that Pineda-Gallegos and Lopez-Ruiz were at a wholesale produce distribution warehouse on Dec. 15, 2025, where they received large shipments of methamphetamine concealed within fresh produce. The complaint alleges Pineda-Gallegos and Lopez-Ruiz walked in and out of the warehouse multiple times before entering a cargo van and driving to an office space where they stored the methamphetamine that was concealed in the produce shipments. From there, the drugs were prepared for distribution. 

On Feb. 3, federal agents from the DEA and FBI, along with the officers from San Antonio Police Department’s High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) unit, executed a court-authorized search warrant on the office space. During the search, agents located approximately 100 boxes containing fresh heads of lettuce. A criminal complaint alleges that the agents searched the lettuce and discovered 998 ball-shaped packages of methamphetamine, with a total weight of approximately 555 kilograms.

Pineda-Gallegos and Lopez-Ruiz were arrested and charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. If convicted, they face 10 years to life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

As part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), the DEA and FBI are investigating the case with assistance from SAPD, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Nowinski is prosecuting the case.

This case is being investigated and prosecuted by the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America. HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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SAN ANTONIO – United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas Justin R. Simmons announced today that the district prosecuted 11,542 border security cases and defended 652 civil immigration cases in 2025.

“In the first year of this administration, the Western District of Texas has worked tirelessly to prosecute thousands of cases that directly support border security and public safety, achieving strong and meaningful outcomes across a wide range of offenses,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “Through Operation Take Back America, our prosecutors have partnered with the U.S. Border Patrol, ICE and Homeland Security Investigations, the DEA, the FBI, and our state and local law enforcement partners, targeting violent offenders, human smugglers, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten our communities and way of life. The many cases prosecuted last year in the Western District reflect our commitment to enforcing federal law, restoring order at the border, and ensuring that those who exploit or endanger others are held accountable in court.”

Among the prosecutions, Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez was indicted as the first Mexican national charged with providing material support to a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). According to court documents, Navarro-Sanchez conspired with others to provide and attempted to provide grenades to the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG). The indictment also alleged that Navarro-Sanchez engaged in alien smuggling, firearms trafficking, bulk cash smuggling, and narcotics trafficking on behalf of CJNG.

On Jan. 20, 2025, President Trump directed the Justice Department and other agencies to pursue the total elimination of Mexican drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations because of the serious threat they pose to the United States and the security and stability of the U.S. border with Mexico. On Feb. 20, the U.S. Department of State announced the designation of eight international cartels, including CJNG, as FTOs and specially designated global terrorists. These designations allow prosecutors to bring much stronger criminal charges in the ongoing effort to maintain the security of our nation’s borders.

The case against Navarro-Sanchez is being investigated and prosecuted by the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America. HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

In San Antonio, two convicted human smugglers were tried and sentenced in a federal court for their prominent roles in the 2022 mass casualty human smuggling conspiracy that resulted in the deaths of 47 adults and six children. Felipe Orduna-Torres and Armando Gonzales-Ortega were sentenced to life in prison and 1,050 months in prison, respectively, after being found guilty by a federal jury for transportation of aliens within the U.S. resulting in death, causing serious bodily injury, and placing lives in jeopardy.

Five other defendants in this case have pleaded guilty for their involvement in the smuggling event. Homero Zamorano Jr. is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 18; Riley Covarrubias-Ponce is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 26; Christian Martinez is scheduled to be sentenced on March 5; and Luis Alberto Rivera-Leal is scheduled to be sentenced on April 2. Juan Francisco D’Luna Bilbao, indicted separately, is scheduled to be sentenced March 26.

In a related case, Rigoberto Ramon Miranda-Orozco, who was extradited from Guatemala, allegedly worked with the human smuggling organization (HSO) to smuggle aliens into the U.S. on the same fatal journey orchestrated by Orduna-Torres and his co-conspirators. Miranda-Orozco is in custody and awaiting trial.

In El Paso, Manuel Valenzuela, a lawful permanent resident, pleaded guilty in federal court to four charges related to his role in a scheme to smuggle children from Mexico into the U.S.

According to court documents, members of an alien smuggling organization brought unaccompanied alien children between the ages of five and 13 illegally into the U.S. from Juarez, Mexico, sometimes using candy laced with THC to sedate them during smuggling events. The drivers and their coconspirators would then present U.S. documents to inspecting officers, falsely claiming the documents belonged to the children, and that they were the parents of the children. Once inside the United States, the children were then transported to El Paso. During one smuggling event, one of the children was taken to a local hospital and diagnosed with THC poisoning.

Valenzuela was specifically responsible for picking up the children after they were smuggled into the country and providing payment to the drivers. Valenzuela was arrested on Aug. 30 with co-defendant Dianne Guadian, a U.S. citizen. Valenzuela, Guadian, and two additional co-defendants, Mexican nationals Susana Guadian and Daniel Guadian, were charged in a five-count indictment on Sept. 24.

These investigations and prosecutions are the result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). JTFA, which is primarily tasked with combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs), is a highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. 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 U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) 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 435 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 385 U.S. convictions; more than 330 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.

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AUSTIN, Texas – A Round Rock man was arrested Monday on criminal charges related to his alleged robbery of an Austin Telco Federal Credit Union, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, Syntedrick Tramaine Brown allegedly entered the Austin Telco FCU at approximately 10:09 a.m. on Jan. 28, wearing a brown wig with a brightly colored headband, red reflective sunglasses, a black mask, along with a dark hooded sweatshirt and reflective yellow safety vest. A criminal complaint alleges Brown climbed over the teller counter holding what appeared to be a semiautomatic pistol and told employees to lie on the floor and not look at him. The complaint further alleges Brown instructed employees to move to the back room of the FCU, then directed the bank manager to remove U.S. currency from a cash machine. Brown allegedly placed the currency in a black plastic trash bag and asked if the U.S. currency included any “funny money” or contained any “trackers.”

After collecting the currency, Brown allegedly instructed employees to enter a bathroom and told them not to leave the bathroom. Surveillance images show Brown exiting the FCU at approximately 10:16 a.m. and driving away in the vehicle in which he arrived, which was later determined to be stolen. An investigation determined Brown stole approximately $113,000 from the FCU.

On Feb. 2, FBI agents served a search warrant at an apartment and allegedly discovered a variety of evidence connected to the FCU robbery, including a brown wig with a brightly colored headband, red reflective sunglasses, a hard black mask, and a green hooded sweatshirt similar to the one worn in the FCU surveillance images. The criminal complaint also alleges that agents found a substantial quantity of U.S. currency in the apartment.

Brown is charged with one count of bank robbery. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI and Austin Police Department are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Buie is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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AUSTIN, Texas – A Honduran national was sentenced in a federal court in Austin to 375 months in prison for multiple armed robberies, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents, on Dec. 31, 2023, Christian Lopez-Burgos, 27, used a black-over-tan pistol during an attempted robbery of a fast-food restaurant on Interstate Highway 35 in Austin and a convenience store robbery on North Lamar Boulevard in Austin. From the convenience store, Lopez-Burgos and two other masked, armed males stole approximately $6,000 while Lopez-Burgos pointed his pistol at an employee working the cash register.

On Jan. 23, 2024, Lopez-Burgos was caught on security video driving the same vehicle from the two previous robberies as he and four co-conspirators robbed another convenience store on North Lamar Boulevard, brandishing firearms at two employees and stealing approximately $5,000 from the store’s cash register. Later that day, Lopez-Burgos arrived in his previously noted vehicle at a vape and smoke shop in San Marcos. He returned four days later, on Jan. 27, 2024, with three other individuals to rob the business, stealing CBD and kratom items, as well as glass pipes, while one of the robbers pointed a shotgun at a store employee and ripped a necklace from the victim’s neck.

Lopez-Burgos was also identified as one of three individuals who robbed another convenience store on Lamar Boulevard in Austin on Feb. 3, 2024. In that robbery, Lopez-Burgos and a co-conspirator entered the store brandishing firearms while the third robber served as a lookout at the front door. Lopez-Burgos demanded money from the store employee in a check-cashing room and fired three rounds at the victim in response to an alarm being pressed beneath the employee’s desk. Two other employees in the store then provided approximately $3,000 to the robbers.

Lopez-Burgos was arrested in Houston on Feb. 15, 2024, after he attempted to evade police in the same vehicle with which he committed most of the string of armed robberies. A search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of multiple articles of clothing and items both worn during the robberies and stolen from the robberies, including glass pipes and the necklace stolen from the vape and smoke shop employee. Searches of Lopez-Burgos’s phones revealed a photo of the black-over-tan handgun and internet searches related to robberies in Austin on Dec. 31, 2023.

Lopez-Burgos pleaded guilty in September to one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery; two counts of Hobbs Act robbery; two counts of discharge of firearm in furtherance of crime of violence; and one count of brandishing of firearm in furtherance of crime of violence. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman presided over the case.

The FBI along with the Austin, San Marcos, and Houston Police Departments investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Keith Henneke, Thomas Parnham and Gabriel Cohen 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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SAN ANTONIO – A Floresville man was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $90,000 in restitution to 18 victims for receipt of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents, Nathan Corey Van Zandt, 47, used file sharing software to find and download video and image files depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. On March 24, 2024, ICE Homeland Security Investigations seized Van Zandt’s cell phone, which contained more than 6,000 images of CSAM, including images depicting prepubescent children being sexually assaulted. A seized laptop revealed more than 9,000 images and 400 videos depicting CSAM, including infants and toddlers and files depicting bondage, sadistic, and masochistic conduct.

Van Zandt was arrested on March 28, 2024, and charged with one count of receipt of child pornography along with one count of possession of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to the receipt charge on Aug. 25, 2025. In addition to the imprisonment and restitution, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery sentenced Van Zandt to 10 years of supervised release. Van Zandt is also required to register as a sex offender.

ICE Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Thompson prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

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DEL RIO, Texas – A federal jury in Del Rio convicted a Cuban national for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Alejandro Ortiz-Mastrapa, 31, drove from Abilene to Del Rio on Aug. 9, 2025, to transport illegal aliens. He was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol agents prior to making contact with the illegal aliens he intended to pick up. Evidence found on Ortiz-Mastrapa’s phone revealed a series of messages with a facilitator, who coordinated the event.

Co-defendant Edian Orlando Ruiz-Cedeno was also charged in the conspiracy but pleaded guilty on Jan. 20.

The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nallely Duarte and Amy Greenbaum are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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AUSTIN, Texas – A Belarusian national was sentenced in a federal court in Austin to 51 months in prison for wire fraud and possession of a firearm by an illegal alien, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents, Pavel Dzmitrenka, 33, engaged in a large-scale, retail return wire fraud scheme, among others, primarily targeting The Home Depot. The retailer confirmed Dzmitrenka’s suspicious, ongoing pattern of high-volume purchase activity via their online store with subsequent product return activity was indicative of return fraud. Additionally, the retailer located hundreds of orders with suspected fraudulent UPS tracking entries identical to those associated with many of Dzmitrenka’s refunded orders.

The investigation revealed that Dzmitrenka manipulated UPS tracking information that would indicate that a parcel was successfully returned or received by the retailer, triggering the completion of the return and the issuance of a refund by the retailer. In these fraud schemes, once a refund is received, the individuals engaged in the fraud keep the item(s), resell them for a profit, or attempt to receive additional refunds on the same item(s).

A search warrant led to the discovery of thousands of emails, iMessages, WhatsApp chats, Telegram messages, photographs, videos, and screenshots showing Dzmitrenka was engaged in a retail return fraud scheme targeting numerous online retailers and services. Agents also discovered screenshots of communications depicting the arrangement of payments and execution of retail return fraud services, arranging for sale and shipment of fraudulently obtained merchandise by Dzmitrenka, and dozens of photographs and videos of large quantities of fraudulently obtained merchandise at his residence being prepared for shipment via USPS, FedEx, and UPS.

The intended loss to the defrauded businesses to-date exceeds $1 million. Dzmitrenka used proceeds from his fraud scheme to purchase a 2023 Ferrari 812 GTS and deposited proceeds into two separate bank accounts. At the time of his arrest, Dzmitrenka, knowing that he was an illegal alien living in the U.S. with an expired visa, was in possession of two pistols and a 12-gauge shotgun.

Dzmitrenka was arrested in February 2025 and named alongside two co-defendants in a four-count indictment. Dzmitrenka was charged with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit odometer tampering, marriage fraud, and possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. He pleaded guilty to counts one and four on Aug. 26. His co-defendants, Alexander Scott Berghefer and Gina Elmore, are pending trial.

ICE Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case with assistance from the Austin Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Henneke and Gabe Cohen 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 192 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Jan. 23 to Jan. 29, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for violent crimes, DWIs, and multiple prior removals.

Among the new cases, Mexican national Aurelio Murillo-Ruedas was arrested on Jan. 22 in Broadview, Illinois, near Chicago. Murillo-Ruedas became the subject of a human smuggling investigation in El Paso after ICE Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested 26 illegal aliens in a stash house on May 1, 2025. A criminal complaint affidavit alleges that Murillo-Ruedas was identified through WhatsApp communications in which he discussed approximately 12 smuggling schemes and sent a video of himself driving in the snow in or near Chicago. Additionally, a foot guide arrested in November 2024 identified Murillo-Ruedas as the individual he worked for. Murillo-Ruedas was allegedly paid around $6,500 to $7,000 for each illegal alien before he paid his associates who carried out his alien smuggling operations. Murillo-Ruedas is charged with bringing in or harboring aliens.

USBP agents arrested Jose Ozuna-Moreno after encountering foot prints of several individuals traveling north in the Calamity Gap area near Sierra Blanca. A criminal complaint alleges that Ozuna-Moreno was found with eight other illegal aliens. Ozuna-Moreno, who was in the country illegally and had prior apprehensions, allegedly admitted to being the foot guide for the group and expected to receive a discount for his own smuggling fees in return for his efforts on behalf of an alien smuggling organization. Ozuna-Moreno is charged with bringing in or harboring aliens.

Jose Angel Alvarado-Reyes, a Mexican national with prior convictions for sexual assault and illegal re-entry, was arrested by ICE Enforcement Removal Operations in El Paso during a worksite enforcement operation with ICE HSI and the U.S. Border Patrol. Alvarado-Reyes has been removed from the U.S. three times, the last being in 2005, and is again charged with illegal re-entry.

Mexican national Fredy Saligan-Perez was arrested near the Ysleta Port of Entry on Tuesday, after been previously removed to Mexico through Calexico, California in October 2025. In March 2025, Saligan-Perez was convicted in Utah for one count of child abuse with injury and one count of assault.

Martin Vaquera-Garcia, also a Mexican national, was arrested at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry when he was allegedly discovered attempting to smuggle a handgun and four magazines from the U.S. to Mexico. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers referred a passenger bus for inspection, and a scan allegedly revealed the magazines in a suitcase belonging to Vaquera-Garcia, who also admitted to concealing a 9mm handgun inside his medical fracture boot. A criminal complaint alleges that Vaquera-Garcia expected to be paid $150 for smuggling the firearm.

USBP agents arrested Salvadoran national Danys Ricardo Martinez-Lazo in Eagle Pass. In August 2025, Martinez-Lazo was convicted in Maryland for negligent manslaughter and sentenced to three years of confinement. He was removed to El Salvador on Nov. 24.

Mexican national Ramon Mendez-Escamilla was also arrested in Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. Mendez-Escamilla has been removed from the U.S. three times, the last being on Nov. 25, 2025. He has two prior convictions for DWIs and one for assault causing bodily injury to a family member.

In Pflugerville, Mexican national Edgar Martinez Rivera was charged with illegal re-entry after he was arrested for allegedly possessing a fraudulent passport. Pflugerville Police discovered the passport during a traffic stop and notified ICE. Martinez Rivera has been convicted of two DWIs, burglary of a building and, most recently, theft. He has two prior removals, the most recent being to Mexico on Jan. 10, 2025.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

These 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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DEL RIO, Texas – A San Antonio woman was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio on Thursday to 132 months in prison and ordered to pay a money judgment of $955,350 for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death.

According to court documents, Erica Aracely Carmona, 36, was a member of an Alien Smuggling Organization that smuggled illegal aliens to San Antonio from the area around Eagle Pass. Carmona’s role included coordinating smuggling operations with co-conspirators in Mexico and directing other members of the conspiracy in regard to payments and driver coordination.

On May 25, 2021, a driver with the ASO transported a trailer containing illegal aliens from a residence in Eagle Pass to San Antonio. When the trailer arrived, one of the aliens was near death, and died about one hour later. Co-conspirators dumped the deceased illegal alien into a ditch within a few miles of a Von Ormy property belonging to Carmona that was being used as a drop-off location. The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office recovered the body along with the deceased alien’s ID card on May 30, 2021.

ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) determined that Carmona had purchased the property in Von Ormy specifically for the purpose of alien smuggling with proceeds from the ASO’s operations. Following the arrest of co-conspirator Evan John Herrera, ICE HSI discovered WhatsApp communications pertaining to alien smuggling between Herrera and Carmona.

The ASO smuggled more than 500 illegal aliens and generated over $4.7 million in proceeds between January 2021 and July 2022. Throughout their operation, the ASO used custom made “tow-behind” trailers to transport illegal aliens. The ASO had begun to use an 18-wheeler with a false compartment inside the tractor trailer that held up to 40 aliens but that trailer was interdicted by federal law enforcement on the first smuggling attempt.

Carmona was arrested on Aug. 23, 2022, and pleaded guilty on Dec. 19, 2022. Herrera was sentenced on May 28, 2025, to 151 months in federal prison with credit for time served. Herrera was also ordered to pay a $955,350 money judgment. On May 1, 2025, co-defendant Miguel Angel Rivera was sentenced to 216 months with credit for time served. Additional co-defendants Pedro Luis Martinez-Jaquez and Jose Eduardo Rodriguez Moreno are scheduled to be sentenced in March. Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses presides over the case.

“Alien smuggling organizations and Mexican cartels will always value profit over human lives, and illegal aliens are routinely placed in extremely dangerous situations during their journey, often resulting in death,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons. “In San Antonio, we’ve seen firsthand how dangerous it can be to transport humans in trailers of any kind, especially tractor trailers. While we mourn the life lost in this case, the amazing work done by federal law enforcement to shut down this criminal organization and their continued use of a tractor trailer no doubt saved lives in the long run.”

“The loss of life in this case is a stark reminder that human smuggling is not just a crime—it is a deadly threat to our communities and those seeking a better future,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge John A. Pasciucco, HSI San Antonio. “Carmona’s sentencing demonstrates that HSI and our partners will relentlessly pursue and dismantle criminal organizations that prioritize profit over human life. We will not tolerate those who exploit and endanger vulnerable individuals, and we will continue to bring the full weight of justice against anyone responsible for these events.”

ICE HSI investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, and the Maverick County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Miner 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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A “tow-behind” trailer used by the organization to smuggle illegal aliens from Eagle Pass to San Antonio. The trailers were custom made by Alien Smuggling Organization member, Evan John Herrera, to conceal the illegal aliens in route.

Federal law enforcement interdicted an alien smuggling operation that used the “tow-behind” trailer.

The exterior of the tractor-trailer that was to be used by the organization to smuggle illegal aliens from Eagle Pass to San Antonio. The trailer was custom built to hold as many as 40 illegal aliens, and it was retrofitted with air conditioning in the false trap compartment. The organization had graduated from the “tow-behind” trailers to 18-wheelers to transport the illegal aliens. 

The top of the trailer that was to be used by the organization to smuggle illegal aliens from Eagle Pass to San Antonio. 

The interior of the false compartment that was to be used by the organization to smuggle illegal aliens from Eagle Pass to San Antonio.

MIDLAND, Texas – A Midland man was sentenced in federal court to 87 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to court documents, Manuel Trevino Padilla, 43, was previously convicted of trafficking methamphetamine. In August 2025, while Padilla was on federal supervised release, federal, state, and local law enforcement officers executed a state narcotics search warrant at Padilla’s home. Padilla attempted to flee out of the back of the residence but was detained. The search resulted in the discovery of two loaded firearms: a semi-automatic handgun and a revolver.

Padilla was arrested on Aug. 19, 2025, and charged in a one-count indictment on Aug. 27. He pleaded guilty to the indictment on Oct. 16. U.S. District Court Judge David Counts sentenced Padilla in Midland on Jan. 20.

Justin R. Simmons, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, made the announcement.

ICE Homeland Security Investigations, the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigative Division, and the Midland County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Haywood prosecuted the case.

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EL PASO, Texas – Two Mexican nationals were sentenced in a federal court in El Paso to multiple years in prison for conducting an illegal alien smuggling operation that resulted in death, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents, on Jan. 16, 2025, Benjamin Guatzozon-Gonzalez, 24, and Alfredo Silva De La Cruz, 42, both of Ciudad Juarez, were located by U.S. Border Patrol agents north of the Rio Grande River. Guatzozon-Gonzalez and De La Cruz and at least one other individual had scaled the border fence approximately 12 miles west of the Tornillo Port of Entry. Guatzozon-Gonzalez told the USBP agents that he and De La Cruz left the third subject behind after the subject collapsed from an alleged heart attack. Assisting agents located the third subject, who remained unresponsive despite rescue efforts. The individual was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Further investigation revealed that Guatzozon-Gonzalez was working with the La Empresa cartel and had agreed to serve as a foot guide for the alien smuggling scheme. Agents also learned Guatzozon-Gonzalez smuggled around 20 illegal aliens total on approximately 16 other occasions over about a one-month period.

De La Cruz stated he also served as a foot guide and smuggled around 50 illegal aliens on approximately 27 occasions over a period of one and a half years.

On Jan. 22, U.S. District Judge David Briones sentenced Guatzozon-Gonzalez to 36 months in federal prison, and De La Cruz to 45 months in federal prison.

ICE Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mathew Engelbaum 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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EL PASO, Texas – An El Paso man was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to 33 months in prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to use a border tunnel to smuggle aliens.

On Jan. 10, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol and ICE Homeland Security Investigations agents discovered a man-made tunnel connecting Juarez, Mexico and El Paso. According to court documents, Oscar Ivan Carrillo, 20, along with co-conspirators, used handheld tools to create new tunnels connecting existing storm drain tunnels to the man-made tunnel. Carrillo and the others would guide aliens through the tunnels and into the U.S. At the tunnel exit, a box truck modified with a trap door was driven over a manhole cover; the trap door was then opened, allowing the aliens to climb up out of the tunnel and into the box truck without being detected.

Carillo was named in a four-count indictment on April 2, 2025, and arrested on June 10. On Nov. 4, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to use a border tunnel.

“Mexican drug cartels and the alien smuggling organizations (ASOs) with which they partner care nothing about the hopes and dreams of those they illegally smuggle into the United States,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons. “They care only about the money each of the illegal aliens pay to be smuggled. Even after putting their lives at risk by entering the country using the method employed in this case, as well as more dangerous methods, the cartels and their ASOs often extort these illegal aliens by holding them in U.S. stash houses until their family members can pay additional money for their release. In the Western District of Texas, in support of our law enforcement partners with U.S. Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations, we will always aggressively pursue alien smugglers because doing so hits cartels right where it hurts: in the pocketbook. And weakening Mexican drug cartels makes this country a place where Americans cannot just survive, but thrive.”

“This case highlights the relentless efforts of our special agents and U.S. Border Patrol partners to disrupt dangerous smuggling operations,” said Taekuk Cho, ICE HSI El Paso acting Special Agent in Charge. “Criminals continue to innovate and exploit our border for profit, putting lives at risk and undermining our nation’s security. Through coordinated efforts and strategic partnerships, we are committed to identifying, investigating, and dismantling these dangerous smuggling networks.”

“This case demonstrates the unwavering commitment and teamwork of our U.S. Border Patrol agents and partners to dismantle dangerous smuggling operations,” said El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Jesse D. Munoz. “The discovery and shutdown of this sophisticated tunnel, and the successful prosecution of one of those responsible, sends a clear message: We will relentlessly pursue those who threaten our border security and bring them to justice.”

ICE HSI and the U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mathew Engelbaum prosecuted the case as part of Joint Task Force Alpha.

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), is a highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. 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 U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) 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 435 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 385 U.S. convictions; more than 330 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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Image showing the white box truck parked at the storm drain exit 

Image of the modification to the floor of the box truck, allowing access into the back of the box from the tunnel

Image of the modification allowing access from the storm drain. It also displays an image of the ladder left behind during a foiled smuggling event located inside the storm drain

SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 209 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Jan. 16 to Jan. 22, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for violent crimes, DWIs, and multiple prior removals.

Among the new cases, German Rodriguez-Hernandez allegedly attempted to run an ICE-Enforcement and Removal Operations vehicle off the road during the officer’s pursuit of another vehicle in Austin on Jan. 12. A criminal complaint alleges that after ICE-ERO successfully stopped the vehicle they were pursuing, the ICE-ERO officer was exiting his vehicle when Rodriguez-Hernandez intentionally veered his vehicle from its traffic lane into the driver’s side door of the ICE-ERO vehicle, nearly ripping the door off in the collision. The officer was able to avoid injury, but Rodriguez-Hernandez allegedly fled the scene at a high rate of speed. Immigration records confirmed that Rodriguez-Hernandez was illegally present in the U.S. He was arrested on Jan. 22 and charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding a federal officer.

Julio Leal, a U.S. citizen, was charged with alien smuggling in El Paso. A criminal complaint alleges Leal picked up five illegal aliens east of the Tornillo Port of Entry and was stopped by U.S. Border Patrol on Texas Highway 20 in Hudspeth County. USBP agents allegedly observed that the five aliens were muddy and attempting to conceal themselves in the backseat of Leal’s vehicle. The complaint further alleges that Leal was hired to transport the aliens to a stash house and was going to be paid $800 for each individual he picked up.

Fernando Javier Marin, also a U.S. citizen, faces alien smuggling charges after he was stopped by a USBP agent in Tornillo on Jan. 19. A criminal complaint alleges that Marin fled on foot during the traffic stop, and four illegal aliens also exited his vehicle. Marin was allegedly located trying to conceal himself inside an irrigation culvert and was arrested. Marin was previously convicted for bringing in and harboring aliens in September 2023, for which he was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison.

Mexican national Cristino Rodriguez-Toribio was arrested for illegal re-entry on Jan. 20. A criminal complaint alleges Rodriguez-Toribio was the driver of a van that entered the immigration inspection lane at the Sierra Blanca Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 10, and did not have immigration documents allowing him to be or remain in the United States legally. Rodriguez-Toribio was previously removed from the U.S. to Mexico in 2018 through Nogales, Arizona. He has two prior DUI convictions as well as a conviction for driving without a license.

Mexican national Mario Galan-Cruz was also charged with illegal re-entry after he was allegedly found approximately one mile east of the Tornillo Port of Entry. Galan-Cruz was removed from the U.S. to Mexico for the third time in November 2025. In October 2025, he was convicted in Michigan for assault with a dangerous weapon.

Mexican national Cirenio Hernandez Guillen was charged with illegal re-entry in Austin, having been previously removed from the U.S. two time in addition to three voluntary returns. Hernandez Guillen has four prior DWI convictions and one conviction for aggravated assault with a domestic weapon.

Moises Amezquita-Mendoza, also a Mexican national, was arrested near Val Verde for being an alien illegally present in the U.S. Amezquita-Mendoza was removed to Mexico for the third time in October 2025 following a DWI conviction.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

These 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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SAN ANTONIO – A New Braunfels woman was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $1.25 million in restitution for wire fraud.

According to court documents, Telise Marie Armke, 56, befriended an elderly couple in 2019 and falsely claimed that she was going to receive funds from FEMA due to her home being in a flood zone. As part of her fraud scheme, Armke convinced the couple to “lend” her money to pay property taxes, pay off liens on her home, and pay insurance premiums for her home, as well as various filing fees, attorney’s fees and non-descript contract fees. Armke falsely told the couple that once the payments were made, FEMA would release the funds to her, and she would then pay back any money she received from the victims. In reality, Armke spent the majority of the funds at gas station casinos in and around New Braunfels.

Armke was arrested on March 24, 2023, and charged with four counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She pleaded guilty on July 17, 2025. U.S. District Court Judge Orlando Garcia sentenced Armke to 30 months in federal prison and ordered her to pay the victims’ total loss of $1,251,206 in restitution.

“Telise Armke is a predator, plain and simple,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “She pestered and harangued her way into the lives of her victims and conned them into giving her money they spent a lifetime earning. In the Western District, we’re committed to holding predators like Telise Armke accountable for their actions and to doing what we can to give their victims some sense of justice.”

“The defendant exploited a relationship of trust to obtain money from an elderly couple by falsely presenting the theft as a disaster-related loan, abusing their kindness and good faith for personal gain,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Alex Doran of the FBI San Antonio Field Office. “The FBI will continue to pursue fraudsters who exploit trust. We encourage the reporting of elder fraud to help identify patterns, stop offenders, and protect others, even when losses occur through personal relationships or informal loans.”

The FBI investigated the case.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Porier prosecuted the case.

More information about the department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage. If you believe you or someone you know may have been a victim of elder fraud, file a complaint at the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov.

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SAN ANTONIO – A Mexican citizen residing in Poteet with Permanent Resident status was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio today to 108 months in prison for distributing four kilograms of pure methamphetamine on three separate occasions.

According to court documents, Sabino Diaz-Silva, 63, used his ties to Mexico to directly communicate with a Mexican source of supply regarding the importation and distribution of methamphetamine in the United States. On two separate occasions in October 2022, Diaz-Silva sold one kilogram of methamphetamine to an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agent. On Dec. 5, 2022, the Texas Department of Public Safety stopped Diaz-Silva and found two kilograms of methamphetamine hidden inside the trunk of his vehicle.

Diaz-Silva was charged in a federal indictment on Oct. 4, 2023, and taken into federal custody on Dec. 6, 2023. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a mixture or substance containing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.

Diaz-Silva will face deportation to Mexico once his sentence of imprisonment is completed.

U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

The DEA and TX DPS investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Spears 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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EL PASO, Texas – Dr. Brian August, located in El Paso, has agreed to pay $200,000 to resolve allegations that he violated the Controlled Substances Act, the False Claims Act, and the Texas Health Care Program Fraud Prevention Act.

The allegations involved the issuance of 255 controlled substance prescriptions to 15 individuals between Dec. 23, 2017, and May 22, 2021. These included various prescriptions for the Schedule II controlled substances morphine, fentanyl, hydrocodone-acetaminophen, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, hydromorphone extended release; oxycodone hydrochloride extended release, tapentadol, oxymorphone; and the Schedule IV controlled substances carisoprodol, zolpidem, clonazepam, alprazolam, and tramadol. The United States alleged Dr. August issued individual and concurrent prescriptions for these controlled substances to 15 individuals without complying with the minimum requirements imposed on Texas physicians in treating patients for pain or chronic pain conditions; documenting a legitimate medical purpose; demonstrating medical necessity for such prescriptions; and demonstrating the prescriptions were issued in the usual course of professional practice.

The United States and Texas further contended August violated the False Claims Act and the Texas Health Care Fraud Prevention Act as the 15 individuals referenced above were beneficiaries of the Medicare Part D and/or Texas Medicaid programs. As these prescriptions were not issued for a legitimate medical purpose, they were not eligible for reimbursement by either program. The $200,000 being paid by August includes $994.22 in restitution to the Texas Medicaid Program and $44,380.55 in restitution to the Medicare Part D program. The remainder constitutes civil damages under the FCA, the THCFPA, and civil penalties under the CSA.

August previously surrendered his DEA registration and will not seek a new registration. Further, August has affirmatively surrendered his license to practice medicine in the State of Texas as a condition of settlement; his license was previously suspended by the Texas Medical Board during the pendency of this matter.

The resolutions obtained in this matter were the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, and the Texas Office of the Attorney General.

U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Eduardo Castillo investigated the matter, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Van De Walle settling it.

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

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AUSTIN, Texas – A Round Rock man was sentenced in a federal court in Austin today to 30 months in prison for possession of a machinegun.

According to court documents, Ashton Blake Donaldson, 22, knowingly built an illegal machinegun—specifically a fully-automatic .300 AAC Blackout caliber AR-platform pistol—and kept it in a commercial storage unit that he used and controlled.

Donaldson was arrested on May 22, 2025, after he sold multiple privately manufactured machineguns to an undercover agent. He was charged with two counts of possession and transfer of a machinegun and one count of possession of a machinegun. Donaldson pleaded guilty to the third count on July 24, 2025.

U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, FBI, Round Rock Police Department, and Austin Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Buie prosecuted the case.

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SAN ANTONIO – A Mexican national was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio today to 384 months in prison for selling methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and illegal re-entry into the United States.

According to court documents, Ricardo Mujica-Calderon, 36, sold methamphetamine from his vehicle at a motel in San Antonio in January 2022. During a search warrant on his residence in April 2022, Mujica-Calderon fled through his backyard and was located approximately one block away. He falsely identified himself with a Mexican ID card in another person’s name. During his transport to jail, Mujica-Calderon slipped his left handcuff and became violent with a law enforcement officer, who was able to re-secure Mujica-Calderon.   

In the search of Mujica-Calderon’s home, Drug Enforcement Administration agents found 13 kgs of methamphetamine in a guest bedroom closet and five firearms in the master bedroom, several of which were loaded with extended magazines. Also in the master bedroom, DEA agents discovered a safe containing approximately 192.5 grams of methamphetamine and 227.7 grams of cocaine, as well as $12,725 and a semi-automatic pistol that had been reported stolen.

Mujica-Calderon was named in a six-count indictment on May 4, 2022. On Oct. 17, 2025, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 500 kgs of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of illegal re-entry into the United States. U.S. District Court Judge Jason K. Pulliam presided over the case.

“This successful prosecution of a felon with multiple convictions for illegal re-entry, assault of a family member, and a DWI with a child under 15 years of age is a great example of the level of collaboration that can be achieved between federal, state, and local law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “In the Western District of Texas, we will continue to work with all of our law enforcement partners to hold criminal illegal aliens accountable for poisoning our communities and committing violent crimes.”

“Mujica-Calderon profited from peddling poison in our San Antonio neighborhoods,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge of the San Antonio Division Miguel Madrigal, "When DEA agents searched his home, they found not only lethal drugs but also numerous firearms, some of which were stolen. We've seen time and time again that when drugs and guns are together, violence is always looming. There will never be a place for those who bring about devastation to our communities.”

“ICE will continue working with our law enforcement partners to identify illegal aliens who are not only illegally present in this country, but also commit crimes and endanger our communities,” said ICE San Antonio Enforcement and Removal Operations Field Office Director Miguel Vergara. “ICE placed a detainer on this criminal illegal alien. Upon his release from custody, he will be transferred to ICE and deported to his home country.”

The DEA, ICE, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Devine Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Yuen 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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SAN ANTONIO – United States Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced that federal prosecutors in the district filed 229 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Jan. 9 to Jan. 15. Additionally, the district received 125 new habeas petitions bringing a total of 817 civil immigration cases received since Jan. 20, 2025. Charges were brought against illegal aliens with past convictions for violent crimes and DWIs, as well as alleged human smugglers and aliens with multiple prior removals.

Among the cases, Ricardo Mujica-Calderon, a Mexican national, had illegally re-entered the United States, and sold a kilogram of methamphetamine to a confidential source. When agents executed a search warrant at Mujica’s house, he slammed the door shut and fled before being arrested in a neighbor's yard. Agents found approximately 13 kilograms of methamphetamine in Mujica’s home. Agents also found an AR-15, two "ghost guns", and three other pistols, all of which were loaded. While being transferred to jail, Mujica fought the officer in an attempt to escape. The officer pulled over, requested assistance from local authorities, and was able to secure him preventing the escape. Mujica’s criminal record includes a conviction for assault of a family member by choking/strangulation; a conviction for driving while intoxicated with a child under 15 years of age; and two convictions for illegal re-entry into the United States.

On Jan. 13, ICE officers were conducting operations in San Antonio and approached a vehicle registered to Robyn Argote-Brooks. The driver, Argote, a Cuban national, had entered the US in Laredo where Customs and Border Protection issued Argote a Notice to Appear and paroled him into the U.S. on Oct. 11, 2024. His parole had been terminated on April 18, 2025. When officers decided to apprehend Argote, Argote rolled up his window and refused to come out. Argote turned on the ignition and drove his car in reverse causing the officers to jump out of the way of the moving vehicle. Argote then drove forward crashing into another government vehicle and injuring the officer who was driving that vehicle. In so doing, Argote caused $4,847.19 in damage. Argote was placed under arrest and transferred for processing. 

On Jan. 9, in Frio County, Rodrigo Jose Cedeno-Espinos, a citizen of Venezuela who illegally entered the U.S. on or about Oct. 1, 2023, attempted to escape the Dilley Immigration Processing Center by scaling the perimeter fence after having been detained for immigration proceedings. The Dilley Police Department was notified and Cedeno was in custody within an hour.

A Hollywood Park Police Officer conducting a traffic stop for a traffic violation on Jan. 10, encountered four suspected foreign nationals. After requesting assistance from ICE/ERO, database checks identified Jesus Antonio Flores-Pineda, a citizen of El Salvador who had been previously removed from the U.S. to El Salvador on Dec. 23, 2022. Flores had been convicted in Nevada for Statutory Sexual Seduction and sentenced to a maximum of 48 months and a minimum of 16 months confinement. Flores has not been granted permission to reapply for admission to the United States after his removal.

Lenin Israel Guifarro-Almendarez, an alien to the United States, was found in a storm ditch approximately 0.18 miles west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry in El Paso, on Jan. 16. The arresting agent determined that Guifarro is a native and citizen of Honduras without immigration documents allowing him to be or remain in the United States legally. Guifarro had previously been removed from the U.S. to Honduras on Dec. 2, 2024, through Alexandria, Louisiana.

On Jan. 6, at the James R. Dominguez checkpoint on Highway 90 near Uvalde, a canine alerted Customs and Border Protection personnel to a black sedan. Passenger Maximiliano Arellano became combative, refused commands, and struck a Border Patrol agent in the chest, then resisted on the ground. Arellano is charged with one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding a federal officer.

Border Patrol Agents in Eagle Pass arrested Nelson Alexander Velasquez-Velasquez on Jan. 12.  Velasquez was determined to be in the U.S. illegally after having previously deported on November 18, 2016, through Del Rio.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

These 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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DEL RIO, Texas – A Guatemalan national was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 360 months in prison for alien smuggling and hostage taking.

According to court documents, Edwin Alfredo Barrientos-Mateo aka “Waches,” 23, was arrested, along with co-conspirator Nelson Abilio Castro-Zelaya, at an apartment in Austin where nine illegal aliens had been held as part of a human smuggling scheme. Three of the illegal aliens being held were a family consisting of a man, pregnant woman, and their seven-year-old child. The day prior to their discovery in Austin, the Eagle Pass Police Department received a report that the family was being held involuntarily and that an alien smuggling organization was demanding a $21,000 payment for the family’s release.

Barrientos-Mateo was named in a six-count indictment on April 24, 2024, and was arrested on May 15, 2024. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit hostage taking on Nov. 4, 2024.

Castro-Zelaya was sentenced in November 2025 to 180 months in federal prison. All other co-defendants have pleaded guilty and are pending sentencing. Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses presides over the case.

“Alien smuggling organizations care nothing about the hopes and dreams of those they smuggle,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “When they look at an illegal alien, all they see is a dollar sign. Do not trust them with your life because the only life they really care about is their own.”

Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol, and the Texas Department of Public Safety investigated the case with assistance from the Eagle Pass Police Department, Austin Police Department, Houston Police Department and the Comal County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Miner is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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AUSTIN, Texas – A former Bastrop federal correctional officer made his initial appearance in a federal court in Austin today and pleaded guilty to one count of bribery.

According to court documents, Waldemar Perez, 49, worked as a correctional officer at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Bastrop from approximately May 23, 2021, to May 11, 2023. While employed there as a public official, he developed a business and practice of smuggling prohibited items into FCI Bastrop and providing them to prisoners in return for bribes. Perez would receive prohibited items from the prisoners’ friends and relatives outside the facility, secretly transport the items into the prison, hide them in various locations, and notify the prisoners where to find them.

During the two years that Perez engaged in the bribery scheme, he received tens of thousands of dollars in bribes from prisoners or others paying on their behalf. In one instance, on May 3, 2023, Perez received an electronic transfer of $300 as a bribe to smuggle prohibited items such as cigarettes and electronic cigarettes into FCI Bastrop and provide them to one inmate.

Perez faces up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

The FBI and Department of Justice Office of Inspector General investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Buie is prosecuting the case.

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SAN ANTONIO – United States Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced today that federal prosecutors in the district filed 735 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Dec. 19, 2025 to Jan. 8, 2026. Charges were brought against illegal aliens with past convictions for violent crimes and DWIs, as well as alleged human smugglers and aliens with multiple prior removals.

Among the cases, U.S. citizen Kenya Rodriguez-Marcial was arrested on Christmas Eve and charged with conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens. A criminal complaint alleges Rodriguez-Marcial attempted to enter the U.S. via pedestrian lanes at the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry, claiming she was going to pick up items for Christmas dinner. Upon inspection of her purse, the Customs and Border Protection Officer allegedly observed a stack of $100 U.S. Dollar bills and $500 Mexican Peso bills folded in half with a rubber band. According to the complaint, further inspection revealed the currency totaled $1,300 USD and 11,500 MXN. Rodriguez-Marcial allegedly confessed that the money was proceeds from her involvement in alien smuggling, and that she was enroute to care for and feed two illegal alien children in El Paso. On her phone, CBPOs allegedly found a “proof of life” video recording of a female child stating she was in El Paso on Dec. 23, 2025, along with multiple text conversations between Rodriguez-Marcial and another individual, one relating to smuggling a girl on Dec. 23.

In a separate smuggling incident, U.S. Border Patrol agents conducted a vehicle stop on Interstate-10 west of Sierra Blanca after allegedly observing several individuals load into the vehicle in the westbound lane of the highway. A criminal complaint alleges that, when a USBP agent approved the vehicle during the stop, the agent observed two front passengers and several other subjects lying in the cargo area of the vehicle. The driver, Alexis Antillon-Rey, allegedly opened his car door and attempted to exit. Antillon-Rey, who is a Mexican national and allegedly a pickup driver for an Alien Smuggling Organization, was determined to be in the U.S. illegally—as were the six other individuals in his vehicle who were bound for El Paso. One of the passengers, Ecuadoran national Manuel Leonardo Caiza-Deleg, allegedly served as the group’s guide and communicated with Antillon-Rey to coordinate the smuggling scheme. Both Antillon-Rey and Caiza-Deleg are charged with alien smuggling.

Mexican national and felon Miguel Angel Martinez-Ruiz was arrested in El Paso and charged with illegal re-entry after being removed to Mexico on Oct. 31 through San Ysidro, California. Martinez-Ruiz was convicted in 2022 for assault with a deadly weapon causing brain injury and paralysis, for which he was sentenced to seven years in prison. He was also convicted three times for driving without a license.

Marcio Steven Izaguirre, who is a Honduran national and convicted child molester, was arrested near Maverick for being in the U.S. illegally. Izaguirre has been deported from the U.S. three times. He was also convicted for contributing to the delinquency of a minor as well as illegal re-entry after an aggravated felony conviction.

Milton Edgardo Hernandez-Flores, also a Honduran national, was charged with illegal re-entry after being arrested by USBP agents near Maverick. Hernandez-Flores has been granted four voluntary returns and has been deported three times, the last one being on Sept. 15, 2025. Prior felony convictions include possession of a narcotic controlled substance, robbery/conspiracy/threats, and assault with a deadly weapon.

Honduran national Juan Fernando Lara-Saavedra was arrested in Buda and charged with illegal re-entry. Lara-Saavedra was previously removed from the U.S. to Honduras in 2014 following a conviction for aggravated battery in Louisiana.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Jose Antonio Calderon, a Salvadoran national, in Kyle. Calderon was previously convicted for aggravated assault against a public servant and resisting arrest. He was removed from the U.S. twice in 2010 and is now charged with illegal re-entry.

Mexican national Alejandro Martinez Jaimes was found in the Travis County Jail on Jan. 1, after being arrested for failing to identify. He was taken into ICE custody and charged with illegal re-entry. In 2022, Martinez Jaimes was convicted for alien smuggling and sentenced to 15 months in federal prison. He was removed from the U.S. in Nov. 2023.

Reynaldo Rofino-Octaviano, a Mexican national with three prior DWI convictions, was found in El Paso approximately a quarter mile west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry. He has been previously removed from the U.S. three times, the last one being to Mexico in November. Rofino-Octaviano’s other prior convictions include driving with a suspended license and a felony conviction for possession of a controlled substance.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

These 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 (TCOs), 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 (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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SAN ANTONIO – A former IRS employee was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to 24 months in prison and a $150,000 fine for preparing false tax returns.

According to court documents, Hector Cavazos, 63, of San Antonio, owned and operated a tax return preparation business, where he aided and assisted in the preparation of 61 false tax returns on behalf of 13 taxpayer-clients and one undercover agent for tax years 2016 through 2021. Defying IRS regulations, Cavazos did not sign any of the returns as a paid preparer. Additionally, the 61 tax returns prepared by Cavazos contained false Schedule C losses, unbeknownst to the 13 taxpayer-clients. The 61 violations amounted to a tax loss of $579,682.

Cavazos had been employed by the IRS until 1996, when he was arrested and charged with fraud in the Eastern District of California. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy and collusion with another person to defraud the United States and was sentenced on Nov. 6, 2000, to two months in prison.

On Sept. 4, 2024, Cavazos was indicted on 27 counts of preparing false tax returns. He pleaded guilty to one count on July 1, 2025. In addition to ordering the prison sentence and fine, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery barred Cavazos from preparing, aiding and assisting in the preparation of tax returns.

“Unscrupulous tax return preparers such as Hector Cavazos cause incalculable harm not only to the U.S. Treasury and all U.S. taxpayers, but also their own clients who face the possibility of additional taxes plus interest and penalties,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “The multi-year prison sentence and fine imposed in this case reflects the seriousness of this offense, and my office will continue to prosecute individuals who violate federal tax laws.”

“Cavazos never signed his name or provided an IRS Preparer Tax Identification Number. He was a ghost preparer. He made his fraud look like his clients prepared the returns,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Troy Caldron of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Houston Field Office, which includes San Antonio. “Not only did he betray his clients, Cavazos also betrayed the trust that tax payers have in the profession of tax preparers. Tax season is approaching, and everyone needs to be diligent in selecting who prepares their taxes.”

IRS-CI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Harris prosecuted the case.

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AUSTIN, Texas – A former elementary school teacher pleaded guilty in a federal court in Austin today to possession of child pornography.

According to court documents, a digital forensic analysis of seized devices determined that Carl David Innmon, 51, possessed more than 16,000 files depicting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on a laptop computer and an additional 349,728 files depicting CSAM on an external hard drive. Thousands of the images possessed by Innmon involved prepubescent minors under the age of 12.

Innmon was a fifth-grade teacher in the Austin Independent School District at the time of his April 2025 arrest and had previously worked as a substitute teacher at approximately 20 other schools within the district. He faces up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

The Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Grant Sparks is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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A San Antonio-based member of the Nihilistic Violent Extremist (NVE) group 764 pleaded guilty today to racketeering activity and multiple acts relating to the sexual exploitation of children.

“The FBI will not rest when it comes to identifying and holding accountable those who prey on children and other vulnerable individuals,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The court documents show the defendant coerced minors to commit heinous and cruel acts of self-harm. Today’s guilty plea is a major step in seeing justice served in this case and demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to protecting the nation’s youth.”

"Chavez led a group of online predators whose ultimate purpose is to destroy our society.  They tried to achieve that heinous goal by desensitizing innocent children to violence—coercing them to perform gruesome and harmful acts against themselves and animals—with the hope of encouraging further violence and spreading chaos," said Sue J. Bai, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for National Security. "The National Security Division will continue to relentlessly investigate and prosecute predators who seek to terrorize our society by targeting our most vulnerable."

“764 members, like the defendant, use the Internet to prey on vulnerable minors, coercing them to mutilate themselves, produce child exploitation images of themselves, and attempt suicide," said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. "My office will do everything legally possible to prosecute and imprison members of this group for as long as the law allows."

According to court documents, Alexis Aldair Chavez, also known as Zack and Zack8884, 19, was an administrator and online leader of the ‘8884’ network, which is a network related to 764. Both 8884 and 764 are NVEs who engage in criminal conduct within the United States and engage with other extremists abroad. These NVEs share accelerationist goals that include social unrest and the downfall of the current world order, including the U.S. Government. Members of 8884 work in concert with one another towards a common purpose of destroying civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, including minors. NVEs engage in criminal conduct within the United States and abroad, in furtherance of political, social, or religious goals that derive primarily from a hatred of society at large and a desire to bring about its collapse by sowing indiscriminate chaos, destruction, and social instability. NVEs demand, coerce, and extort victims to engage in variety of violent conduct, including self-mutilation, online and in-person sexual acts, harm to animals, sexual exploitation of siblings and others, acts of violence, threats of violence, suicide, and murder.

In or about October 2023, Chavez and a co-conspirator attempted to have a minor female kill herself in a video chat by overdosing on pills. The two conspirators recorded the attempted suicide to obtain “content” that would allow them to maintain and increase their status in the 8884 enterprise. Approximately two months later, Chavez and the minor female victim worked together to coerce a female located overseas to get naked on camera, cut herself, and engage in sexual acts. They also extorted another female by forcing the victim to cut the name “Zack” into herself.

On or about Dec. 29, 2023, Chavez and a co-conspirator coerced another minor female to cut her tongue as well as torture and kill a cat on a live video call. That same month, Chavez and another co-conspirator worked together to groom and extort several other minor females. In one instance, the two conspirators coerced a female victim to light her arm on fire and have the fire burn through her skin and deeper into her body, while on a recorded video chat within the ‘8884’ channel. They groomed another minor female victim, forcing her to drink her own urine and attempt to overdose on unknown pills.

On or about Jan. 23, 2024, Chavez and a co-conspirator threatened and coerced a minor female victim to engage in sexually obscene activities and other egregious acts.

Chavez pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. He faces up to 20 years in prison for each count, with a minimum of five years in prison for the distribution charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI San Antonio Field Office is investigating the case with assistance from FBI Washington Field Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the San Antonio Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Roomberg and Bill Harris for the Western District of Texas, and Trial Attorneys Justin Sher and James Donnelly of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

The Justice Department remains vigilant against the threat of Nihilistic Violent Extremist (NVE) networks, like 764, that operate within the United States and around the globe. NVEs often target vulnerable individuals, including minors, using social media platforms to share CSAM and gore material, and groom victims toward committing acts of violence. Victims are often extorted, coerced, compelled, and blackmailed into complying with NVE demands, including self-mutilation, online and in-person sexual acts, harm to animals, sexual exploitation of siblings and others, acts of violence, threats of violence, suicide, and murder. For more information on how to protect children and others, read about the online risks here: Parents, Caregivers, Teachers — FBI and the FBI’s March 2025 public service announcement.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Two Colombian nationals made their initial appearance in court in El Paso, Texas yesterday after being extradited from Colombia to face charges relating to their roles in a dangerous human smuggling conspiracy that left 40 aliens and two boat captains missing.

In October 2024, a federal grand jury in the Western District of Texas returned an indictment against Hernando Manuel De La Cruz Rivera Orjuela, also known as Hernan, also known as Manuel, also known as El Patron, 53, and Luis Enrique Linero Pinto, aka El Calvo, 41, of Colombia for conspiring to encourage and induce aliens to come to, enter, and reside in the United States placing lives in jeopardy and in violation of immigration laws of the United States.

“These defendants are alleged to have operated a sophisticated human smuggling operation that resulted in the disappearance of 42 people at sea,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Human smuggling is a dangerous, predatory enterprise that exploits vulnerable migrants for profit. The Criminal Division will continue to aggressively dismantle these criminal networks that profit from human suffering and threaten the security of our border.”

“There is no limit as to the lengths we will go to bring to justice those who would smuggle humans into the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Taking down human smuggling operations, like this one, deals a direct blow to the transnational criminal organizations that receive millions of dollars from these operations. Therefore, prosecuting these kinds of cases is key to accomplishing of our mission to eradicate Mexican drug cartels and other transnational criminal organizations that use this country as a direct and indirect means to enrich themselves. Thank you to all of our law enforcement partners and members of Joint Task Force Alpha who stand shoulder to shoulder with us in this worthwhile effort.”

Rivera Orjuela and Linero Pinto were arrested in Colombia in December 2024 at the request of the United States. Their extraditions followed extensive coordination and cooperation between U.S. and Colombian law enforcement authorities.

According to the indictment, the defendants participated in a conspiracy where they were directly and personally responsible for unlawfully smuggling aliens, transporting them from other locations to San Andres Island, Colombia, and from there to Nicaragua via boats, north through Central America and Mexico, before reaching their final destination in the United States. Allegedly, Rivera Orjuela and Linero Pinto advised the migrants how to get to San Andres Island, personally received them once they arrived on the island, arranged for their accommodation, and brought them to the boats that transported them to Nicaragua so they could enter the United States illegally. Linero Pinto is alleged to have bribed uniformed service members of the Colombian Navy to acquire real-time intelligence about the position of Navy patrol vessels located between San Andres Island and Nicaragua, enabling the boats carrying migrants to avoid detection. On Oct. 21, 2023, a boat carrying approximately 40 aliens and two boat captains disappeared on its way to Nicaragua after leaving San Andreas Island. The defendants were allegedly responsible for smuggling the aliens on that boat who were en route to the United States.

HSI led the investigation, with assistance from their McAllen, El Paso, and Cartagena Field Offices. HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force, and the Justice Department’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT); Office of International Affairs; and the Justice Department’s Judicial Attaché Office in Bogotá provided valuable assistance. The Justice Department thanks Colombian law enforcement officials, who were instrumental in furthering this investigation.

The investigation and indictment were coordinated and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere.

Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. 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 425 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 375 U.S. convictions; more than 325 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets. The extraditions of Rivera Orjuela and Linero Pinto are the first extraditions from Colombia resulting from JTFA’s work since the taskforce’s mission expanded to target human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Colombia.

Trial Attorneys Danielle Hickman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Daria Andryushchenko of the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Luis Acosta for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs Acting Associate Director Jesse Ormsby and the Justice Department’s Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Kristopher Jarvis, provided significant assistance with the extradition.

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.

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

AUSTIN, Texas – Dr. Mark Malone, Advanced Pain Care, and related entities have agreed to pay the United States and the State of Texas $13,625,000 to resolve allegations they submitted false claims for urine drug testing to federal and state healthcare programs. The United States will receive $13,590,544.88 and Texas will receive $34,455.12.

Advanced Pain Care is an interventional pain medicine practice with locations in and around Austin, Amarillo, Waco, and Houston. Dr. Malone is a pain management doctor and the founder of Advanced Pain Care. The Advanced Pain Care entities that are parties to the settlement include Mark Malone M.D., P.A., Round Rock Surgery Center, LLC, APC-Amarillo Surgical Operating Company, LLC, Killeen Surgical Operating Company, LLC, Waco Surgical Operating Company, LLC, Southwest Surgical Operating Company, LLC, Shoal Creek Pharmacy Operations, LLC, Palo Duro Pharmacy Operations, LLC, APC Pharmacy, LLC, Advanced Anesthesiology, Advanced Health Holdings, LLC, Advanced RX Pharmacy, APC Investments LLC, APC360 LLC, 6000 South Mopac APC LLC, MMJ Partners, LP, and MMC Holdco, LLC.

The United States alleged that Dr. Malone and Advanced Pain Care knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program for concurrent presumptive and definitive urine drug testing for the same patient on the same date of service, without reviewing the results of the presumptive test to determine whether a definitive test was medically necessary. The United States also alleged that Dr. Malone and Advanced Pain Care knowingly submitted false claims to the Department of Veterans Affairs for definitive drug testing using separate Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for individual analytes (i.e., CPT series 803XX) for dates of service between January 3, 2017, and December 31, 2021.

“‘First, do no harm,’ it’s one of the main charges in the oath traditionally taken by those blessed with the responsibility of providing medical care to their neighbors,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Some, like Dr. Malone, instead cause harm by submitting false claims for procedures, thereby enriching themselves to the detriment of the American taxpayer. These settlements demonstrate my office’s commitment to protect the healthcare programs on which the American people have come to rely. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that providers are held accountable for false claims violations and the public fisc is protected.”

Contemporaneous with the civil settlement, Advanced Pain Care entered into a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement (CIA) with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). Under the CIA, Advanced Pain Care must maintain a compliance program, implement a risk assessment process, and hire an Independent Review Organization (IRO) to review its claims.

“When health care professionals submit false claims to federal programs, they erode public trust and divert taxpayer-funded resources away from individuals who truly need care,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “This settlement underscores our steadfast commitment to safeguarding taxpayer dollars and collaborating with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who defraud the American people.”

“The Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) will tirelessly pursue allegations of fraud and corruption, bringing to justice those who seek to enrich themselves through exploitation of TRICARE, the U.S. Military’s health benefit program,” said Chad Gosch, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, DCIS Southwest Field Office. “This outcome is a testament to the commitment of DCIS and our law enforcement partners in safeguarding the integrity of this nation’s healthcare system.”

“Health care providers and practices who knowingly submit false claims must be held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Derek M. Holt of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Office of the Inspector General. “We are grateful to our law enforcement partners for their work to protect the integrity of federal healthcare programs, including the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.”

“This civil settlement is a testament to the VA OIG’s commitment to safeguarding the integrity of VA’s healthcare programs and preserving taxpayer funds,” said Special Agent in Charge Kris Raper with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s South-Central Field Office. “The VA OIG thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their efforts in this case.”

The settlement resolves claims brought against Dr. Malone and Advanced Pain Care in five separate lawsuits filed under the qui tam provisions of the federal False Claims Act and the Texas Health Care Program Fraud Prevention Act:

1. United States ex rel. Lawlor v. Dr. Mark Malone et al., Civil Action No. 5:15-CV-60;
2. United States and Texas ex rel. Mack v. Mark Malone, M.D., P.A., d/b/a Advanced Pain Care, et al., Civil Action No. 1:20-CV-215;
3. United States and Texas ex rel. Nuessner et al. v. Mark Malone M.D., P.A. d/b/a Advanced Pain Care, et al., Civil Action No. 1:21-CV-257; and
4. United States and Texas ex rel. APC, LLP v. Advanced Pain Care, Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 5:23-CV-1106; and
5. United States and Texas ex rel. [Redacted] v. [Redacted], Civil Action No. 1:23-CV-1410 (Under Seal).

The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, DoD Office of Inspector General Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General, and Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General participated in the investigation of this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Parnham negotiated the settlement on behalf of the government.

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

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DEL RIO, Texas – A Houston man was sentenced in a federal court to 168 months in prison for importing and trafficking methamphetamine.

According to court documents, Alfonso Avellaneda Chavarrieta, 25, drove into the Eagle Pass Port of Entry on Nov. 17, 2021, and was referred to secondary inspection, where a canine alerted U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to 64 bundles of methamphetamine in the vehicle’s rear tires. The methamphetamine inside the bundles tested positive for 31.4 kilograms with a purity level of 97%.

Chavarrieta was indicted for four counts on Dec. 8, 2021. He pleaded guilty to all four charges on Aug. 22, 2022. He was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses.

U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tyler Fleming and Amy Greenbaum 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

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SAN ANTONIO – A Colombian national made his initial appearance in a federal court in El Paso Monday after he was extradited to the United States on Friday.

According to court documents, Luis Guillermo Peralta Pacheco, is allegedly a member of a Colombian drug trafficking organization identified as a major supplier of cocaine to the Caribbean and the United States. Through a joint investigation beginning in March 2018, agents seized an alleged 24 kilograms of cocaine and identified nine alleged members of the network.

On March 16, 2022, Peralta Pacheco and eight alleged co-conspirators—Alvaro Luis Deluque Pallares, Angello Caicedo Atehortua, Juan Camilo Valderrama Taborda, Carlos Alfredo Becerra Castro, Lina Gisseth Barrera Sarmiento, Angel Julio Arroyo Calderon, Pedro Emilio Gallardo Hincapie, and Charle Salcedo Portilla—were indicted in the Western District of Texas on conspiracy charges to import and distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, with provisional arrest warrants approved in 2023. All nine defendants have now been successfully extradited to the U.S.

U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

The FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the case, with assistance from the FBI’s Legal Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Judicial Attaché Office in Bogotá worked with the Government of Colombia to secure the arrest and extradition from Colombia of all nine defendants.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian Rosales is prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF San Antonio comprises agents and officers from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, the Department of Treasury, the Department of State, the Department of War, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Department of Labor. with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas. Participating agencies include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Diplomatic Security Service; the Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and the U.S. Secret Service; along with state and local law enforcement.

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

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