Western District of Texas

SAN ANTONIO – A federal grand jury in San Antonio returned an indictment charging a San Antonio man with three counts of firearm-related offenses.

According to court documents, Alex Lee Vega, 27, allegedly conspired with another co-conspirator to transport a machinegun conversion device to another person on or about April 10. Additionally, Vega, who is a convicted felon, allegedly possessed two separate Glock pistols on or about April 11 and April 14.

Vega is charged with one count of aiding and abetting trafficking in firearms and two counts of felon in possession of a firearm. He made his initial court appearance Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth S. Chestney of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. If convicted, Vega faces up to 15 years in prison for each charge. 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sade Bogart 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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EL PASO, Texas – A federal jury in El Paso convicted a Cuban national today for one count of violating a defense property security regulation.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Narali Arevalo-Casay, 23, illegally entered the United States from Mexico by crossing the Rio Grande River on May 7, less than a mile west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry.

Following the jury’s guilty verdict, U.S. Magistrate Judge Miguel Torres sentenced Arevalo-Casay to time-served. The misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison.

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

The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle Myers and Scott Wisniewski 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 Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio woman was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio today to 30 years in prison for production of child pornography.

According to court documents, Ashley Nicole Smith, 41, sexually assaulted a minor child on multiple occasions, from the time he was just days old in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) until he was 18 months old, beginning in November 2019 and continuing through March 2021. Smith produced videos of the sexual assaults on the child victim and distributed the files via text messages to her boyfriend.

Smith was arrested on March 4, 2021, and charged in a 10-count indictment on March 17, 2021. She pleaded guilty on Aug. 28, 2024. In addition to the 30-year imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia ordered Smith to serve 30 years of supervised release and ordered that Smith never have contact with the victim. Smith was also ordered to pay $50,000 to the AVAA fund for victims of child exploitation trafficking offenses and to forfeit the devices used to produce the child exploitation material.

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

The FBI and San Antonio Police Department 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 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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AUSTIN, Texas – An Iranian national was arrested Wednesday in Austin on criminal charges related to his alleged failure to deport.

According to court documents, Jamil Bahlouli, 32, was issued a final order of removal in 2020 for being illegally present in the U.S. He self-deported to Canada in October 2021. Bahlouli was again found to be in the U.S. illegally in December 2023. He was convicted in Montana for illegal entry in January 2024 and sentenced to time served. His final order of removal from 2020 was reinstated and he was released into the U.S., scheduled to report in person to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office in San Antonio on or about Jan. 23, 2024. The criminal complaint filed on June 25, 2025, alleges that Bahlouli did not report as scheduled.

A deportation officer located Bahlouli in Austin on Wednesday and identified him as a previously removed alien. The criminal complaint alleges that deportation officers went to Bahlouli’s residence, encountered him in the doorway of his residence, and attempted to arrest him. The complaint alleges Bahlouli refused to be arrested and slammed the door on the deportation officers, remaining inside his residence and refusing to exit. His alleged actions were designed to prevent or hamper his deportation and departure pursuant to the outstanding final order of removal.

Bahlouli is charged with one count of failure to deport. If convicted, he faces up to four 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.

ICE is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Henneke 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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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WACO, Texas – A Guatemalan national pleaded guilty in a federal court in Waco to one count of failure to notify of an address change and one count of failure to carry his alien registration on his person.

According to court documents, Pablo David Cajti-Tzoy, was arrested in Temple on June 21 after being encountered by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Waco Fugitive Operations Team. Immigration records indicated Cajti-Tzoy entered the U.S. through Houston in October 2019 as a Temporary Agricultural Worker (non-immigrant H-2A) and was issued a Form I-94 with authorization to remain in the U.S. until Jan. 3, 2020.  The last address he provided to the Department of Homeland Security was a location in Immokalee, Florida, where he claimed to reside. Since Dec. 30, 2021, however, Cajti-Tzoy has lived at an address in Harker Heights, Texas.

Cajti-Tzoy was not in possession of his I-94 when he was encountered by ICE officers. He also failed to notify the Attorney General in writing of his new address and address change within 10 days.

As misdemeanors, both charges carry a maximum penalty of 30 days in federal prison. U.S. Magistrate Judge Derek T. Gilliland sentenced Cajti-Tzoy to time-served.

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

ICE investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Frazier 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 Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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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 251 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from June 13 through 19.

Among the new cases, U.S. citizens Derrick Eugene Huntington, 39, and Michael Jerear Smith Jr., 39, of Arlington, along with Christina Elena Duggan-Rankin, 42, of Huffman, were arrested at an immigration checkpoint near Carrizo Springs after they were allegedly discovered conspiring to transport four illegal aliens concealed in two separate vehicles. A criminal complaint alleges that Huntington and Smith occupied a sedan carrying an illegal alien in the trunk, while Duggan-Rankin drove an SUV with one illegal alien hidden on the floorboard in the passenger compartment and two others in the rear of the vehicle. The complaint further alleges that the three Americans admitted to conspiring with a facilitator to transport the aliens to a location near San Antonio for monetary gain, and that cell phone evidence revealed photos of the smuggled aliens and communications with the facilitator, along with a pin-drop of the pick-up location. Huntington, Smith and Duggan-Rankin are each charged with bringing in and harboring aliens.

In a separate case, U.S. citizens Raul Hilario Alvarado, 24, and Timothey Nathan Easterling, 40, were arrested during a vehicle stop on Highway 85 near Big Wells for allegedly transporting two illegal aliens. During an immigration inspection, a criminal complaint alleges, one backseat passenger was determined to be illegally present in the U.S., while a second illegal alien was found in the trunk of the vehicle. According to the criminal complaint, both defendants admitted to conspiring with a facilitator and that they were going to be paid up to $2,500 for transporting the illegal aliens.

Mexican nationals Israel Moreno-Salgado, 38, and Jose Hector Ramirez Roman, 43, were arrested near Maverick and charged with illegal re-entry felonies. Moreno-Salgado has been previously removed from the U.S. eight times, the most recent being April 1. Ramirez Roman has been removed from the U.S. five times, the latest being Jan. 22. Honduran national Delmar Sanchez-Zuniga, 42, was also arrested near Maverick for illegal re-entry. The three-time felon, with convictions for possession of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm by a felon, and a previous illegal re-entry conviction, has been deported twice before, the last being Dec. 13, 2024.

Mexican national Jose Rodolfo Cruz-Lopez was arrested and charged with illegal re-entry in El Paso. Court documents reveal that, in May 2023, Cruz-Lopez was convicted of three felonies related to child abduction in Elizabethtown, North Carolina. He was removed from the U.S. to Mexico in October 2023. Also a Mexican national, Edwin Enrique Carpio-Lopez was arrested for illegal re-entry, having been removed from the U.S. five times, the last being on Feb. 11. Additionally, immigration records show Carpio-Lopez has been granted four voluntary returns and has been expelled 17 times under Title 42.

On June 14, U.S. Border Patrol agents in El Paso attempted a traffic stop after they allegedly observed multiple individuals enter a pick-up truck near the border. A criminal complaint alleges that the driver of the truck, identified as Mexican national Ruben Alfredo Carrillo-Castruita¸ fled at a high rate of speed in a reckless manner, running several red lights before exiting the vehicle at an intersection and fleeing on foot. An assisting Texas Department of Public Safety trooper was able to apprehend Carrillo-Castruita, while the two passengers who fled from the pick-up were located by Border Patrol agents. The complaint alleges that Carrillo-Castruita admitted to being hired by a smuggler and was going to be paid $300 per illegal alien. The defendant was previously convicted for transporting illegal aliens in New Mexico in May 2023.

Heriberto Betancourt-Morales, a Mexican national, was charged in a criminal complaint for conspiracy to bring in aliens as the result of a U.S. Border Patrol investigation that identified him as a person involved in human smuggling. The complaint alleges that Betancourt-Morales was previously removed from El Paso to Ciudad Juarez on Sept. 21, 2024, and had transported multiple illegal aliens in May 2025. In one victim account, Betancourt-Morales allegedly carried a makeshift ladder for an alien to climb the border fence and pushed them over the fence causing the alien to fall and sustain injuries. Another victim cited in the complaint alleged that Betancourt-Morales and other smugglers transported her to multiple stash houses in Mexico prior to making illegal entry using a makeshift ladder to climb the fence. A third victim also identified Betancourt-Morales as an individual who conducted random checkups and gave orders at a stash house in Ciudad Juarez, where she was harbored with more than 10 other subjects.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (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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DEL RIO, Texas – Seven members of the Partido Revolucionario Mexicano (PRM) prison gang were sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to a combined 137 years in prison for their roles in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy.

According to court documents, Victor Hinojosa aka Zuko, 35; Martha Gonzalez Ritchie, 64; Jesus Espinoza, 33; and Francisco Espinoza, 29; Ernesto Magdaleno, 56; Armando Ramirez aka Mando, 36; and Danny Suarez, 41, all from Eagle Pass, trafficked cocaine in and around Eagle Pass and Del Rio daily between March 1, 2019, and June 1, 2021. Hinojosa, identified as a sergeant of the PRM, conspired with others by communicating with them through Facebook messenger or cell phone to discuss cocaine distribution activities. Jesus and Francisco Espinoza, Suarez, and another co-defendant would regularly supply Hinojosa with the cocaine. Drug Enforcement Administration agents conducted multiple controlled purchases from Hinojosa throughout their investigation.

All seven defendants were arrested on June 11, 2021. Hinojosa, Jesus Espinoza and Francisco Espinoza each pleaded guilty in 2022 to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. Ritchie also pleaded guilty in 2022 to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin.

On June 5, Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses sentenced Hinojosa and Ritchie each to 30 years in prison, Jesus Espinoza to 17 ½ years in prison, and Francisco Espinoza to 19 ½ years in prison. The following week, on June 13, Chief Judge Moses sentenced Magdaleno and Ramirez each to 14 years in prison, and Suarez to 12 years.

“This criminal conspiracy extends way beyond the bounds of narcotics distribution,” said U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “PRM is a violent prison gang that operates on both sides the U.S.-Mexico border. These PRM members who have been convicted and sentenced should reemphasize to other narcoterrorists the level of our resolve when it comes to the eradication of transnational criminal organizations and providing safer border communities.”

Other co-defendants in this case who continue to await their sentence hearings include Rodolfo Jimenez Jr., Eduardo Gloria, Saul Sanchez-Rosas, Yvonne Rodriguez-Torres, Luis Alberto Torres-Marquez, Paulino Ramirez, Louis Iglesias, Martha Perez, and Randy Crioyos.

Co-defendant Carlos Eduardo Saldana Jr. was sentenced in August 2023 to 10 years in federal prison; Kevin Ritchie was sentenced in October 2023 to 35 years imprisonment; Clinton Ritchie was sentenced in July 2024 to 19 ½ years in federal prison; and Carlos Daniel Rodriguez-Urrabazo was also sentenced in July 2024 to 7 years in prison.

The DEA and FBI led the investigation, known as Operation Tequila Sunset. Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Border Patrol, Texas Department of Public Safety, the Eagle Pass Police Department, and the Sheriff’s Offices from Maverick, Dimmitt and Val Verde counties assisted.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Miner prosecuted the case.

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).

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AUSTIN, Texas – An Indian national who was living in the U.S. on a student visa was sentenced in a federal court in Austin to 63 months in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering.

According to court documents, Kishan Rajeshkumar Patel, 20, of Navsari, Gujarat, conspired with co-defendant Dhruv Rajeshbhai Mangukiya and others to defraud elderly victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold from July 2024 through August 2024. The conspiracy used various online phishing methods and impersonated U.S. government officials, while Patel fraudulently received the cash and gold from victims, conveying a portion to co-conspirators and keeping a percentage for his own benefit. To date, the investigation has determined that the conspiracy defrauded at least 25 victims with a total intended loss of at least $2,694,156.

Patel was arrested by the Granite Shoals Police Department on Aug. 24, 2024, after he retrieved a box represented to contain $130,000 from a victim’s residence. He was transferred into federal custody on Aug. 29 and pleaded guilty on March 18. Patel’s sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman.

“This defendant took advantage of his visa status in our country and participated in an international fraud scheme,” said U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Patel defrauded vulnerable American citizens out of millions of dollars by impersonating government officials and preying on his victims' fears of adverse government action. Today’s sentence demonstrates the federal government’s commitment to prosecuting the perpetrators of such nefarious schemes and achieving justice for the victims.”

“The FBI is deeply committed to protecting the American people from the devastating effects of financial fraud. We prioritize and aggressively pursue those who prey on our elderly population,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp of the FBI's San Antonio Field Office. “We want to thank our colleagues at the Granite Shoals Police Department for their professionalism and dedication to the citizens they serve.”

Mangukiya pleaded guilty June 16 and awaits his sentence hearing.

The FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Henneke prosecuted the case.

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EL PASO, Texas – On Tuesday in El Paso, Senior U.S. District Judge David Briones found an Ecuadorian national guilty of one count of improper entry by an alien and one count of entering military property.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Dario Javier Trejo-Burbano knowingly and unlawfully entered the United States on May 8, 2025, through the National Defense Area, a restricted area established by the Department of the Army.

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

The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Susanna Martinez and Chris Skillern 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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ALPINE, Texas – A former U.S. Army soldier stationed at Fort Hood was sentenced in a federal court in Pecos to 33 months in prison for aiding and abetting the transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain.

According to court documents, Enrique Jauregui, 26, organized a smuggling event in 2024, recruiting fellow soldiers Angel Palma, 21, and Emilio Mendoza Lopez, 22. Jauregui provided Palma and Mendoza Lopez with the location information to pick up illegal aliens to smuggle, supported them with encouraging messages and instructions, and intended to pay the two co-conspirators after they dropped off the illegal aliens.

On Nov. 27, 2024, Palma and Mendoza Lopez drove from Fort Hood (known at the time as Fort Cavazos) to Presidio and picked up three illegal aliens before leading U.S. Border Patrol agents on a high-speed chase. At one point, the defendants hit a marked USBP vehicle with an agent inside, causing injuries. Palma and Mendoza Lopez, along with the three illegal aliens, fled the vehicle on foot. All were apprehended except for Palma, who was located at a hotel in Odessa and eventually arrested.

All three co-defendants pleaded guilty in early 2025. Palma and Mendoza Lopez were each sentenced in May to 24 months in federal prison. In addition to their imprisonment, Palma, Mendoza Lopez, and Jauregui were also sentenced to three years of supervised release. Jauregui was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. U.S. District Judge David Counts presided over the hearings.

“These three individuals turned their backs on their values in a way that put our nation at risk, and put at risk the lives of others, including the lives of law enforcement officers,” said U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Everyone in this district, regardless of whether you wear the uniform or not, should take note: if you seek to enrich yourself by moving illegal aliens into or through this country, you will face the consequences of federal prosecution and will likely find yourself in federal prison.”

"The sentencing of these individuals underscores the serious consequences of engaging in human smuggling,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason T. Stevens for Homeland Security Investigations El Paso. “Recruiting fellow soldiers to participate in illegal activities, culminating in a reckless high-speed chase with law enforcement, is a blatant betrayal of duty and public trust. HSI alongside our law enforcement partners, remain committed to dismantling smuggling networks and ensuring those responsible face justice." 

“This sentencing demonstrates the strong partnership between Army CID, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Border Patrol," said Special Agent in Charge Lane Allen of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Central Texas Field Office. "Maintaining the readiness and integrity of our fighting force remains our top priority."

Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Border Patrol, and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), Central Texas Field Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Cayton 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 Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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A former Texas hotel manager pleaded guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Derek T. Gilliland to filing a false income-tax return.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from 2014 to 2022, Hieu Duc Tran embezzled more than $1 million from the Hewitt, Texas hotel where he was a manager. To accomplish this, Tran would charge hotel guests’ credit cards using a payment processing system that he controlled, instead of the hotel’s own system, and keep the funds for himself. He would also deposit checks hotel guests wrote to pay for their stays into his own bank account. Though Tran knew that the money he embezzled was taxable income, he did not report any of that income on the tax returns he filed for 2014 through 2021.

In total, Tran caused a tax loss to the IRS of over $200,000.

Tran will be sentenced at a later date and faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Curtis J. Weidler of the Tax Division is prosecuting the case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.

SAN ANTONIO –United States Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 331 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from June 6 through 12.

Among the new cases, Guatemalan national Geremias Ambrocio-Vicente was arrested for illegal re-entry less than four miles west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry in El Paso on June 8. Ambrocio-Vicente is a felon with multiple convictions including a 2020 conviction in Albany, New York for rape, and an illegal re-entry conviction in 2022 in Rio Grande City. He was previously deported on July 13, 2022, through New Orleans, Louisiana.

The El Paso Division also filed multiple cases for charges of transporting or harboring illegal aliens. Miguel Angel Enriquez-Ramirez is a Mexican national who, according to an affidavit, admitted to working for the Transnational Criminal Organization La Linea. On June 9, he was arrested during an immigration inspection conducted by U.S. Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations at an El Paso residence. During the inspection, agents allegedly encountered a total of nine individuals—eight of whom who were determined to be citizens of Mexico, one a citizen of Guatemala, and all illegally present in the United States. The affidavit alleges that Enriquez-Ramirez admitted to getting paid $600.00 per week to harbor illegal aliens at the apartment and had been harboring between eight and 12 illegal aliens since arriving at the apartment earlier this year.

Mexican national Ranferi Alonso-Osorio was arrested for allegedly picking up several illegal aliens in a pickup truck near the International Boundary fence and transporting them further into the U.S. Alonso-Osorio was pulled over by Texas Department of Public Safety, after which, the DPS troopers and partnered USBP agents allegedly observed seven individuals flee from the vehicle. A criminal complaint alleges that five of the individuals were quickly detained and the sixth was located and detained shortly after. The seventh individual, Alonso-Osorio, was allegedly located inside the recycling bin in the backyard of a residence. The complaint alleges that Alonso-Osorio admitted to picking up and transporting the illegal aliens and that he would be paid $50 for each alien he picked up. He also allegedly claimed to have picked up illegal aliens on about 15 previous occasions and believed he had picked up about 30 illegal aliens in total.

In Del Rio, Salvadoran national Alberto De Jesus Moran-Mejia was arrested by USBP agents for illegal re-entry. Moran-Mejia is a twice convicted felon, with an illegal re-entry conviction in 2010 and an assault on a law enforcement officer in 2024, which coincided with a DWI conviction. He has been deported five times, the last one being to El Salvador on Aug. 30, 2024, through Washington DC.

Mexican national Luis Cesar Carmona-Lopez is also charged with illegal re-entry, having been deported six times—the last one being to Mexico on Dec. 21, 2024, through Del Rio. Carmona-Lopez has been previously convicted for illegal re-entry felonies three times, and had also been found to have violated the terms of his felony probation in August 2024.

Marlon Catalino Diaz-Flores, a Honduran national, was arrested in Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. He was recently removed for the fourth time on March 16 through El Paso, after being convicted in January for illegal re-entry.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (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 San Antonio man was sentenced in a federal court to 151 months in federal prison and 20 years of supervised release for attempted online enticement and coercion of a minor.

According to court documents, between June and August of 2023, Stephen Eugene Hall, 41, communicated with two undercover law enforcement agents whom he believed to be 12- and 14-year-old girls. Throughout their conversations over the Kik app, Hall attempted to entice them to engage in sexual activity and to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Hall was arrested by FBI agents on Aug. 23, 2023, when he traveled to a hotel in San Antonio with the intent to engage in sex with the individual whom he thought was a 14-year-old girl. He pleaded guilty on Feb. 10, 2025, to two counts of attempted online enticement and coercion of a minor and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez.

“These proactive law enforcement operations, using the social media apps many children use today, are vital and necessary in order to catch child predators before they can cause their irreparable intended harm,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Thanks to the work of our FBI partners in Boston and in San Antonio, we were able to put another child predator in federal prison for over a decade, with another 20 years of supervised release to follow.”

“This sentencing sends a clear message that neither the FBI, our law enforcement partners, nor the American people will tolerate those who seek to sexually abuse or exploit children," said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp of the FBI's San Antonio Field Office. “We want to thank our colleagues at the San Antonio Police Department and Bexar County Sheriff’s Office for their outstanding work and ongoing partnership as we continue to seek justice on behalf of the victims in this case.”

The FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Mangels prosecuted the case.

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 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced in a federal court to 180 months imprisonment to be followed by 15 years of supervised release for attempted production of visual depictions involving the sexual exploitation of a minor.

According to court documents, between May of 2022 and June of 2023, George Isaac Del Bosque, 33, made a surreptitious recording of a 15-year-old minor while the child victim was undressing and nude. A search of Del Bosque's phone revealed 16 sexually explicit images and three sexually explicit videos of the minor. Del Bosque was arrested Sept. 5, 2023. He pleaded guilty to the charge on March 11, 2025, and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Fred Biery. Prior to his arrest, Del Bosque was a licensed clinical vocational nurse. As a result of the charges, he voluntarily surrendered his license.

“Protecting children has been and will remain one of the highest priorities of law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “I appreciate the handling of this case by our partners at Homeland Security Investigations and the San Antonio Police Department, and I also want to express how important it is—as demonstrated in this case—for child victims and their families to be vigilant and not hesitate to report sexual exploitation when it occurs.”

"This sentencing sends a clear message that HSI is committed to holding accountable those who exploit the most vulnerable members of our society,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee. “We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to investigate and prosecute individuals involved in internet crimes against children.”

HSI and the San Antonio Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Mangels prosecuted the case.

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 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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SAN ANTONIO – A Mexican national was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio today to 37 months in prison for his role in cocaine trafficking and human smuggling conspiracies. He was also ordered for forfeit over $600,000 in proceeds from his criminal activity.

According to court documents, Jorge Armando Morado, 44, helped his son, Jorge Armando Morado Moreno, 25, complete a sale of cocaine to an undercover Bexar County Sheriff’s Office deputy on July 16, 2023.  During that sale, Morado arranged for his son to sell a kilogram of cocaine to that undercover deputy at a future date, and then drove in tandem with his son to make that sale on July 25, 2023.  Morado and his son were both encountered by law enforcement while driving to make that sale, and approximately one kilogram of cocaine was found in the son’s vehicle.

The investigation led to search warrants for Morado’s and Moreno’s respective residences. During the search of Morado’s residence, approximately $601,302 in cash was found in a cooler located in his master bedroom closet, along with an additional $3,000, a firearm, and a suspected drug ledger in his dresser drawer. Another bedroom—an empty room with only a mattress on the floor—housed five illegal aliens. A bucket full of urine was found in an adjacent bedroom. Moreno’s cell phone was also searched and contained numerous conversations between Morado and Moreno pertaining to their cocaine trafficking and harboring of illegal aliens at Morado’s house.

Morado pleaded guilty on June 26, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, and one count of conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens. He’s sentenced to 37 months in prison for each count, running concurrent to one another, and in addition to his four months spent in state custody on related charges. Moreno pleaded guilty to the same two conspiracy charges on July 11, 2024, and was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison on Jan. 29.

“This case serves as a stark reminder that alien smuggling is not a victimless crime, but rather a for-profit enterprise,” said U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Alien smugglers only seek to enrich themselves, in this case to the tune of over $600,000 in proceeds from these criminal activities.”

The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the San Antonio Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Fedock prosecuted the case.

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WACO, Texas – A federal grand jury in Waco returned an indictment today charging a Waco man with one count of possession of an unregistered firearm.

According to court documents, Darrin King allegedly fled from Waco Police officers, who were dispatched to a civil disturbance involving a firearm on May 28. A police K9 was deployed in pursuit of King, who allegedly produced a firearm and fired multiple shots at the dog, striking the K9 twice in the neck and once in the chest. King was subsequently taken into custody and the firearm was recovered. The firearm was allegedly equipped with a machinegun conversion device (MCD), also known as a “Glock switch,” allowing the firearm to fire as a fully automatic weapon. MCDs are defined as machineguns under the National Firearms Act, even when not installed.

The injured K9 survived his life-threatening injuries but, due to the extent of the injuries, will be medically retired.

King faces up to 10 years in prison, if convicted. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Waco Police Department are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Blanton 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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SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was arrested Sunday on criminal charges related to his alleged role in two armored truck robberies that occurred in 2023.

According to court documents, Achanti Christopher Tyrese Gunn aka Bonzi, 25, allegedly conspired with three co-conspirators in an armed robbery scheme in which the co-conspirators would rob armored trucks at gunpoint, taking United States currency and other items before fleeing in a getaway vehicle.

Gunn was indicted May 7 and arrested June 8. He is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, one count of Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. If convicted, Gunn faces up to 20 years on the conspiracy and the Hobbs Act robbery charge and seven years to life on the brandishing charge consecutive to any other sentence imposed.

Co-defendants Daquwan Reshay Richardson, 30, Jeremiah Jerome Richardson aka Juice, 22, and Jordan Raekwon Jones aka Murda Maxx, 30, were already in custody and named in a previously filed indictment. Daquwan Richardson was arrested Aug. 21, 2023; Jeremiah Richardson was arrested July 11, 2023; and Jones was arrested Nov. 5, 2024. All four defendants face various combinations of the same charges.

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

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the San Antonio Police Department are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Nowinski 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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SAN ANTONIO –United States Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 410 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from May 30 through June 5.

Among the new cases, Mexican national Albert Sanchez-Jaimes was charged with one count of illegal re-entry in Austin. Sanchez-Jaimes was encountered at the Burnet County Jail, where he was booked for alleged charges of boating while intoxicated and marijuana possession. Sanchez-Jaimes has lengthy immigration and criminal records that include four prior removals, a deadly conduct conviction in 2020, multiple convictions for assault on a family member, and two prior convictions for illegal re-entry.

In Waco, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Fugitive Operations Team arrested Mexican national Daniel Edgar Perez-Cortez on June 5as the result of an investigation stemming from a Waco Crime Stoppers referral. Perez-Cortez has a prior conviction for illegal re-entry in 2024, as well as convictions for Driving While Intoxicated and possession of prohibited weapons, and a conviction for deadly conduct discharging a firearm. He’s now federally charged with illegal re-entry and, if convicted, faces up to 20 years in prison.

Two Honduran nationals were arrested for illegal re-entry charges in Eagle Pass. U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested Ariel Antonio Lopez-Serrano on June 2. Lopez-Serrano was convicted in 2023 for human smuggling and was removed to Honduras through Houston on Feb. 28. On June 3, Jose Aparicio Diaz-Amaya was arrested by USBP agents, having been deported three times—the most recent removal being to Honduras on May 2 through Alexandria, Louisiana.

Multiple individuals were arrested and charged with human smuggling offenses in El Paso. On May 31, U.S. citizens Cynthia Guerrero and Berenice Stevens attempted to enter the U.S. through the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry, allegedly telling the Customs and Border Protection Officer that they were returning to El Paso from a baby shower in Juarez. A criminal complaint alleges that there were seven additional people inside the vehicle, including six children. After discussion about a stack of birth certificates Guerrero provided the CBP Officer, along with a handwritten note supposedly giving Guerrero permission to transport her alleged cousin’s children into the U.S., the officer referred the vehicle to a secondary inspection. At the secondary inspection, Guerrero allegedly told CBP Officers that she was smuggling three undocumented minors into the U.S. after she had been offered $1,900 to do so. The complaint also alleges that the minors had been given seven gummies of an unknown substance to make them sleep. Three of the six minors in Guerrero’s vehicle were found to be Mexican nationals. Both Guerrero and Stevens are charged with human smuggling charges and have been previously convicted. Guerrero Two Mexican nationals were charged in a human smuggling bust after Ysleta Border Patrol Station agents responded to a location where they apprehended five illegal aliens who had just crossed into the U.S. According to a criminal complaint, several of the individuals were continuously receiving calls on their cell phones, and one individual provided consent for the agents to view, search and utilize his phone. The communications led the agents to Jose Adan Meza-Marquez, who allegedly drove a vehicle to the area where the aliens had been apprehended and confirmed he was there to pick them up. Posing as the illegal aliens, USBP agents got in Meza-Marquez’s vehicle, which allegedly transported them to a stash house being used to harbor illegal aliens. A second individual, Jose Ramiro Chavez-Leal, allegedly opened the door. The criminal complaint alleges that agents found five additional illegal aliens present at the residence and both Meza-Marquez and Chavez-Leal admitted to smuggling illegal aliens on prior occasions.

Another human smuggling bust by Ysleta Border Patrol agents led to federal charges four Mexican nationals: Erasmo Ortiz-Arzola, Cesar Arturo Beltran-Rocha, Jesus Alberto Fernandez-Vazquez, and Kevin Alexis Morin-Lopez. During a knock and talk operation, agents allegedly observed 15 individuals in the living room area of an apartment, and an additional 14 elsewhere in the apartment. A criminal complaint indicates that subjects were questioned and determined to be illegal aliens from Guatemala, Mexico and El Salvador. During the arrests and subsequent investigation, the four defendants were identified as alleged pick-up drivers and caretakers.

A Mexican national and convicted felon, Rosendo Dominguez-Morales, was charged with illegal re-entry and two additional counts for entering the U.S. through the National Defense Area (NDA), west of the El Paso Port of Entry. Dominguez-Morales was previously removed from the U.S. to Mexico on Aug. 20, 2024 through Brownsville, two days after he was convicted in Lyon County for assault while displaying a dangerous weapon.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (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 San Antonio man was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to 151 months in prison for firearms trafficking.

According to court documents, Joel Alejandro Martinez aka Bo Jackson, 26, was identified by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as being a frequent seller of stolen firearms in online chat groups. On Jan. 10, 2024, Martinez posted two pistols for sale and agreed to sell them at a location in San Antonio. He stated that he did not have a car but his mother, codefendant Margarita Hernandez Martinez, would drive him. On Feb. 28, 2024, at the agreed upon time, Martinez arrived at the location, driven by his mother, and unloaded a black rifle case from the truck, placed it in the backseat of the purchaser’s vehicle, and got in the front seat of the purchaser’s car. The purchaser gave Martinez $1,100 in cash for the .308 caliber rifle.

Later that day, Martinez contacted the purchaser to ask what else they might be interested in purchasing. The purchaser, an undercover ATF agent, indicated that they purchase all sorts of firearms but also deal in “cheap throwaways stolen.” Martinez responded to the undercover agent, “I got you,” and indicated that he could supply AR-style rifles and pistols. He later told the undercover that he purchased stolen or crime-involved guns in large batches and agreed to sell four pistols to the undercover for $1,600. In another conversation, the agent told Martinez that he, “buys them for cheap and will move them to Mexico.”

The undercover agent met with Martinez—driven by his mother—three more times between March 5, 2024 and April 11, 2024, to conduct sales of firearms, at least one of which Martinez knew and had reasonable cause to believe was stolen.

Martinez’s mother, Hernandez Martinez, was sentenced on April 25 to 40 months in prison for aiding and abetting.

Federal District Court Judge Jason K. Pulliam sentenced both defendants.

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

The ATF investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zack Parsons prosecuted the case.

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SAN ANTONIO – An Indiana woman was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to 300 months in prison for sexually exploiting a six-year-old child.

According to court documents, Veronica Solis, 35, of Valparaiso, produced child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in August and September 2019 with codefendant Gerald Talman Brann. An investigation showed that Solis and Brann sexually assaulted the child victim, recorded the sexual assaults using their cell phones, and then shared the CSAM with each other, as well as others. The two were arrested on March 14, 2023.

Solis pleaded guilty Dec. 5, 2023 and, on June 3, 2025, was sentenced by Judge Fred Biery.

Brann, who pleaded guilty to the same charge on Nov. 28, 2023, was sentenced in May 2024 to 360 months in federal prison by Judge Jason K. Pulliam.

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

The FBI’s San Antonio and Indianapolis divisions investigated the case with assistance from the Indiana State Police.

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 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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DEL RIO, Texas – A Honduran national was sentenced today in a federal court in Del Rio to 96 months in prison for assaulting a U.S. Border Patrol agent while attempting to illegally enter the United States.

According to court documents, Trinidad De Jesus Madrid-Rivas, and another illegal alien attempted to flee from two U.S. Border Patrol agents south of Spofford on Aug. 17, 2024. When one of the agents approached, Madrid-Rivas became assaultive, resisted arrest and attempted to choke the agent, leaving a mark on his neck.

During the incident, Madrid-Rivas released the safety of the agent’s duty weapon, left an incision on the agent’s hand with his fingernails, and struck the agent in the arm, causing the handgun to fire. The agent eventually regained control and attempted to call for help on his radio when Madrid-Rivas ripped the ear piece from the agent’s ear, along with the collapsible baton from the agent’s duty belt. Madrid-Rivas then attempted to gain possession of the agent’s pistol. Fearing for his life during the struggle over the handgun, the agent fired a single round and Madrid-Rivas fled again. He was later apprehended.

Madrid-Rivas pleaded guilty on Jan. 8 to one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees. He was also convicted in 2023 for felony assault on a peace officer. In that assault, police officers responded to a burglary in progress when they encountered Madrid-Rivas yielding a machete. After physically removing the machete from Madrid-Rivas, he bit one of the officers and later hit another officer with his head.

“This district and the Department of Justice will not tolerate violent criminal behavior that endangers our law enforcement officers, and this case is one of many that shows the potentially fatal risks our partners along the border face every day of the week,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Understand that we greatly value the efforts of our local, state, federal, and tribal law enforcement partners, and we will aggressively prosecute anyone who obstructs or assaults these men and women who risk their lives to keep our nation secure.”

The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Kass prosecuted the case.

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EL PASO, Texas – A federal jury in El Paso convicted a Venezuelan national for conspiracy to harbor aliens.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Marcel Eliezer Zapata-Colmenarez, 26, opened the door of his residence on Jan. 30 to find agents from the U.S. Border Patrol and other federal law enforcement agencies present. With Zapata-Colmenarez’s consent, the agents entered and searched the residence, finding piles of clothes on the floor, wet and muddy clothing hanging in a closet, and other signs consistent with harboring and smuggling illegal aliens. Zapata-Colmenarez also granted consent for agents to search his cell phone, leading to the discovery of proof-of-life videos—videos sent by recently-crossed illegal aliens acknowledging that they had been smuggled with the assistance of a smuggling network. Zapata-Colmenarez later admitted that he accepted an offer to harbor illegal aliens in his apartment and was paid $50 per alien.

Zapata-Colmenarez was arrested Jan. 30 and indicted on Feb. 26 for one count of conspiracy to harbor aliens and one count of harboring aliens for financial gain. His sentencing hearing is currently scheduled for Aug. 26, 2025, and he faces up to 10 years in federal prison along with a fine of up to $250,000.

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

The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case with assistance from the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Wisniewski and Mathew Engelbaum 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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WACO, Texas – A Temple man was sentenced in a federal court in Waco to two consecutive life sentences with two 20-year concurrent sentences in prison for crimes committed in violation of the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act and the Hobbs Act.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Demonta Daniels aka Tado aka Tato, 26, conspired with Atorius Marquis Williams aka Lil Man, 28, and Trashawn Lamar Alexander aka Mad Max, 30, to commit four murders, multiple violent assaults, extortion, drug trafficking and armed robberies in furtherance of the criminal enterprise. Specifically, the indictment alleges four overt acts to include murder—one committed by Williams on Sept. 30, 2017, in Belton; the second, committed by Williams and Alexander on Dec. 10, 2017, in Temple; the third, committed by Williams and Daniels on Jan. 16, 2018, in Temple; and the fourth, committed by Williams, Daniels and Alexander on Jan. 31, 2018, in Temple.

Additionally, the defendants conspired to affect commerce by robbery, committing acts of physical violence and threatening to commit acts of physical violence to steal controlled substances and proceeds from persons engaged in illegal drug distribution. Daniels, Williams and Alexander were also convicted of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, namely robbery.

A federal jury found all three men guilty in a February 2024 trial. In September, Williams and Alexander were sentenced to life in federal prison for three counts and a concurrent 20 years in prison for three additional counts.

“The multiple life sentences Daniels will serve, locked away in federal prison, reflects the egregiousness of this defendant’s conduct and how important it is to keep violent criminals like Daniels and his co-conspirators off the streets,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “I extend my deepest respect and gratitude to the AUSAs who prosecuted this case and our law enforcement partners at the local, state and federal levels, who committed countless hours and incredible skill to this investigation, leading to a successful trial verdict and multiple justified sentences.”

Daniels is the tenth and final defendant in this case to be sentenced. Additionally, Dominic Johnson was sentenced in January 2023 to 70 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine; Desmond Wilkerson was sentenced in September 2023 to 71 months in prison for racketeering conspiracy; James Roy Whitfield Jr was sentenced on Feb. 13 to 102 months in prison for one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of aiding and abetting; Jason Mayse was sentenced on Feb. 13 to 40 months for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana; Jyaraciel Whitfield was sentenced in September 2023 to 144 months in prison for one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of aiding and abetting; Christopher Meyers was sentenced in August 2022 to 144 months in prison for racketeering conspiracy; and Reginald Williams was sentenced in September 2023 to 96 months in prison for one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of aiding and abetting.

The FBI, Temple Police Department, Belton Police Department, Bell County Organized Crime Unit, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), Cameron Police Department, and Hearne Police Department investigated the case with valuable assistance from the Killeen Police Department and Bell County Sheriff’s Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Blanton 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 Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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SAN ANTONIO – Attorney General Pamela Bondi has appointed Justin R. Simmons as Interim United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546, which provides that “the Attorney General may appoint a United States Attorney for the district in which the office of United States Attorney is vacant.” This appointment took effect on May 30, 2025.

“I want to thank President Trump and Attorney General Bondi for placing their trust in me to lead the incredible AUSAs and support staff we have working here in the Western District,” said Simmons. “I am humbled and honored to serve in this role.”

Simmons joined the Western District of Texas as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in December 2020 and has prosecuted a wide variety of cases, including cases involving trans-national criminal organizations, human trafficking, gun crimes, white-collar crimes, and immigration offenses.

Simmons also served as the SAR Coordinator for the district, a role in which he was tasked with leading a group of federal, state and local law enforcement agents and officers in reviewing and evaluating SARs filed by various financial institutions. Simmons also served as the Elder Justice Coordinator, giving presentations to various groups in the San Antonio area regarding the many criminal schemes perpetrated on the elderly. Additionally, he served on the leadership team for the South Texas Officers and Prosecutors Human Trafficking Task Force, giving various presentations to law enforcement personnel regarding financial investigations in the human trafficking context.

“The Western District of Texas has for many years been on the front lines of the fight against the narco-terrorists that have enriched themselves to the detriment of the United States,” said Simmons. “In keeping with the President’s priorities, we will continue to push back against their efforts by aggressively enforcing the laws of the United States. We will also continue to root out and bring to light those who would enrich themselves by perpetrating fraud on the government or individual citizens. Additionally, our civil litigators will continue with their important work representing the interests of the United States in our federal courts. Hand in hand with our law enforcement partners, we will do our part to make the Western District a place where the American people cannot just survive but thrive. I look forward to leading in this effort.”

Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s office, Simmons was a commercial litigator at the law firm of Scheef & Stone in Frisco, Texas, and, before that, he was an Assistant District Attorney in Collin County, Texas.

Simmons received his bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from Samford University in 2004, and his Juris Doctorate from Texas A&M in 2016.

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EL PASO, Texas – A federal grand jury in El Paso returned indictments last week for defendants alleged to have illegally re-entered the United States through the Texas National Defense Area (NDA). The NDA was established April 30, 2025, along the U.S.-Mexico border from area bordering New Mexico, through El Paso County, to an area near Fort Hancock.

Among those indicted is Mexican national Leonel Sotelo-Santillan, who was arrested after allegedly entering the NDA illegally on May 2. Sotelo-Santillan was first charged in a criminal complaint on May 8. He is a convicted felon with two 2015 convictions for domestic abuse battery and theft in Louisiana, as well as a felony conviction in June 2024 for illegal re-entry. He has two prior removals, the last one being Dec. 28, 2024.

Another Mexican felon, Rafael Cabrera-Barron, is a thrice-deported felon and was convicted in 2007 for sexual assault of a child in Weld County, Colorado. His most recent removal from the U.S. to Mexico was April 25 through El Paso.

Ramon Benigno Mancinas-Rodriguez, also a Mexican national, has been removed from the U.S. eight times—the last one being Nov. 5, 2024—and has been granted three voluntary returns. His criminal history includes three illegal entry misdemeanors, a conviction for assault on a federal officer, and one illegal re-entry felony conviction in November 2023.

Some of the indicted defendants, like Cuban national Aldanay Caridad Carricarte-Grillo, Guatemalan national Carlos Tomas-Cristostimo, and Salvadoran national Juan Carlos Lopz-Uriasan, have one prior removal in their immigration history.

The 16 defendants are each indicted for one Title 8 United States Code (USC) 1326 felony charge and one 50 USC 797 misdemeanor charge. If convicted, these individuals can face terms of imprisonment for up to 20 years if previously convicted of an aggravated felony, up to ten years if previously convicted of a felony and otherwise and up to two years in federal prison.

Additionally, 138 new NDA-related immigration cases were added to the federal district’s docket and over 220 defendants pleaded guilty throughout the week, raising May’s total of NDA-related convictions in the Western District of Texas to more than 340.

Title 50 USC 797 is among the federal statutes that establish criminal penalties for unlawful intrusions into areas designated as National Defense Areas. It refers to the willful violation of defense property security regulation, which, pursuant to lawful authority, was approved by the Secretary of Defense—or a military commander designated by the Secretary of Defense—for the protection or security of Department of Defense property.

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

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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EL PASO, Texas – A New Mexico man is in federal custody after being indicted by a federal grand jury in El Paso in 2021 and expelled to the U.S. by Mexican authorities earlier this week.

Jaime Renteria-Fernandez, 31, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is charged in a superseding indictment with nine counts related to alleged offenses committed in support of the Barraza Drug Trafficking Organization. Co-conspirator Alex Barraza was the leader of the DTO and was sentenced to life in federal prison Oct. 24, 2024.

Renteria-Fernandez made his initial appearance in federal court Thursday. The indictment includes multiple counts related to drug possession and trafficking, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, as well as discharging firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking and murder resulting from the use and carrying of firearms during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years, with a maximum of life in federal prison, and possibly the death penalty. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

Homeland Security Investigations El Paso is investigating the case with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Texas Attorney General’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Johnston, Andres Ortega and Susanna Martinez are 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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SAN ANTONIO – Acting United States Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 413 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from May 23 through May 29.

Among the new cases, Salvadoran national Jaqueline Del Carmen Aleman-Aguilar was charged with one count of illegal re-entry in San Antonio. According to a criminal complaint, Aleman-Aguilar was convicted for transportation of aliens in June 2015 and sentenced to six months in federal prison. She was then removed from the United States to Mexico in July 2015.

Christian Ruben Corea-Benavides, a Nicaraguan national, was charged in El Paso with attempting to transport illegal aliens. U.S. Border Patrol agents allegedly observed Corea-Benavides pick up five illegal aliens just over four miles west of the Fort Hancock Port of Entry. A criminal complaint alleges that during a traffic stop, the investigating USBP agent observed a female passenger in the front seat of the vehicle, and four additional passengers lying on top of one another in the backseat—all appearing to be wet and muddy.

Mexican national Sabino Renteria-Alvarado was arrested May 28 at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry after he attempted to enter through the pedestrian entrance and allegedly presented the Customs and Border Protection officer (CBPO) with a false claim that he had been a Legal Permanent Resident, but that police in Nevada possessed his LPR card. The CBPO referred Renteria-Alvarado to Passport Control Secondary, where records revealed he had been previously removed in January 2024 through Nogales, Arizona. His criminal record includes a 15-year prison sentence for a sexual assault of a minor conviction in 2017. Renteria-Alvarado is currently charged with one count of illegal re-entry.

Two U.S. citizens were arrested in the Del Rio area as the result of separate human smuggling attempts, as alleged in criminal complaints. Nancy Anna Gwyn, of Houston, was encountered during a May 22 traffic stop near Carrizo Springs. USBP agents allegedly uncovered three passengers in her vehicle who were identified to be citizens of foreign countries and illegally present in the U.S. On May 24, an immigration checkpoint inspection near Eagle Pass allegedly revealed that Anastasia Lee Daneill Godfrey, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was attempting to transport two illegal aliens to San Antonio in the trunk of a sedan.

Honduran national Walter Alonso Martinez-Chandias is charged with illegal re-entry. He has one prior removal—in June 2013 through Alexandria, Louisiana—and a lengthy criminal record that includes convictions in Birmingham, Alabama for drug trafficking and homicide, for which he was sentenced in 2018 to five years and 20 years in prison, respectively. In 2017, he was convicted in Birmingham for unlawful transport of firearms and sentenced to 81 months in prison. A criminal complaint alleges that when he was arrested on May 25, Martinez-Chandias refused to comply with Border Patrol agents’ commands and resisted attempts to be placed in custody and handcuffs by running and kicking.

Luis Alberto Olivarez-Hernandez, of Mexico, was arrested May 27 near Eagle Pass for illegal re-entry. He has two prior removals, the last one being Feb. 25 through Laredo, five days after a felony conviction for unlawfully carrying a weapon in prohibited places. Additionally, Olivarez-Hernandez was convicted in 2010 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Armando Vazquez-Ruiz, also a Mexican national, is charged with illegal re-entry after being found near Eagle Pass less than two weeks after his most recent removal. Vazquez-Ruiz had been convicted in Georgetown May 7 for assault causing bodily injury and was deported May 8 through Laredo.

In Austin, Mexican national Basilio Luna-Luna was encountered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Travis County Jail May 24, where he was detained for what would be his seventh DWI, if convicted. Luna-Luna was previously removed from the U.S. in November 2014 and voluntarily returned to Mexico twice—once in 1998 and once in 2009.

Juan Alberto Zarate-Salgado, also of Mexico, was encountered at the Travis County Jail as well and is charged with illegal re-entry. Zarate-Salgado has two prior removals and multiple convictions for assault of a family/household member and assault causing bodily injury to a family member.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (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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DEL RIO, Texas – A federal grand jury in Del Rio returned an indictment today charging a Mexican national with 12 counts for allegedly attempting to transport more than 95 pounds of cocaine, 26 pounds of methamphetamine and 14 pounds of heroin into the United States.

According to court documents, Wara America Castanon Campos, 39, attempted to enter the U.S. through the Eagle Pass Port of Entry on May 1. She was referred during a Customs and Border Protection inspection to an x-ray scan, during which officers allegedly discovered anomalies in the rear of the vehicle. Further inspection allegedly revealed a total of 56 packages concealed in hidden compartments in the rear floorboard area, the vehicle’s rear quarter panels, and the spare tire of the vehicle. The packages allegedly contained three separate substances that tested positive for heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine. Castanon Campos was arrested and initially charged with importing a controlled substance.

Castanon Campos is now charged in an indictment with four counts related to cocaine trafficking, four counts related to heroin trafficking, and four counts related to meth trafficking. She made her initial court appearance May 2 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Cordova of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. If convicted, she faces 10 years to life in prison for each count, a maximum fine of $10 million and at least five years of supervised release. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Kass 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). 

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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ALPINE, Texas – A Colorado man was sentenced in a federal court in Alpine to 240 months in prison for distributing fentanyl to a Texas resident.

According to court documents, Douglas Christopher Steele, 54, of Denver, engaged in a text message conversation with a man living Alpine on Jan. 29, 2024. Steele agreed to mail 20 fentanyl pills to the man’s work address. Steele notified the man that he’d mailed the package of fentanyl on Feb. 2 and, on Feb. 5, the man’s co-worker received the FedEx delivery. Through additional text message exchanges, Steele and the man discussed how strong the fentanyl was and, just after midnight on Feb. 6, 2024, the man messaged Steele telling him that he nearly overdosed. Later that morning, the man was found unresponsive in the restroom at this place of work. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

A Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Texas Department of Public Safety (TX DPS) Criminal Investigation Division (CID) investigation revealed the envelopes at the man’s residence that had been mailed from Steele’s Colorado residence, and eventually the cell phone messages between the man and Steele.

Steele was indicted on May 9, 2024 in Pecos for two counts related to fentanyl distribution and was arrested in Denver on May 11. He pleaded guilty Nov. 18, 2024.

Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

HSI and TX DPS CID investigated the case with assistance from the Alpine Police Department, Brewster County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Greenbaum prosecuted the case.

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SAN ANTONIO – Acting United States Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 334 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from May 16 through May 22.

Among the new cases, Salvadoran felon Erick Douglas Serrano-Aleman was arrested by Van Horn Border Patrol agents for being an illegal alien present in the U.S. A criminal complaint indicates Serrano-Aleman was previously convicted of transporting and selling a controlled substance as well as accessory. In 2004, he was convicted for illegal re-entry in Nogales, Arizona. Serrano-Aleman has been deported twice and allegedly claims to be a member of the Sureño 13 gang.

In El Paso, multiple alleged human smugglers were arrested, including U.S. citizen Ernesto Covarrubias and Tanya Joselyn De La Paz-Nunez, a Mexican national in possession of a legal B1/B2 Visa Border Crossing Card. Covarrubias, as the vehicle driver, and De La Paz-Nunez allegedly picked up five illegal aliens inside a pecan orchard near the Tornillo Port of Entry, intending to transport them to a stash house.

U.S. citizen Gabriela Ivon Trejo-Gonzalez was arrested after U.S. Border Patrol agents allegedly observed six individuals crawl through a breach in the border fence near the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry and board Trejo-Gonzalez’s vehicle. The defendant allegedly drove away at a high rate of speed and continued in an attempt to evade law enforcement before becoming inoperable. Trejo-Gonzalez allegedly claimed she would be paid $500 per alien. She was convicted for alien smuggling in New Mexico in June 2023 and probation violation in October 2023.

Juan Pedro Carmona-Cerritos, a Mexican felon, was arrested in El Paso and charged with illegal re-entry. Carmona-Cerritos was last removed from the U.S. in April 2009. He was previously convicted of child abuse in 2004 and second degree reckless homicide in 2005 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, for which he was sentenced to a total of approximately three years in prison. Guatemalan national Ramon Cortes-Velasquez was also arrested for illegal re-entry in El Paso, having been convicted of assault causing bodily injury to a family member in February and removed from the U.S. to Guatemala in March.

Mexican nationals Jose Rolando Arenas-Aleman and J Angel Nava-Sanchez were arrested near Del Rio. According to court documents, Arenas-Aleman was arrested May 14 by U.S. Border Patrol agents for being an illegal alien present in the United States. He had previously been removed to Mexico for the second time through Laredo on Sept. 6, 2024 following his second conviction for Driving While Intoxicated. Nava-Sanchez was arrested May 15 after allegedly crossing the Rio Grande River near Del Rio. Nava-Sanchez was convicted twice in Tarrant County. He was found sentenced to 45 days in jail for a DWI in July 2022 and 29 days in jail in August 2018, for assault causing bodily injury to a family member.

A U.S. citizen was arrested May 19 during a traffic stop on Highway 85 near Dilley. A criminal complaint alleges that Alex Guadalupe Nieto was the driver of a vehicle transporting six illegal aliens. The complaint alleges that Nieto stated he and another individual drove from Houston, picking up the six illegal aliens on the side of the road, and that he had expected to be paid $500.00 to transport the aliens.

In Austin, Mexican national Juan Robledo-Trevino aka Octavio Garcia-Sanchez was taken into federal custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after being arrested and sentenced to 10 days in the Travis County Jail for failure to identify. Robledo-Trevino has two prior convictions for illegal re-entry, and four previous DWI convictions. He’s been removed from the U.S. to Mexico four times, most recently in November 2016, and voluntarily returned to Mexico twice.

Mexican national Jose Hernandez-Martinez was taken into ICE custody in Austin where he had been arrested for his second DWI and spent 20 days in the Travis County Jail. Hernandez-Martinez has a prior illegal entry conviction along with convictions for theft and assault causing bodily injury to a family member. He voluntarily returned to Mexico in 2006, and has been twice removed from the U.S.

Edgar Aguilar-Mejia, a Guatemalan national, was also taken into ICE custody in Austin. Aguilar-Mejia was convicted twice in 2023 for illegal re-entry and has been removed from the U.S. three times before, as recent as April 2024.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (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.

###

EL PASO, Texas – Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced that from May 20 through May 22, 60 illegal aliens pleaded guilty to charges that they had illegally entered the National Defense Area (NDA) that had been established along the U.S.-Mexico border from area bordering New Mexico, through El Paso County, to an area near Fort Hancock.

This three-day increase in guilty pleas adds to the 60 that the Acting U.S. Attorney announced earlier in the week, bringing the month’s total NDA violation convictions to 120 heading into Memorial Day weekend.

The Acting U.S. Attorney also announced that federal prosecutors in the district’s El Paso Division filed 133 new cases involving NDA violations this week. Among the defendants charged are Mexican nationals Gustavo Ramos-Solorzano and Enrique Arenas-Garcia.

Ramos-Solorzano was arrested May 14, two miles west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry. He had just been removed from the U.S. through El Paso on May 10, following an illegal re-entry felony conviction. Ramos Solorzano was also convicted in February for an improper entry by an alien misdemeanor. His removal on May 10 was his fourth deportation.

Arenas-Garcia was arrested May 15 two miles west of the Ysleta Port of Entry. The defendant’s arrest comes just over one week after his most recent removal from the U.S. on May 7 through San Ysidro, California. Arenas-Garcia has been removed from the U.S. a total of three times in addition to two voluntary departures.

Title 50 United States Code (USC) 797 and Title 18 USC 1382 are among the federal statutes that establish criminal penalties for unlawful intrusions into areas designated as National Defense Areas.  Title 50 USC 797 refers to the willful violation of defense property security regulation, which, pursuant to lawful authority, was approved by the Secretary of Defense—or a military commander designated by the Secretary of Defense—for the protection or security of Department of Defense property. Title 18 USC 1382 subjects anyone to criminal penalties who, within the jurisdiction of the U.S., entered upon a military post, fort, or yard—in these cases, the Texas National Defense Area—for a purpose prohibit by law or lawful regulation, that is illegal entry into the U.S.

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).

###

DEL RIO, Texas – A federal grand jury in Del Rio returned an indictment charging a Mexican national with four counts related to methamphetamine trafficking.

According to court documents, Veronica Sanchez-Pineda, 46, of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, approached the Eagle Pass Port of Entry in a pickup truck on April 20, allegedly giving Customs and Border Protection officers a negative declaration for contraband including narcotics. A secondary inspection allegedly resulted in the discovery of a crystal-like substance inside an auxiliary tank in the bed of the truck. The liquid was extracted and resulted in a positive test result for the properties of methamphetamine, a criminal complaint alleges. The total approximate weight of the alleged narcotic was 521.03 kg.

The criminal complaint also alleges that Sanchez-Pineda consented to a search of her cell phone, which contained a text message about a “job” in Eagle Pass as well as screenshots of money transfers between the defendant and another individual. Sanchez-Pineda allegedly admitted to being involved in illegal activity regarding the contents of the auxiliary tank and that she was being compensated in Mexican Pesos.

Sanchez-Pineda is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute; one count of conspiracy to import methamphetamine; and one count of importation of methamphetamine. She was arrested and made her initial court appearance April 24 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew H. Watters of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. If convicted, Sanchez-Pineda faces 10 years to life in prison and up to a $10 million fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Warsame Galaydh 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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

###

AUSTIN, Texas – An Austin man was sentenced in a federal court in Austin to 144 months in federal prison for one count of felon in possession.

According to court documents, Steven Moreno Briseno, 38, was arrested by Austin Police when he surrendered during a barricaded standoff at his family’s residence on Nov. 30, 2023. Briseno had allegedly been under the influence of methamphetamine and got into an altercation with his wife, physically assaulting her and then fleeing on foot when officers arrived in response to a 911 call.

Briseno ran into a vacant apartment across the street then sprinted back to his residence, where he barricaded himself inside. Briseno’s aggressive behavior escalated as he refused the officers’ commands to exit the residence, made comments about arming himself, and threatened to start shooting if the officers did not back away from his residence. Officers observed Briseno fashioning a tripod through a window and mounting a long rifle on top. He was also seen smoking from a glass pipe that resembled a meth pipe while he loaded numerous rounds into rifles, handguns, and at least one shotgun. Additionally, officers watched Briseno exit the residence with a gun in his hand while wearing a camouflaged tactical vest.

When APD SWAT arrived on the scene, Briseno was instructed to exit the residence with his hands up and empty. Subsequently, he fired at least one round from one of his firearms from inside the residence to an unspecified location outside the residence. After several minutes of speaking via loudspeaker, Briseno surrendered to APD. Inside the residence, officers located numerous firearms, loaded magazines, and boxes of ammunition in plain view, including on top of the kitchen table and staged near the front door and multiple windows in the front of the house.

Briseno had previously been convicted of multiple felonies, including burglary on Nov. 30, 2022. He pleaded guilty to one count of felon in possession of a firearm on Jan. 15, 2025.

Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Grant Sparks prosecuted the case.

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WACO, Texas – A Mexican national was arrested in Temple on criminal charges related to her alleged possession of a fraudulent Permanent Resident Card and failing to report her change of address.

According to court documents, Juana Maria Garcia-Rosales, was found in Temple on May 15, after Temple Police executed a search warrant at her residence. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Fugitive Operations Officers subsequently arrested Garcia-Rosales for being in possession of a Permanent Resident Card with an Alien Number that had not been issued. A criminal complaint alleges that Garcia-Rosales admitted to purchasing the card from someone in Florida via social media. Further investigation revealed that Garcia-Rosales was previously admitted into the U.S. with a Border Crosser Card in July 2012 and the Form I-94 documenting her arrival listed her address as a location in Bryan—not Temple.

Garcia-Rosales is charged with one count of possession of a fraudulent Permanent Resident Card and one count of failure to notify of change of address. If convicted, she faces up to 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

ICE is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Frazier 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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.

###

EL PASO, Texas – Beginning in early May, additional criminal charges were filed against individuals who illegally entered or were found illegally in the United States and who had illegally entered the National Defense Area (NDA) that had been established along the U.S.-Mexico border from area bordering New Mexico, through El Paso County, to an area near Fort Hancock. As of May 19, 60 defendants had pleaded guilty and were convicted of these charges.

Title 50 United States Code (USC) 797 and Title 18 USC 1382 are among the federal statutes that establish criminal penalties for unlawful intrusions into areas designated as National Defense Areas.  Title 50 USC 797 refers to the willful violation of defense property security regulation, which, pursuant to lawful authority, was approved by the Secretary of Defense—or a military commander designated by the Secretary of Defense—for the protection or security of Department of Defense property. Title 18 USC 1382 subjects anyone to criminal penalties who, within the jurisdiction of the U.S., entered upon a military post, fort, or yard—in these cases, the Texas National Defense Area—for a purpose prohibit by law or lawful regulation, that is illegal entry into the U.S.

“The role of this U.S. Attorney’s Office is to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States, seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior, and to administer and enforce the nation's laws to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. “These NDA-related charges are brought because the defendants violated of the federal law. These convictions area positive step in the judicial process of deterring illegal immigration, and I am very grateful to our El Paso Division staff and to our federal law enforcement and military partners for their diligent work in securing our borders.”

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).

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EL PASO, Texas – An indictment unsealed today in the Western District of Texas is the first in the nation to charge a Mexican national with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization based on her involvement with the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), including providing the cartel with grenades and engaging in alien smuggling, firearms trafficking, bulk cash smuggling, and narcotics trafficking on its behalf.

“Cartels like CJNG are terrorist groups that wreak havoc in American communities and are responsible for countless lives lost in the United States, Mexico, and elsewhere,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This announcement demonstrates the Justice Department’s unwavering commitment to securing our borders and protecting Americans through effective prosecution.”

According to court documents, Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez, 39, of Mexico, conspired with others to provide and did attempt to provide grenades to CJNG, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Additionally, Navarro-Sanchez, is charged with conspiracy to smuggle and transport aliens in the United States, straw purchasing and trafficking in firearms, bulk cash smuggling conspiracy, and conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute. Co-defendant Luis Carlos Davalos-Lopez, 27, of Mexico, is charged with conspiracy to smuggle illegal aliens into and transport aliens in the United States, straw purchasing and firearms trafficking. Co-defendant Gustavo Castro-Medina, 28, of Mexico, is charged with straw purchasing and firearms trafficking, conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.     

On Feb. 20, the U.S. Department of State announced the designation of eight international cartels, including CJNG, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and specially designated global terrorists. This designation makes available much stronger criminal charges in the fight to secure our nation’s borders. CJNG is a transnational criminal organization that controls a significant portion of the narcotics trafficking trade and has a presence in nearly every part of Mexico and dozens of other countries, including the United States. In addition to trafficking fentanyl, CJNG engages in money laundering, bribery, extortion of migrants, taxing of migrant smugglers, and other criminal activities, including acts of violence and intimidation. According to the State Department, CJNG has conducted attacks on Mexican military and police with military grade weaponry, the use of drones to drop explosives on Mexican law enforcement, and assassinations or attempted assassinations of Mexican officials.

On Jan. 20, President Trump directed the Justice Department and other agencies to pursue total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations because they pose extremely serious threats to the United States, including by jeopardizing a stable and secure border. These and other criminal organizations commit brutal and intolerable violent crimes related to narcotics and firearms trafficking, money laundering, extortion, and other criminal acts. They also are responsible for huge flows of illegal immigration into the United States. They organize and facilitate all manners of illicit travel and immigration into the United States through the southern and northern borders and rely on co-conspirators and organization members operating in various countries throughout North and South America. This situation is untenable and threatens our national security. The Department of Justice and its law enforcement partners are committed to protecting the United States against invasion, working urgently toward the goal of total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, aggressively enforcing our immigration laws, and maximizing the impact and effectiveness of all available law enforcement tools.

“The slew of federal charges we have brought against Navarro-Sanchez sends a monumental message through the ranks of cartels like CJNG—now designated as a terrorist organization—along with those who support them in various capacities, that United States law enforcement is turning up the pressure to crack down on unlawful immigration practices and to dismantle the smuggling of illicit drugs and firearms,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. “These crimes, all included as allegations in the indictment, do nothing but place human lives on both sides of the border in grave danger, while loading the pockets of criminals who profit off of them.”

“Today’s historic indictment of Navarro-Sanchez, a high-ranking member of the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) for providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization sets a precedent and sends an unmistakable message,” said Special Agent in Charge John Morales for the FBI El Paso Field Office. “The FBI is fully committed to using every resource at our disposal to dismantle this, and any other transnational criminal organization, and bring to justice all who enable, support, or profit from their deadly operations within the United States. The FBI El Paso Field Office is doubling down on our partnerships, both locally and with our Mexican counterparts to relentlessly pursue these cartels, violent gangs, and the organized networks that support them by continuing to aggressively disrupt their supply chains, cut off their funding, and take down their leadership, piece by piece, operation by operation.”

“The carnage left behind in the wake of the cartel is devastating to so many in the US and abroad,” stated Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Dallas Field Division. “The capture and arrest of Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez, aka Fernanda, aka Chayo, is a groundbreaking demonstration of what international law enforcement authorities can do to fight the scourge of firearm trafficking and the menace that is the narcotics cartels. This may be one of the first of these charges, but it won’t be the last. Thanks to the multi-agency, ATF-led El Paso Operation Southbound Firearms Trafficking Task Force, for their nonstop commitment to take out one of the key players in the trafficking of firearms across our borders.”

“DEA is known for investigating and successfully convicting numerous narco-terrorism targets,” said Special Agent in Charge Omar Arellano for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) El Paso Division. “But this case is a prime example of how DEA is expanding and incorporating more terrorism-related investigative authorities. The men and women of the DEA welcome every tool and every measure available to us to defeat CJNG.”

"This indictment highlights the relentless commitment of Homeland Security Investigations and its law enforcement partners to pursue notorious narco-terrorists like CJNG and their accomplices, such as Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez," stated Special Agent in Charge Jason T. Stevens, for HSI El Paso. "These criminals are pivotal players in an extensive web of organized crime that "This indictment highlights the relentless commitment of Homeland Security Investigations and its law enforcement partners to pursue notorious narco-terrorists like CJNG and their accomplices, such as Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez," stated Special Agent in Charge Jason T. Stevens, for HSI El Paso. "These criminals are pivotal players in an extensive web of organized crime that crosses borders, devastating communities through the distribution of deadly drugs and inciting chaos and violence."

Since its establishment, Joint Task Force Alpha’s (JTFA) work has resulted in increased coordination and collaboration between both domestic and foreign law enforcement; precedent setting indictments, extraditions and prosecutions; more than 365 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of these crimes; more than 334 U.S. convictions; more than 281 defendants sentenced, including significant jail sentences imposed; and substantial seizures and forfeitures of assets and contraband including millions of dollars in cash, real property, vehicles, firearms and ammunition, and drugs.

The FBI, ATF, DEA, Customs and Border Protection and HSI in El Paso investigated the case, assisted by the U.S. Border Patrol. ATF Legal Attachés in Mexico City and the Mexico Attorney General’s Office also known as Fiscalía General de la República (FGR) Firearms Trafficking Unit provided substantial assistance. The DEA, CBP’s National Targeting Center, and ICE HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. also provided assistance with the investigation.

The case announced today is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Myers and JTFA Associate Director Ian Hanna of the Western District of Texas, and Trial Attorney Marie Zisa of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Judicial Attachés in Mexico provided substantial assistance. The Justice Department thanks its Mexican law enforcement partners, who arrested Navarro-Sanchez on May 4, during an enforcement operation.

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 Neighborhood (PSN).

This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi¬ jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. The OCDETF El Paso / Las Cruces Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from CBP, HSI, DEA, FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, ATF, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office (EPSO), and the El Paso Police Department (EPPD).

The charges contained in an indictment are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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SAN ANTONIO – Acting United States Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 295 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from May 9 through May 15.

Among the new cases, Mexican nationals Juan Jose Medrano-Escobedo and Rosendo Dominguez-Morales were arrested after allegedly entering the U.S. illegally through the Texas National Defense Area (Tx-NDA) less than half a mile west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry in El Paso. Medrano-Escobedo has been previously removed from the U.S. to Mexico twice, most recently July 30, 2024. He has been convicted of three felonies, including evading arrest in 2017 and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in November 2023. Dominguez-Morales was last removed on Aug. 20, 2024, following an Aug. 18, 2024 felony conviction for assault while displaying a dangerous weapon. Medrano-Escobedo and Dominguez-Morales are each charged with two counts related to violating defense property security regulation and one count of illegal re-entry.

Also in El Paso, two U.S. citizens are charged with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens after being arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Fabens. Jared Isai Ramirez and Jesus Alberto Soriano, driving separate vehicles, allegedly attempted to flee from USBP. A criminal complaint alleges Ramirez lost control of his vehicle and collided into a rock wall. He and four passengers allegedly exited the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot before being apprehended. The four passengers were determined to be illegal aliens and were transported with Ramirez to the Clint Border Patrol Station for further investigation. Soriano eventually stopped the vehicle he was driving and was also transported to the Clint Border Patrol Station. The criminal complaint alleges that Ramirez admitted that he would be paid $300 for each of the four illegal aliens he was transporting. Soriano allegedly stated that he had agreed to scout the area for law enforcement during the smuggling scheme. 

A Mexican national was encountered at the Bastrop County Jail and charged with illegal re-entry in Austin. Elisandro Enriquez-Sanchez has been removed from the U.S. to Mexico four times in addition to a voluntary return. He had been arrested in Bastrop and charged with driving while intoxicated with an open alcohol container. Enriquez-Sanchez’s lengthy criminal record includes two convictions for illegal re-entry as well as taking a weapon from an officer, assault causing bodily injury to a family member, and three DWIs in a two-year span.

In Presidio County, Honduran national Angel Daniel Vasquez was arrested and charged with illegal re-entry. Vasquez has four prior removals, the last one being to Honduras May 27, 2024. He’s also a twice-convicted felon with a criminal record that includes assault causing bodily injury in Nashville, Tennessee in 2023 and a 2015 illegal re-entry conviction in Phoenix, Arizona. He was also convicted of a misdemeanor in Nashville for driving under the influence in April 2024.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (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.

###

A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging Seth Herrera, 35, a U.S. Army soldier, previously of El Paso, TX, with attempted sexual exploitation of a child and receipt of files depicting child sexual abuse.

According to court documents, Herrera allegedly used encrypted messaging applications and network applications to find, receive, and download child sexual abuse material (CSAM) over the course of multiple years, beginning in 2021. He also allegedly used artificial intelligence chatbots to generate CSAM using images of children he knew. He is also alleged to have surreptitiously taken images and videos of those same children undressing in his home in El Paso.

Herrera is already charged in Alaska relating to his alleged transportation, receipt, and possession of CSAM, including AI-generated CSAM, while stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.

Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret F. Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mallory J. Rasmussen for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case.

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 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

SAN ANTONIO – Acting United States Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 316 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from May 2 through May 8.

Among the new cases, Cirilo Delgado-Alderete, Dilan Karim Valenzuela-Baca, and Antelmo Eligio Ramirez-Bernardo were arrested at an alleged stash house in Anthony, New Mexico. According to an affidavit, U.S. Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations agents observed three vehicles that had been identified as being used to smuggle illegal aliens to Albuquerque, New Mexico, parked at the residence. When agents questioned Ramirez-Bernardo, a Guatemalan national, they allegedly discovered he possessed a key to the residence on his keychain. Agents then located 25 individuals inside the residence who admitted to being citizens of Mexico, Peru, Honduras, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, and Pakistan without documentation to be in the U.S. Two of the individuals, Delgado-Alderete and Valenzuela-Baca, were identified as alleged stash house caretakes and drivers to harbor and transport the illegal aliens. Delgado-Alderete, Valenzuela-Baca, and Ramirez-Bernardo are charged with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and one count of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens.  The drivers allegedly picked up aliens in El Paso before transporting them to New Mexico.

Mexican national Erasmo Soto-Aguilar and Cesar Jared Garcia-Raucho, a U.S. citizen, were charged with statutes related to harboring illegal aliens after agents arrested them outside an alleged stash house in El Paso. A criminal complaint alleges that Soto-Aguilar had been involved in multiple smuggling schemes in which he coordinated pick-up drivers to meet and exchange illegal aliens. The complaint also alleges that Garcia-Raucho admitted to working as an illegal alien caretaker.

Leonel Sotelo-Santillan, a Mexican national, was arrested after allegedly entering a National Defense Area near El Paso illegally on May 2. Sotelo-Santillan is a convicted felon with two 2015 convictions for domestic abuse battery and theft in Louisiana, as well as a felony conviction in June 2024 for illegal re-entry. He has two prior removals, the last one being Dec. 28, 2024.

In San Antonio, Mexican national Joandel De Jesus Tierrablanca-Tellez aka Joandel Tierras Blanca was arrested after law enforcement officers allegedly observed him sell four firearms to a buyer in New Braunfels. Homeland Security Investigations had previously learned the firearms were to be sold and trafficked to Mexico for a predetermined amount of U.S. currency. A search of Tierrablanca-Tellez’s vehicle allegedly revealed his Mexican passport and an additional firearm along with .223 caliber and .308 caliber ammunition. Tierrablanca-Tellez is charged with one count of illegal alien in possession of a firearm and, if convicted, faces up to 15 years in federal prison.

Alejandro Mata-Zavala, also a Mexican national, was arrested during a traffic stop in Guadalupe County on May 6. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)/Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) immigration history inquiry determined Mata-Zavala had been convicted in April 2021 for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison, and was removed from the U.S. to Mexico on or about June 2, 2022. He’s currently charged with one count of illegal re-entry and faces up to 20 years in federal prison, if convicted.

USBP agents arrested Mexican national Tomas Medina-Martinez near Brackettville on May 1. Medina-Martinez is a two-time convicted felon with three prior removals from the U.S., the most recent being Feb. 12. Mexican national Mauro Morales-Lopez was also arrested by USBP on May 1 near Eagle Pass. Morales-Lopez was deported Nov. 12, 2024 through Atlanta, Georgia following multiple violent misdemeanor convictions for family violence.

On May 5, Mexican national Sergio De La Cruz-Ruiz was arrested near Brackettville for being illegally present in the U.S. His criminal record includes nine deportations and multiple felony convictions. De La Cruz-Ruiz was also convicted in January 2024 for assault on a family member. His latest removal was April 18 through Harlingen.

Jorge Luis Benavides-Alvarado, a Mexican national, was encountered by federal law enforcement at the Williamson County Jail and charged with illegal re-entry. He was convicted for possession of a dangerous drug in Georgetown on May 7. In 2017, Benavides-Alvarado was convicted for aggravated robbery in Dallas. He was removed from the U.S. July 26, 2019. Also encountered at the Williamson County Jail, Mexican national Agustin Ruiz-Vazquez was convicted May 7 for assault causing bodily injury. Federally charged with illegal re-entry, Ruiz-Vazquez was previously removed from the U.S. July 10, 2014, two years after being convicted of injury to a child in Austin.

And in Midland, Salvadoran national Edenilzon Hernandez was encountered at the Ector County Detention Center in Odessa, where he was being held for indecency with child sexual contact. Now facing a federal illegal re-entry charge, Hernandez has three prior removals and a criminal history that includes convictions for burglary of a habitation, assault on a public servant and an additional assault charge.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (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.

###

SAN ANTONIO – A Round Rock man pleaded guilty in a federal court in San Antonio today to one count of conspiracy to traffic firearms and one count of dealing in firearms without a license.

According to court documents, Job Eliezer De La Torre, 50, was engaged in the business of dealing in firearms without a license from Jan. 1, 2020 to Nov. 1, 2023. During that time, he purchased approximately 356 firearms for resale, approximately 24 of which were recovered by law enforcement. Approximately 12 of those 24 were recovered in Mexico. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed a search warrant on De La Torre’s Round Rock residence on Nov. 2, 2023, seizing his cell phone, 44 firearms, more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, ledgers of sales for firearms, $26,000 in cash, as well as precious metals. De La Torre stated he advertised guns for sale online and made between $20 and $200 in profit per firearm sold.

Messages on his phone reflected his business dealings. From May to September 2023 alone, De La Torre sold approximately 50 firearms for $196,850 to one co-conspirator. The deal included AR-15 5.56 caliber firearms, six AR-10 .308 caliber firearms, an AK pistol, an FN SCAR 17S rifle, and FightLite MCR builds.

De La Torre faces up to 15 years in federal prison for the conspiracy offense and up to five years for dealing in firearms without a license. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

The ATF and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney William Calve 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

###

SAN ANTONIO – Today, the Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Restore Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators.  The operation resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sexual abuse offenders in the nationwide crackdown.  The coordinated effort was executed over the course of five days by all 55 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in the Department’s Criminal Division, and United States Attorney’s Offices around the country.

“The Department of Justice will never stop fighting to protect victims — especially child victims — and we will not rest until we hunt down, arrest, and prosecute every child predator who preys on the most vulnerable among us,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “I am grateful to the FBI and their state and local partners for their incredible work in Operation Restore Justice and have directed my prosecutors not to negotiate.”

“Every child deserves to grow up free from fear and exploitation, and the FBI will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of those who exploit the most vulnerable among us,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Operation Restore Justice proves that no predator is out of reach and no child will be forgotten. By leveraging the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state and local partners, we’re sending a clear message: there is no place to hide for those who prey on children.”

In the Western District of Texas, five individuals were arrested and charged with federal crimes, including Kevin Dale Franklin Jr. in El Paso, charged with receipt and distribution of child pornography; Zaid Mashhour Haddad and Mario Garcia Martinez in San Antonio, charged with access with intent to view child pornography and possession of child pornography, respectively; James Christopher Hoyt in Austin, charged with distribution of material involved the sexual exploitation of children; and Dakota Gunther Vaught in Pecos, charged with one count of sexual exploitation of children, one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography.

“Cases involving the sexual exploitation of children and child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, will always be a priority for this U.S. Attorney’s Office, as it is most certainly our duty to protect our most vulnerable citizens—children,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. “These operations are significant in that they bring a vast number of resources together to carry out a shared mission and highlight critical criminal cases, but know that we work with our local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement partners year-round and around the clock to investigate, arrest, and prosecute those who violate children, their rights and federal law.”

“The FBI will deploy every resource available to investigate and bring to justice those who sexually exploit children, our most vulnerable population,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp for the FBI San Antonio Field Office. “None of this would be possible without the collective efforts of the FBI San Antonio Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force Officers. We also want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their partnership and dedication to this important mission.”

"The FBI El Paso Crimes Against Children Task Force is unwavering in its mission to combat the horrific crime of child exploitation," said Special Agent in Charge John Morales for the FBI El Paso Field Office. "We pursue these cases relentlessly, every day, without exception because protecting children from predators is among our highest priorities, and we will stop at nothing to identify, investigate the abuse of innocent children, and bring these monstrous individuals responsible to justice. Day-in and day-out we work together with our law enforcement partners to ensure these predators face the full consequences of their depraved actions. Let this message be clear: if you exploit a child, we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will make sure you face the full power of the justice system. There will be no refuge for those who prey on our most innocent and vulnerable.”

Others arrested around the country are alleged to have committed various crimes including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material, online enticement and transportation of minors, and child sex trafficking. In Minneapolis, for example, a state trooper and Army Reservist was arrested for allegedly producing child sexual abuse material while wearing his uniforms. In Norfolk, VA, an illegal alien from Mexico is accused of transporting a minor across state lines for sex. In Washington, D.C., a former Metropolitan Police Department Police Officer was arrested for allegedly trafficking minor victims.

In many cases, parental vigilance and community outreach efforts played a critical role in bringing these offenders to justice. For example, a California man was arrested about eight hours after a young victim bravely came forward and disclosed their abuse to FBI agents after an online safety presentation at a school near Albany, N.Y.

This effort follows the Department’s observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April and underscores the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and raising awareness about the dangers they face. While the Department, including the FBI, investigates and prosecutes these crimes every day, April serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of preventing these crimes, seeking justice for victims, and raising awareness through community education.

The Justice Department is committed to combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were 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 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

The Department partners with and oversees funding grants for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on missingkids.org. 

The Department urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office.

Other online resources:

Electronic Press Kit

Violent Crimes Against Children

How we can help you: Parents and caregivers protecting your kids

An indictment or 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 federal grand jury in Austin returned an indictment today charging an Austin man, who was employed as a fifth grade teacher in the city, with two counts related to his alleged receipt and possession of child pornography.

According to an affidavit filed in the court documents, Carl David Innmon, 50, allegedly downloaded multiple batches of downloads via BitTorrent between Dec. 29, 2024 and Jan. 15, 2025. The alleged downloads contained a total of 126 files that depict an image of a child engaging in sexual conduct or sexual performance. The children in three of the downloaded files, the affidavit alleges, include an infant and two girls between the ages of four and seven.

Based on the investigation, a search warrant was conducted on Innmon’s residence, leading to the seizure of a smartphone, a laptop and a portable hard drive. A forensic analysis of these items cumulatively revealed 365,797 files of Child Sexual Abuse Material.

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

The affidavit also alleges that Innmon was in possession of artificial intelligence generated child pornography, and that his devices contained a large quantity of real images depicting students in a classroom. Some of those images were allegedly placed in an AI generator, de-clothing the students. With assistance from the Austin Independent School District and AISD Police, a Texas Department of Public Safety (TX DPS) Criminal Investigations Division (CID) Special Agent was able to positively identify the students depicted in the images and their ages. The children were allegedly identified as students of Innmon's.

Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

TX DPS CID is investigating 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.

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

###

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man who had resided in Coahuila, Mexico was sentenced in a federal court Thursday to 135 months in prison for smuggling more than 10 kgs of fentanyl and nearly 35 kgs of methamphetamine into the United States.

According to court documents, Ruben Martinez Martinez, 22, was stopped by a Guadalupe County Sheriff’s deputy on Sept. 15, 2023 for traffic violations on Interstate 10. A return on the vehicle’s license plate indicated that the vehicle had crossed into Mexico on Aug. 11, 2023 and returned into the U.S. the morning of Sept. 15. When questioned by the deputy, Martinez provided responses that were inconsistent and became visibly nervous.

A K9 search of the vehicle revealed a container of methamphetamine hidden in the fold of a collapsed center seat in the front of the vehicle. A search of the vehicle’s camper shell led to the discovery of a compartment inside the roof. After the vehicle was relocated for further inspection, an X-ray revealed the outlines of bundles inside the roof that contained a white substance and other white and blue pills.

Approximately 39 packages were removed from the roof, and subsequent laboratory testing confirmed the white substance to be 34.9 kgs of methamphetamine and that there were 95,417 pills containing fentanyl. Martinez stated that he had followed directions to pick up the camper shell near Piedras Negras, Mexico the day prior to the traffic stop. He said he was transporting the narcotics to a location in Houston, where arrangements would be made for him to transfer the camper shell to someone else.

"Fentanyl and methamphetamine have been poisoning our communities and even causing the deaths of friends, neighbors, and loved ones throughout this district and across the nation,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. “Working with our law enforcement partners to stop the illicit trafficking of these incredibly dangerous drugs is a top priority."

“DEA, along with its local partner, the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office, successfully halted Ruben Martinez Martinez from funneling over 95,000 fentanyl pills into our communities, which could have resulted in a tragic number of deaths,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge William Kimbell for the Drug Enforcement Administration Houston Division. “These deadly doses could have shattered the lives of many families in the San Antonio area, but fortunately lives were saved, and it’s all due to our collaborations with our state, local, and federal partners that have always shown to be a true force multiplier.” 

The DEA investigated the case with valuable assistance from the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office and Guadalupe County Narcotics Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Fedock prosecuted the case.

###

SAN ANTONIO – Acting United States Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 352 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from April 25 through May 1.

Among the new cases, David Ysturiz-Villalobos and Yilber Gabriel Caldera-Espinoza were arrested by the San Antonio Police Department during an April 22 traffic stop. Both were identified as Venezuelan nationals unlawfully present in the United States. Ysturiz-Villalobos was observed in possession of a .40 caliber pistol with a loaded magazine and one chambered round. Caldera-Espinoza later admitted the pistol was his. Ysturiz-Villalobos and Caldera-Espinoza are each charged with one count of illegal alien in possession of a firearm and, if convicted, face up to 10 years in federal prison.

Mexican national Rogelio Cruz-Ramirez was federally charged with illegal re-entry in Austin after being encountered at the Hays County Jail, where he was serving a 271-day sentence for possession of a controlled substance. Cruz-Ramirez has three prior removals from the United States and two voluntary returns to Mexico. In 2015 he was convicted of assault causing bodily injury to a family member, adding to an unlawful carry conviction and fraudulent use/possession of identifying information in 2007. Cruz-Ramirez also has three unlawful entry convictions on his record.

Jesus Soto-Reyes, a Mexican national, was encountered at the Bastrop County Jail, where he was being held for an alleged aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and assault causing bodily injury to a family member. Soto-Reyes has five previous removals from the United States in addition to two voluntary returns.

Angel Navarro-Miranda, also of Mexico, was encountered at the Travis County Jail, where he was being held for an alleged DWI and collision involving damage. Navarro-Miranda’s criminal record includes four additional DWI charges dating back to August 2000.

Near Eagle Pass, Honduran national Alicia Lourdes Mendoza-Fuentes was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) agents on April 23. Mendoza-Fuentes is charged with illegal re-entry, having been deported three times before. Mendoza-Fuentes was convicted May 15, 2024 for a smuggling of persons offense and was subsequently deported to Honduras May 29, 2024.

USBP agents arrested a Salvadoran national, Daniel Isai Gonzalez-Martinez, near Eagle Pass on April 24. Gonzalez-Martinez also has three prior removals, the most recent being Dec. 13, 2024. Gonzalez-Martinez is a three-time convicted felon with two illegal re-entry convictions and one conviction in 2018 for bringing in and harboring certain aliens.

Mexican national Jose Torres-Galaviz was arrested by USBP agents near Eagle Pass on April 28. Torres-Galaviz has multiple felony convictions that include resisting law enforcement, auto theft and battery by bodily waste in January 2024, along with possession of cocaine and battery by bodily waste convictions in August 2021. He was recently deported through El Paso on Feb. 22 and now faces an illegal re-entry charge.

Jose Luis Padron Arredondo, also a Mexican national, was arrested by USBP agents on April 25 for an illegal re-entry offense. Padron Arredondo has been deported four times, the last one being Oct. 17, 2024 through Del Rio. His criminal record includes a felony conviction for illegal re-entry in 2013 and two convictions for improper entry by an alien in 2009 and 2010.

In El Paso, Eddie Gonzalez Jr., a U.S. citizen, was arrested April 28 and charged with smuggling illegal aliens. USBP agents were responded to reports of three individuals making an illegal entry within five miles of the Tornillo Port of Entry when they noticed a vehicle speed away. Gonzalez Jr. is alleged to have been the driver and fled from USBP agents multiple times at a high rate of speed. A criminal complaint alleges that Gonzalez Jr. eventually exited his vehicle, ran on foot, and boarded a second vehicle driven by a juvenile. Agents were able to pull the second vehicle over and arrest both Gonzalez Jr. and the juvenile. One of the individuals apprehended in the area of the reported illegal entry was also apprehended and allegedly admitted to being a Mexican citizen. The criminal complaint alleges Gonzalez Jr. admitted to entering into an agreement with a smuggler and was expecting to be paid $1,800 for picking up illegal aliens.

USBP agents at Fort Hancock also arrested Yonni Rios-Ibarra, a Mexican national who allegedly served as a foot guide for two other Mexican nationals entering the U.S. illegally. Agents allegedly observed the three aliens attempting to high in the brush alongside a canal. Rios-Ibarra is charged with bringing in and harboring certain aliens.

Mexican national Francisco Reyna-Espinosa was transferred to federal custody in Odessa after being convicted April 25 of driving while intoxicated, for which he was sentenced in the 161st Judicial District Court to 10 years of confinement. Reyna-Espinosa was previously convicted in federal court on Jan. 30, 2014, for illegal re-entry after deportation and sentenced to three years of probation. Reyna-Espinoza has two additional DWI convictions on his criminal record.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (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.

###

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was arrested Tuesday in San Antonio on criminal charges related to his alleged possession of child pornography.

According to court documents, Zaid Mashhour Haddad allegedly streamed child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from his computer to a TV mounted on the bedroom wall of his apartment. One of the videos that allegedly depicted child pornography was displayed on Haddad’s TV as the FBI executed a search warrant on his apartment. The video was allegedly being streamed from a link Haddad received through Telegram. Agents reviewed and documented the contents of the link, which allegedly contained 181 different videos.

The complaint alleges that the investigation into Haddad’s activity showed Haddad received links containing CSAM from direct message threads on Telegram, which were stored in the Telegram application on his phone. Details in the complaint allege that the links often led to virtual Zoom meetings where CSAM would be live streamed using content from a separate file sharing application.

Haddad is charged with one count of possession of child pornography and one count of knowingly accessing with intent to view any material that contained an image of child pornography. If convicted, Haddad faces up to 20 years in prison, lifetime supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, an additional restitution amount, and the requirement to register as a sex offender. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

The FBI is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Thompson 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.

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.

###

SAN ANTONIO – Acting United States Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced today that federal prosecutors in the district filed 344 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from April 18 through April 24.

Among the new cases, Henry Cruz-Lemas, an illegal alien and a Honduran national previously convicted of aggravated kidnapping in September 2011 and sentenced to five years in prison. Cruz-Lemas was arrested on April 18 during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ERO) investigation in San Antonio.  He is charged with one count of illegal reentry of an alien.

Jose Angel Escarcega-Briones, an illegal alien from Mexico, was found approximately 4 miles west of the Tornillo Port of Entry. Border Patrol Agents determined that he did not have immigration documents allowing him to be in the United States legally and that he has previously been removed from the United States 5 times.  He has 3 prior convictions for illegal reentry as well as a federal drug trafficking conviction.

Jose Alfonso Deras-Valle, a citizen of El Salvador, was found near mile marker 87 of Interstate 10 in Fort Hancock, Texas.  U.S. Border Patrol determined that Deras-Valle had recently been deported to El Salvador on February 21, 2025.  His criminal record includes a murder conviction in Florida for which he received fifteen years in prison.

U.S. Border Patrol Agents performing line watch operations in an area near Sierra Blanca, Texas encountered three people attempting to conceal themselves in a culvert.  After questioning and investigation, the agents determined the group was in the United States illegally.  Sergio Aguirre-Isidro was determined to be a foot guide for the group and that he was to collect 10,000 Mexican Pesos if the group arrived in the U.S. successfully.

Junior Enrique Garcia-Escobar, a Honduran national with a prior conviction out of the State of New York for Burglary using/threatening use of a dangerous instrument, was arrested on illegal reentry charges near Eagle Pass, Texas.  He had been sentenced to five years in prison on the burglary charge and was deported in 2019.

Raul Rodriguez-Morales was arrested by Border Patrol Agents in Del Rio, Texas on April 18, 2025, for illegal reentry after having been deported in January 2025.  Rodriguez-Morales has previous drug convictions in California as well as a conviction for felon in possession of a firearm and two previous convictions for illegal reentry of an alien in 2011 and 2019.

In Carrizo Springs, Texas, Devarick Dewayne Benson was arrested for conspiring to transport two illegal aliens further into the United States.  Benson was driving a vehicle with fictitious plates and was pulled over for driving 10 miles over the speed limit.  He had two illegal aliens in the trunk of his car.

A Honduran citizen, Angel Almendarez-Ulloa, was arrested on April 19, 2025, by Border Patrol Agents near Eagle Pass, Texas. Almendarez has been deported from the United States 10 times, with his last deportation to Honduras being on April 21, 2023.

These cases were referred or supported by our federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (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.

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio woman was sentenced in federal court to 50 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kgs or more of cocaine.

According to court documents, Gisselle Cabrera Rodriguez, 25, was pulled over by Bexar County Sheriff’s Office deputies on Feb. 6, 2024, for committing multiple traffic violations. A search of her vehicle resulted in the discovery of 1.2 kgs of cocaine located in the front passenger compartment. Two cell phones were also seized in the search. Rodriguez was arrested and a federal search warrant was executed on her residence, leading to the discovery of another 2.3 kgs of cocaine packaged in two bundles. Agents also located $45,700 in cash, which was determined to be proceeds from Rodriguez’s drug trafficking activity. Rodriguez also admitted to trafficking at least five kgs of cocaine per week during the five to six months leading up to her arrest.

Rodriguez pleaded guilty to one count of a two-count indictment. In addition to the imprisonment, Rodriguez was ordered to forfeit the $45,700 located in the search warrant.

Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

The FBI investigated the case with valuable assistance from BCSO and the San Antonio Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Fedock prosecuted the case.

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DEL RIO, Texas – A Mexican national was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 45 months in prison for assaulting a U.S. Border Patrol agent.

According to court documents, Mario Alonso Torrijos-Perez was apprehended on Dec. 14, 2021by USBP agents in Carrizo Springs with five other illegal aliens. While being escorted to the Border Patrol station for processing, Torrijos-Perez attempted to escape on foot. An agent caught Torrijos-Perez, who physically resisted and demanded the agent let him go despite the agent instructing him in Spanish and English to stop resisting and show his hands. Torrijos-Perez forcefully struck the agent with his right elbow, causing the agent to lose balance and fall to the ground. After further resistance, the agent gained control and handcuffed Torrijos-Perez.

The USBP agent sustained a contusion to his right shoulder, redness in the upper-arm area, scratches on both hands and both wrists, along with pain and discomfort in the aforementioned areas.

Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

USBP investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Miner prosecuted the case.

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).

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SAN ANTONIO – A Von Ormy woman was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to two years in prison for aiding or assisting the filing of a false tax return.

According to court documents, Sandy Gonzalez, 44, operated at least two different tax preparation services in San Antonio—SV Tax and JNC Tax Professionals—between Jan. 1, 2018 and April 15, 2021. During that time period, Gonzalez knowingly and intentionally caused the submission of false tax returns to the IRS by preparing Forms 1040 for clients, which she was aware contained false and fraudulent information. Primarily, she reduced the amount of her clients’ reportable income by deducting losses on Schedule C for businesses that were either inflated or did not exist whatsoever. Her actions had the effect of improperly reducing the clients’ tax burden and/or increasing the amount of their tax refund.

Gonzalez was indicted for 10 counts on April 3, 2024, and pleaded guilty to one count in December 2024. In addition to her two-year imprisonment, Gonzalez was ordered to pay $297,777 in restitution.

Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

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

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DEL RIO, Texas – A Del Rio man was sentenced in federal court to 288 months in prison for one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents, Leonardo Estrada, 41, approached a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on Highway 277 near Eagle Pass, Feb. 15, 2023. During inspection, a K-9 alerted agents to the driver’s side of Estrada’s vehicle near the pedals. A further search revealed two plastic bundles wrapped in clear plastic tape concealed underneath the carpet behind the gas and brake pedals. The contents of one of the bundles tested positive for 790 grams of methamphetamine, while the other tested positive for marijuana. Estrada admitted to being involved in drug trafficking since 2021.

Estrada was arrested at the checkpoint on Feb. 15, 2023. He pleaded guilty May 22, 2023.

Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

HSI and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Warsame Galaydh prosecuted the case.

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