Western District of Texas

MIDLAND, Texas – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons, announced during a press conference today the indictments of Leandro Juarez, Moses Juarez and Eduardo Lopez for several counts related to oil theft.

According to court documents, the FBI began investigating Vallee Oil & Gas Inc. in January 2024. Founded by company president Leandro Juarez, Vallee is a company documented as a salt water disposal, which grants the company with the authority by the state of Texas to accept and dispose of produced water, a byproduct of oil production. The company does not have the authority to purchase crude oil.

The FBI investigation allegedly revealed that, beginning on or about Sept. 20, 2023, and continuing until on or about Feb. 18, 2025, Leandro Juarez, along with the head of Vallee’s West Texas operations Moses Juarez, and principal yard manager Eduardo Lopez, devised and executed a scheme to purchase and receive crude oil that had been stolen from locations in the Permian Basin region of New Mexico and transported across the Texas-New Mexico state line. 

Vallee’s employees were allegedly directed by the defendants to pay drivers who were hauling the crude oil at approximately half the value of the product they were transporting. The indictment alleges that, during the months of March and April 2024 alone, the defendants directed Vallee employees to issue over $290,000 to a single driver in amounts below $10,000, a tactic used to evade reporting requirements. 

“The fraud ran deep in this case but, essentially, these defendants were just common thieves stealing from those who had spilled their blood sweat and tears to extract that oil from the ground,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “When costs for oil and gas producers go up, the cost for the end purchase—the American taxpayer—also goes up. That’s why we will continue, through this whole of government approach, to take down and hold accountable those who steal oil from other producers.”

“Those who knowingly purchase, move, or profit from stolen oil and other products help create the demand that drives these crimes” said Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Briton Goad of the FBI El Paso, Midland Resident Agency. “We will continue working with our partners to identify those individuals and businesses and hold them accountable.” 

The three defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to receive stolen goods and three counts of receipt of stolen goods, aiding and abetting. Leandro and Moses Juarez are also charged with one count of conspiracy to engage in monetary transactions with funds derived from a specified unlawful activity.

Leandro Juarez, Moses Juarez and Eduardo Lopez were arraigned in the beginning of September and released on bond. The deadline for any plea agreement is Oct. 16. If the defendants choose to go to trial, jury selection is currently set for Nov. 2. 

The FBI is investigating the case with assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Railroad Commissioner, the Loving County Sheriff’s Office and the Reeves County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Parker 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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Two Mexican nationals were arraigned in the Western District of Texas after being extradited from Mexico to face charges for smuggling unaccompanied alien children into the United States. A federal grand jury in the Western District of Texas returned an indictment on Sept. 24, 2025, charging Susana Guadian, 51, and Daniel Gaudian, 51, both of Juarez, Mexico, with conspiracy to transport aliens and bringing aliens illegally to the United States for financial gain.

“These defendants are charged with smuggling multiple children across the southern border. The allegations include that they risked the safety of children by giving them THC-laced gummies to sedate them while smuggling them from Mexico into the United States to avoid the children answering questions from border law enforcement,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Protecting kids from smugglers, who will stop at nothing to exploit them, will always be one of the Department’s highest priorities.”

“Having Susana and Daniel Guadian in custody on this side of the border one year after they were indicted is a major development in a case that highlights the dangerous tactics that human smugglers employ when smuggling children,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Like their co-defendants before them, these two will be aggressively prosecuted in federal court and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

“There is nothing more reprehensible than exploiting vulnerable children for profit. Smuggling children across our border is not a victimless crime,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan G. McRae of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso. “Giving children cannabis-infused candy to sedate them is an especially disturbing abuse of their trust and safety. HSI will continue to hold accountable those who facilitate these dangerous schemes that treat children as commodities for financial gain and puts them in harm's way.” 

According to court documents, between on or about May 1 through Oct. 17, 2024, Susana and Daniel Guadian were part of an alien smuggling organization that brought unaccompanied alien children between the ages of 5 and 13 illegally into the United States from Juarez, Mexico. The complaint alleges that Susana Guadian and Daniel Guadian recruited drivers to transport the children by car from Mexico to a port of entry at the U.S. border. The drivers and their coconspirators would then present U.S. documents to inspecting officers falsely claiming the documents belonged to the children and that they were the children’s parents. 

During at least one smuggling event, the alien children were given gummy candies containing marijuana to sedate them. One of the children was taken to a local hospital and later diagnosed with marijuana poisoning. Once inside the United States, the children were then transported to El Paso, where, according to the complaint, others would pick up the children and provide payment to the drivers. The drivers were paid $900 for each minor that they brought into the United States. Co-defendant Manuel Valenzuela was sentenced on July 1 to five years in prison for his role in the child smuggling scheme and another co-defendant Dianne Guadian pleaded guilty for her role in the scheme on July 28. 

HSI El Paso and U.S. Border Patrol led investigative efforts, with substantial assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., and Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force. 

Trial Attorney Bethany Allen of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mathew Engelbaum for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Susana and Daniel Guadian.

The investigation and indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorney prosecutors from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including HSI and Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 483 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 436 U.S. convictions; and more than 371 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and TCOs, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods.

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

An illegal alien from Venezuela made his initial appearance in federal court today after being charged with one count of assaulting, resisting, interfering, and impeding a federal officer, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, on Sept. 20, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) officers initiated a traffic stop for Wilber Rafael Garces-Perez, 28. The stop was initiated due to confirmation of an immigration judge having issued a final order of removal on Garces-Perez.

The criminal complaint alleges that, during the stop, Garces-Perez provided the ICE ERO officers with his driver’s license. After verifying Garces-Perez was the person they were seeking, the officers asked Garces-Perez to place his vehicle in park and step out—orders which he allegedly ignored. The complaint alleges and body camera footage shows that after further direction from the officers in Spanish, Garces-Perez abruptly closed his window and drove off, striking one of the ICE ERO officers in the torso with the driver’s side-view mirror.

The ICE ERO officers pursued Garces-Perez in their vehicles with their emergency lights and sirens activated. The complaint alleges Garces-Perez led them on a high-speed chase through a commercial and residential area. While one of the officers lost sight of Garces-Perez during the pursuit, the other ICE ERO officer caught up to Garces-Perez, who allegedly attempted to strike the officer with his car, causing the officer to fire his pistol.

Garces-Perez made his initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dustin Howell of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. A detention hearing is set for Friday, Oct. 2. 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.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Britni Verdeja 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 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.

AUSTIN, Texas – An illegal alien from Venezuela made his initial appearance in federal court today after being charged with one count of assaulting, resisting, interfering, and impeding a federal officer, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, on Sept. 20, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) officers initiated a traffic stop for Wilber Rafael Garces-Perez, 28. The stop was initiated due to confirmation of an immigration judge having issued a final order of removal on Garces-Perez.

The criminal complaint alleges that, during the stop, Garces-Perez provided the ICE ERO officers with his driver’s license. After verifying Garces-Perez was the person they were seeking, the officers asked Garces-Perez to place his vehicle in park and step out—orders which he allegedly ignored. The complaint alleges and body camera footage shows that after further direction from the officers in Spanish, Garces-Perez abruptly closed his window and drove off, striking one of the ICE ERO officers in the torso with the driver’s side-view mirror.

The ICE ERO officers pursued Garces-Perez in their vehicles with their emergency lights and sirens activated. The complaint alleges Garces-Perez led them on a high-speed chase through a commercial and residential area. While one of the officers lost sight of Garces-Perez during the pursuit, the other ICE ERO officer caught up to Garces-Perez, who allegedly attempted to strike the officer with his car, causing the officer to fire his pistol.

Garces-Perez made his initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dustin Howell of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. A detention hearing is set for Friday, Oct. 2. 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.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Britni Verdeja 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 A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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SAN ANTONIO – The United States has reached agreements with KDHK, Inc., Kenneth Flores, Irma Flores, and Christopher Flores to resolve allegations they defrauded the United States by submitting false claims in connection with contracts for housekeeping services at U.S. Army medical facilities. The agreements require the defendants to collectively pay $2.5 million in civil penalties under the False Claims Act.

In August 2023, Kenneth, Irma, and Christopher Flores pleaded guilty to criminal fraud and gratuities charges. Shortly after they were sentenced in September 2024, the United States filed a civil lawsuit against these three individuals as well as KDHK, Inc., Kenneth Flores’ company, in federal court in San Antonio. See United States v. KHDK, Inc. et al., Civil Action No. 5:24-cv-1023. The United States alleged that the defendants unlawfully conspired with federal employees to steer a housekeeping contract in Hawaii and increase the value of a second housekeeping contract in Washington. In furtherance of that scheme, Christopher Flores and his company submitted fabricated invoices for cleaning supplies to the other defendants, which were then used to fund gratuity payments to the federal employees.

Under the terms of the civil resolutions announced today, KDHK, Inc., Kenneth Flores, and Irma Flores will jointly pay the United States $2,000,000, and Christopher Flores will individually pay the United States $500,000, for their respective roles in perpetuating this fraud. The United States previously obtained judgments imposing a total of $547,613.92 in civil penalties against the two federal employees who conspired with the Flores family. See United States v. Kelley, Civil Action No. 5:24-cv-558; United States v. Mathes, Civil Action No. 5:24-cv-980.

“This settlement shows my office does not leave any stone unturned when it comes to those who defraud the United States,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons. “The convicted members of the Flores family already confessed to betraying the American public and stealing from taxpayers. It was imperative that we follow through to ensure those responsible in the scheme were held fully accountable for their actions. Our Civil AUSAs who work these types of cases are laser focused on protecting the public fisc from thieves like these.”

“Safeguarding the integrity of the Department of Defense’s contract procurement system is essential to ensuring our warfighters receive unsurpassed equipment and services at a fair price to American taxpayers,” said Special Agent in Charge Chad Gosch, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southwest Field Office.  “As the criminal investigative arm of the Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General, DCIS will ardently pursue those who corrupt the procurement process for personal gain.”

DCIS and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division led the investigation of this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Parnham negotiated the civil resolutions on behalf of the government.

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

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DEL RIO, Texas – A federal jury in Del Rio convicted a Conroe man for enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on May 29, 2025, Brandon Westfall, 26, used an internet dating site to message a user who told him she was 16 years old. Their interactions moved from the dating site to text messages, followed by phone calls and Facetime calls in which Westfall described in detail a number of sexual activities he wanted to engage in with the minor. He further expressed his desire to meet the 16-year-old in Del Rio. To verify her location, Westfall invited the minor female to connect with him on Snapchat. There, Westfall proceeded to send the minor a photo and a sexually graphic video of himself followed by requests for the minor to send him pornographic images of her in return.

FBI special agents arrested Westfall on May 30, 2025, and seized his phone. He was indicted on June 25, 2025, for one count of enticement of a minor. This week, a two-day trial led to a 20-minute jury deliberation and resulted in a guilty verdict. He now faces 10 years to life in federal prison.

The FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Duarte and Nallely Duarte are prosecuting the case. Donna Myrdahl, Valeria Chapa, Jimie Murdoch and Marisol Rangel assisted with litigation support and trial preparation.

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

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DEL RIO, Texas – A Houston man was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 35 years in prison for his role in smuggling operation that resulted in the deaths of two illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, Roland Heith Martinez, 26, was identified as an active member of the Guzman Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO) from May 2021 until he was arrested for a drug trafficking charge in Houston on Jan. 25, 2023. The Guzman TCO is an international criminal enterprise operating in Oklahoma, Alabama, Texas, Louisiana and Mexico. Directly connected to the Cartel De Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), the organization traffics guns and drugs and smuggles illegal aliens into the United States.

In his role for the TCO, Martinez conspired to transport illegal aliens within the U.S., sending more than $54,000 dollars to multiple smuggling facilitators through at least 368 money transfers and CashApp payments, and soliciting additional load drivers for future smuggling operations. One of the smuggling events tied to Martinez and his co-conspirators, resulted in a fatal single vehicle crash in Kimble County on Aug. 7, 2022. Two illegal aliens died in the crash, as did the smuggling vehicle’s driver, a U.S. citizen. 

Already arrested for unrelated federal drug charges in the Southern District of Texas in January 2023, Martinez was named in a 12-count superseding indictment in the Western District of Texas on June 26, 2024. He pleaded guilty in the Western District on June 30, 2025, to one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death.

“Martinez was heavily involved in the operations of the Guzman TCO, not only facilitating tens of thousands of dollars in smuggling funds, but managing stash houses and dealing firearms as well,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “Our Assistant U.S. Attorneys and our partners at HSI have been working diligently to bring down this TCO and others that operate in the Western District, and successful prosecutions like this one prove that the work is paying off.”

“Roland Heith Martinez’s sentencing delivered a measure of justice for the victims of his violent criminal organization, including two illegal aliens who lost their lives,” said Special Agent in Charge, John A. Pasciucco, HSI San Antonio. “HSI Eagle Pass led the investigation that exposed a pattern of violence that included murder, attempted murder, aggravated kidnapping, home invasion and arson. This 35-year sentence reflects the seriousness of these crimes and HSI’s unwavering commitment to dismantling violent criminal organizations, protecting the public and bringing dangerous offenders to justice.”

The sentence handed down by U.S. District Chief Judge Alia Moses will be served consecutive to Martinez’s 140-month sentence that he received in 2023 in the Southern District of Texas for drug trafficking charges. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.

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

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

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SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 227 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from September 18 through September 24, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against alien smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for child sex crimes, numerous DWIs, violent crimes, thefts, and numerous prior removals.

Among the new cases, U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Honduras in Eagle Pass. Elvis Mancia-Almendarez was previously deported earlier this year, in January, through Harlingen. In January 2022, he was convicted of disorderly conduct in New York and sentenced to 15 days of confinement. The following month he was convicted again in New York for criminal sex act with a victim under 15 years old. For that, he was sentenced to three years of supervised release. Mancia-Almendarez, a convicted felon and sex offender, now faces an illegal re-entry charge in Del Rio.

Also in Del Rio, where federal prosecutors filed 100 immigration-related cases in the six-day period, Jose Flores-Dominguez, was arrested and charged with illegal re-entry. Flores-Dominguez is an illegal alien from Mexico who has been deported three times, as recently as July. Flores-Dominguez has a significant history of convictions that includes driving while intoxicated, two aggravated assaults with a weapon, and unlawful restraint.

Assistant U.S. attorneys in El Paso filed 104 immigration cases, including an illegal re-entry charge against Jorge Rivas-Mompie, an illegal alien from Cuba. Rivas-Mompie was arrested approximately two miles east of the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry after being previously removed from the U.S. in January. A convicted felon, his criminal record includes aggravated rape and sexual assault, aggravated robbery, burglary of a habitation, and a second conviction for aggravated sexual assault that resulted in a 17-year prison sentence.

Juan Jose Pinon-Villagomez, an illegal alien from Mexico, was charged with illegal re-entry after he allegedly attempted to elude inspection from U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers (CBPO) at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry on Tuesday. A criminal complaint alleges a CBPO observed Pinon-Villagomez walking north toward the U.S. on the southbound pedestrian walkway and attempted to bypass the toll booth that is designed for pedestrian traffic. The CBPO was able to stop Pinon-Villagomez from entering further into the U.S. and Pinon-Villagomez was arrested. The illegal alien was previously deported in July through Alexandria, Louisiana. In 2018, he was sentenced to five years in prison for an offense involving the possession and use of a firearm. Prior to that, Pinon-Villagomez received convictions for entering the U.S. illegally, a DWI, and intoxication assault with a vehicle. 

Miguel Hernandez-Sandoval, also an illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested in Austin and charged with illegal re-entry. Hernandez-Sandoval has been thrice removed from the U.S., the last time being in 2016 following his third DWI conviction. In addition to the three DWIs, Hernandez-Sandoval has been convicted of possession of a controlled substance and illegal re-entry to the U.S. by an alien.

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

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

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.

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.

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MIDLAND, Texas – A Mexican national was federally charged in Midland Wednesday for voting in a federal election, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, Imelda Magallanes, 51, was granted Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status in December 2010 and renewed her LPR card in 2023. Voting records from the Midland County Elections Office indicate that Magallanes first registered to vote in October 2020 using her Texas driver’s license as identification. Voting records also reveal that Magallanes voted in the November 2024 general election.

Magallanes is charged with one count of voting by an alien in a federal election. If convicted, she faces up to one year in federal prison and a fine not to exceed $100,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Parker 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 – An El Paso woman pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday to two charges related to Paycheck Protection Program fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, Araceli Benitez, 47, owned and operated Garaas Insurance Tax Services (GITS) and Ashley Home Care Services (AHH) out of a storefront in El Paso. Through those businesses, Benitez helped various other businesses obtain Paycheck Protection Program loans from the federal government, charging clients a percentage of the loan they would receive.

In at least one instance, Benitez received income tax information from a client for the purpose of a PPP loan application, then prepared and filed a false Form 1040 that reflected different figures from the client’s true Form 1040. The Form 1040 filed by Benitez for the PPP loan application also did not contain her client’s signature. Additionally, the client’s signature on the loan application was forged and the application had not been reviewed by the client before Benitez submitted it. For her work in preparing the PPP loan application, Benitez charged the client $6,000 and deposited the funds into the GITS bank account.

Additionally, Benitez provided false information to the IRS via a Form 941, Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return. On July 12, 2022, Benitez filed the form, claiming to have paid several employees higher wages that she had actually paid out. As a result of the false information, Benitez received a tax refund of $52,267.92. 

“The Paycheck Protection Program was designed to help American small businesses survive the economic crisis that was the COVID era,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “Araceli Benitez saw that as an opportunity to enrich herself through an illegal fraud scheme. Fraud against federal programs is a selfish crime against every taxpaying American. Like many other convicted fraudsters who have faced the consequences, Benitez must be held accountable.”

“The Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loans were a resource to assist the American people and their small businesses in a time of uncertainty, instead Ms. Benitez used deceptive practices to exploit a government program for her own personal gain” said Coult W. Markovsky, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI El Paso Field Office. “The FBI will continue to work with our partners to identify and investigate anyone who tries to defraud federal government programs in this way.” 

“Benitez filed fraudulent tax returns using a refundable tax credit called the employee retention credit. When criminals use a refundable tax credit on their tax returns, the fraud can turn into a tax refund, which is stealing from every tax payer,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr., of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Texas Field Office. “IRS-CI initiated more than 560 investigations, involving more than $5.61 billion of potentially fraudulent employee retention credits. We are returning the money back to the Treasury where it can help take care of the needs of all taxpayers.”

Araceli pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of false, fictitious, or fraudulent claims to the IRS. She faces up to 30 years in prison for the wire fraud and up to five years for the false claim. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI and IRS-CI are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa Clausen and Adrian Gallegos are prosecuting the case.

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

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SAN ANTONIO – A Hondo man was sentenced in a federal court today to 27 months in prison for threatening a violent attack to overthrow the government, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Jay Anthony Villarreal, 25, left his home in Hondo on June 28, 2025, with the intent to carry out an attack in Washington D.C., to overthrow the government. Villarreal was armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic assault weapon, a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, and a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, along with extra loaded magazines and multiple boxes of ammunition for each gun. He also possessed in his vehicle a police scanner, binoculars, and a copy of the Texas Penal Code. 

As part of his plan to overthrow the government, Villarreal used social media in an effort to solicit military veterans to join him. A friend of Villarreal’s in Maryland saw the social media post on the morning of June 29, 2025, viewed it as potential mass murder situation, and reported it to the FBI. Another of Villarreal’s acquaintances from Hondo was disturbed by the messages and wanted to avert a mass killing so he reported it to the Hondo police. Furthermore, multiple family members and friends sent messages to Villarreal while he was on his drive from Hondo to Washington D.C., prompting him to turn around in the Beaumont area and return home on June 29 at approximately 8:00 pm. Later that day, FBI agents searched Villarreal’s home, resulting in the discovery of two U.S. military smoke grenades—all in addition to the firearms and materials he had in his vehicle. 

Villarreal was arrested on July 2, 2025, and convicted by a federal jury on June 17, 2026. Today, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery sentenced Villarreal to 27 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release. Villarreal was also ordered to forfeit the firearms and ammunition.

“Jay Villarreal set out on a mission loaded with weapons and ammunition to violently overthrow the United States government in our nation’s capital,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “Fortunately, those closest to him took his public threats seriously and did the right thing by reporting him to law enforcement while simultaneously talking him down. My office and our federal law enforcement partners continue to urge community members to speak up and make that same call whenever necessary. We will answer that call in order to ensure Americans remain safe.”

“This ruling sends a clear message to those who attempt to undermine our democracy,” said FBI San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Daniel Faith. “These crimes will not be tolerated and those who perpetrate them will be brought to justice.”

The FBI-Joint Terrorism Task Force, including the San Antonio Police Department, Hondo Police Department, and UTSA Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Roomberg and Kirk Mangels prosecuted the case.

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DEL RIO, Texas – A Mexican national was arrested Wednesday in Del Rio on criminal charges related to alleged illegal voting, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, Monica Ivette Carzoli Carillo, 46, became a Legal Permanent Resident on Dec. 5, 2023. On Oct. 26, 2024, Carzoli Carillo allegedly cast an early voting ballot at the Del Rio Civic Center in the November 2024 presidential election. 

A criminal complaint alleges that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers obtained a sworn statement from Carzoli Carillo on Nov. 19, 2025, in which Carzoli Carillo admitted to registering to vote and then voting in the November 2024 election.

Carzoli Carillo is charged with one count of 18 USC 611 voting by aliens and one count of 18 USC 1015(f). If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

“Federal law in the United States clearly states that it is unlawful for a noncitizen to vote in federal elections,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “If you don’t have integrity in your elections, you don’t have a country. Rest assured, my office will work with our partners at the state and federal levels to investigate cases of alleged illegal voting and we will prosecute them accordingly.”

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case with assistance from the Office of the Texas Attorney General.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carli Tuttle is prosecuting the case.

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

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SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 264 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from September 11 through September 17, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against alien smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for child sex crimes, numerous DWIs, violent crimes, thefts, and numerous prior removals.

Among the new cases, Jose Ramiro Ramirez Nunez, an illegal alien from Mexico, is charged with illegal alien in possession of a firearm. Ramirez Nunez was pulled over by a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Texas Highway Patrol trooper in Guadalupe County on Monday, September 14. A criminal complaint alleges he was the driver and sole occupant in the vehicle and presented a Mexican Consulate ID card as he did not possess a driver’s license. An officer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) determined Ramirez Nunez was an illegal alien from Mexico and took him into custody. During an inventory search of Ramirez Nunez’s vehicle, the DPS trooper allegedly located a .40 caliber pistol in the center console, unloaded and holstered. The complaint further alleges that the trooper also located two magazines loaded with .40 caliber ammunition inside the glove box. 

An illegal alien and convicted sex offender was arrested in El Indio and charged with illegal re-entry. Jose Enrique Vasquez-Nicolas, of Mexico, was deported on June 28, 2025 after serving a five-year sentence in prison for two counts of sexual assault of a child.

Yoni Donay Hernandez-Orellana, an illegal alien from Honduras, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents near Eagle Pass. Hernandez-Orellana was deported in October 2025 after being convicted of common law robbery in Charlotte, North Carolina. Hernandez-Orellana was also convicted of Robbery with a dangerous weapon in July 2024. He now faces his first illegal re-entry charge.

U.S. citizen Pedro Damian Torres, who was arrested in July on a human smuggling state charge, is now federally charged with alien smuggling following a smuggling incident near Paisano Drive in El Paso. A USBP agent discovered a breach in the border fence and observed five sets of muddy footprints leading toward Paisano Drive. Video surveillance confirmed five individuals crossed the Rio Grande, breached the fence, and entered a silver sedan which then fled at a high rate of speed. An investigation led agents to a location on Viscount Boulevard, where they observed that the interior of the vehicle parked there was covered in mud. The vehicle was determined to be registered to Torres and also had a history of crossing the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry. Due to the investigation and prior derogatory alerts pertaining to Torres, agents arrested him as he exited the building on Viscount Boulevard. A criminal complaint alleges Torres admitted to picking up five illegal aliens along Paisano Drive and that he was paid $600 per illegal alien, a total of $3,000. The complaint also alleges Torres admitted to three prior smuggling events for which he was paid $500 per subject. 

U.S. citizen Lawrence Joshua Lucero was also arrested and charged with alien smuggling. Lucero allegedly arranged to pick up two illegal aliens near the intersection of Porfirio Diaz Street and West Missouri Avenue. Lucero was previously convicted of human smuggling in June 2025. He was also convicted of drug trafficking in 2023 and child abuse in 2016.

In Fort Hancock, Jose Luis Saldana-Barrios, an illegal alien from Mexico with two active warrants, was arrested and charged with illegal re-entry. Saldana-Barrios was previously removed from the U.S. in November 2017. He was convicted of his fourth DWI in November 2016. He was also convicted in 2015 of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury.

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

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

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.

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.

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SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio woman was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to 160 months in prison for embezzling from several employers and their clients, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents, during three separate periods between June 2021 and February 2025, Monica Marie Padilla, 49, worked as a bookkeeper for multiple businesses. As bookkeeper, Padilla had access to bank and credit accounts. At each of the three employers, Padilla used various methods to fraudulently steal funds from the accounts. With the stolen money, Padilla remodeled her home, purchased Disney merchandise, bought hundreds of DoorDash orders, and funded her daughter’s cheerleading activities along with a more than $5,700 trip to California. 

Padilla was first charged in a 30-count indictment on Aug. 16, 2023, then in an 18-count superseding indictment on Feb. 19, 2025, both of which included more than a dozen wire fraud counts. While on pretrial release after the February 2025 superseding indictment, Padilla violated her bond conditions, lied to pretrial services, and obtained employment as a remote bookkeeper for an accounting firm, where she again defrauded her employer and her employer’s clients. Throughout Padilla’s multi-year criminal scheme, she defrauded three separate businesses for a total loss of at least $595,585.41. 

On Aug. 13, 2025, Padilla was named in a five-count information, which charged her with just three wire fraud charges, one mail fraud charge, and one money laundering charge. She pleaded guilty to all five of those counts on Aug. 20, 2025. 

“An embezzling bookkeeper can do incalculable harm not just to the victimized businesses but to the lives of many innocent people. The monetary harm is usually just the tip of the iceberg in these types of cases,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “With numerous prior convictions, Monica Padilla acted as a financial predator. Thanks to FBI and our justice system, we were able to tame this particular predator as she will be spending the next thirteen-plus years behind bars.”

“For several years, Monica Padilla betrayed the trust of her employers and stole company funds at numerous businesses, all for her own personal gain,” said FBI San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Daniel Faith. “Her spending spree with the stolen money of her victims has finally come to an end and now she will face justice.”

The FBI investigated the case.

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

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SAN ANTONIO – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas today announced its role in a nationwide enforcement action led by the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, the Small Business Administration, and the SBA Office of Inspector General targeting fraud in the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The Western District of Texas was a key participant in this surge effort. 

From June 12 to Sept. 1, federal prosecutors across the country facilitated fraud enforcement actions spanning over 160 criminal defendants, including approximately 80 newly charged defendants, reaching approximately $245 million dollars in intended loss to American taxpayers. 

“Six years after our first PPP fraud case was charged in Austin, we are still finding fraudsters and holding them accountable for their greed-driven schemes that undermined a federal program and stole from American taxpayers in the midst of the chaos that was the COVID-19 pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “This surge, led by the National Fraud Enforcement Division, highlights our commitment to protecting the integrity of our government programs and ensuring no one gets away with defrauding the public.”

“Pandemic loan relief was meant to keep American small businesses alive during government lockdowns—not line the pockets of fraudsters,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The defendants charged during our summer surge allegedly fabricated businesses, submitted false payroll and revenue claims, stole identities, and concealed foreign ties on their applications— but they will now be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” 

“This summer surge shows what is possible when dedicated public servants across the country work together with a single purpose,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. “Our mission is clear: protect taxpayer funds, safeguard the integrity of federal relief programs, and deliver justice to those who exploited them. We will remain steadfast every day—standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our partners—to identify fraud, pursue those responsible, and restore confidence in the programs meant to help American small businesses thrive.”

“Today’s announcement represents the largest-ever action against perpetrators of SBA fraud, with 870,000 suspended borrowers tied to $39 billion in suspected fraudulent PPP and COVID EIDL activity. In partnership with Vice President Vance and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, we’re putting fraudsters on notice: the federal government will no longer turn a blind eye to those who stole from taxpayers and exploited programs designed to sustain small businesses during the pandemic,” said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. “With demand letters going out to suspected fraudsters, we’re also sending a clear message that they must repay their debts or face Treasury collections and possible federal law enforcement. Under this Administration, the free ride is over. We are restoring accountability, recovering taxpayer dollars, and protecting SBA programs for the legitimate small businesses they were created to serve.” 

“Operation No Doze brings a focused and coordinated approach to pursuing fraud in SBA’s pandemic relief programs,” said SBA Inspector General William Kirk. “By concentrating our investigative resources and working closely with SBA and our law enforcement partners, we are strengthening our ability to identify fraud, recover taxpayer funds, and hold accountable those who exploited programs created to help small businesses in a time of extraordinary need. This initiative makes clear that the passage of time does not diminish our commitment to accountability.” 

In the Western District of Texas, U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons announced that two defendants pleaded guilty in two separate PPP-related fraud cases involving approximately a combined $1.2 million in alleged losses. 

According to court documents, Arun Mago was an accountant in Austin and a known money launderer. Mago laundered $150,000 in cash represented by an undercover agent to be the proceeds of cocaine distribution. In addition to his money laundering activities, he also engaged in repeated loan fraud during the pandemic, applying for and receiving several fraudulent PPP loans for several business entities totaling $905,264. Mago pleaded guilty in July. IRS-CI investigated the case. 

In a separate case, Eve Zou, an employee of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, made false and fraudulent promises and representations to the Small Business Administration (SBA) to obtain Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and grants that were purportedly for legitimate business purposes, but, in truth and fact, the loan proceeds were used by Zou for her own personal use and benefit, including the purchase of real estate and for investment in brokerage accounts. Zou also made multiple false statements in those loans, including using her daughter’s identity without her daughter’s knowledge or permission, falsely claiming to have 50 employees, and falsely claiming lost rental income. She fraudulently obtained three SBA loans, for a combined total of $319,800. Zou also pleaded guilty. IRS-CI investigated the case.

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

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

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Luis Enrique Linero Pinto, also known as “El Calvo,” 41, of Colombia, has pleaded guilty in court in El Paso, Texas, today after being extradited from Colombia for his role in a dangerous human smuggling conspiracy that left 40 aliens and two boat captains missing.

“Linero Pinto played a critical role in a prolific human smuggling conspiracy that used corruption and illicit means of transport to move aliens from Colombia to the United States for money,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “During the transport, dozens of people disappeared at sea, never to be seen or heard from again. This conviction serves as the latest example of how Joint Task Force Alpha continues to lead the Department’s efforts to aggressively crack down on transnational human smuggling and trafficking networks that threaten the lives of those transported, as well as the security of our citizens and border.”

“While we grieve the lives lost due to this defendant’s conduct, it is right and good to applaud the tireless work of our special agents and prosecutors that secured this conviction and to highlight yet another successful international partnership,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Human smuggling organizations, by definition, engage in cross-border operations, so they can only be dismantled through cross-border partnerships. By cooperating in this way, we ensure that our border is secure, which is a key component in making certain that this country is one where Americans cannot merely survive, but thrive.”

“Human smuggling organizations put profit over human life, exploiting vulnerable people and placing them in dangerous, often deadly conditions,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan G. McRae of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso. “HSI’s mission is to protect the American people and safeguard our borders by dismantling the transnational criminal networks that threaten public safety and national security. This guilty plea reflects HSI’s commitment to working with our domestic and international partners to identify, investigate and bring to justice those who facilitate these dangerous smuggling schemes.”

According to the indictment and court documents, Linero Pinto participated in a conspiracy to unlawfully smuggle aliens, transporting them through Central America and Mexico to the United States. Linero Pinto advised the migrants on how to get to San Andres Island, Colombia, where he personally received them, arranged for their accommodation, and brought them to boats that transported them to Nicaragua so they could illegally enter the United States. Linero Pinto bribed members of the Colombian Navy to acquire real-time intelligence about the position of Navy patrol vessels located between San Andres Island and Nicaragua, enabling the boats to avoid detection. On Oct. 21, 2023, a boat carrying approximately 40 aliens and two boat captains disappeared on its way to Nicaragua after leaving San Andreas Island. Linero Pinto has admitted his role in smuggling the aliens on that boat.

Linero Pinto was charged in October 2024 for conspiring to encourage and induce aliens to come to, enter, and reside in the United States. He was arrested in Colombia in December 2024 at the request of the U.S. government. Linero Pinto’s extradition followed extensive coordination and cooperation between U.S. and Colombian law enforcement authorities, and he made his initial appearance in federal court in El Paso in December 2025. 

Linero Pinto pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit alien smuggling and placing lives in jeopardy. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Linero Pinto faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

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

The investigation and indictment were coordinated and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated prosecutors from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other U.S. attorneys’ offices throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, HSI, CBP, Border Patrol, and Office of Field Operations, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 483 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 436 U.S. convictions; more than 371 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.

Trial Attorneys Danielle Hickman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Daria Andryushchenko of the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Luis Acosta for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case.

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

SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 500 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from August 28 through September 10, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. 449 of those new cases were split between the district’s Del Rio and El Paso offices. Charges were brought against alien smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for child sex crimes, numerous DWIs, violent crimes, thefts, and numerous prior removals.

Among the new cases, two U.S. citizens are charged with bringing in and harboring aliens after they were arrested on Sept. 4 near Fort Hancock. A U.S. Border Patrol agent camera operator observed six individuals walking north from the direction of the Rio Grande River in an area known to be utilized by transnational criminal organizations for the illegal entry and rapid pickup of smuggled aliens. Around the same time and in the same remote area, according to a criminal complaint, another USBP agent encountered a vehicle traveling south. The agent stopped the vehicle and inquired about the occupants’ destination, redirecting them to the gas station they claimed to be looking for, located in the opposite direction. Soon after that encounter, another agent conducted an investigatory stop on the vehicle while it was traveling north toward I-10. The criminal complaint alleges that during the investigatory stop, the USBP camera operator observed the group of six individuals began running south. The complaint alleges that the two vehicle occupants, identified as George Soledad-Lucero and Sarah Nicole Olivas, agreed to be transported to the Fort Hancock Border Patrol Station for questioning about their whereabouts that morning. It further alleges that while Soledad-Lucero provided conflicting statements, Olivas stated the two were driving enroute to pick up illegal aliens and expected to be paid $2,000. Soledad-Lucero allegedly recruited Olivas for the use of her vehicle and the two communicated through Instagram.

An illegal alien from Mexico was charged with illegal re-entry after being arrested approximately 10 miles west of the Tornillo Port of Entry. Jorge Herrera-Vargas was recently deported from the U.S. for the ninth time on July 16. In June, he was convicted for his third DUI. 

Christian Ernesto-Lopez, also an illegal alien from Mexico, was found approximately four miles west of the Fort Hancock POE after being removed from the U.S. on Aug. 3, through Jacksonville, Florida. In April 2025, Ernesto-Lopez was convicted of assault by strangulation and assault with a deadly weapon in Raleigh, North Carolina. His criminal record also includes two convictions for domestic violence, including one for assaulting a pregnant woman.

Santos Gomez-Delacruz, an illegal alien from Guatemala, was found approximately 20 miles east of the Fort Hancock POE after being removed for the seventh time in March. He now faces an illegal re-entry charge.

In Del Rio, USBP agents arrested Johan Alexander Moncada-Narvaez, an illegal alien from Venezuela, and charged him with illegal re-entry. Moncada-Narvaez was deported for the first time in August. In July, he was convicted of engaging in prostitution with a 14 to 15-year-old and engaging in electronic communication relating or describing sexual conduct with a child. For those two convictions in Clay County, Minnesota, Moncada-Narvaez was sentenced to five years of probation. 

Iden Escobar-Loaiza, an illegal alien from Guatemala, was arrested and charged with illegal re-entry. In 2023, he was convicted of his third DUI. Escobar-Loaiza has also been convicted of inflicting corporal injury and disorderly intoxication.

Illegal alien from Mexico Adrian Missael Gonzalez was also charged with illegal re-entry in Del Rio. Gonzalez has been removed from the U.S. twice before and has a criminal record that includes two convictions for burglary of a vehicle, vehicle theft, and property theft.

Jorvin Joseph Ramos-Orellana, an illegal alien from Honduras, was arrested in Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. Ramos-Orellana was deported for the first time in February, after being convicted in 2025 of terroristic threats and acts, reckless conduct, and aggravated assault. 

Oscar Ernesto Romero-Aravelo, an illegal alien from El Salvador who has been deported four times, was arrested in Eagle Pass. His criminal record contains three DUI convictions.

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

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

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.

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.

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A Texas man was sentenced this week to 60 months in prison for promoting an abusive tax shelter to business owners around the country.

According to court documents, Aanand Shukla, of Jonestown, Texas, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States related to his efforts to promote a fraudulent tax shelter to business owners across the country. According to court documents and statements made in court, from 2017 to 2025, Shukla and his co-conspirators promoted, sold and personally used an abusive trust tax shelter that promised clients — for quoted fees as high as $225,000 — that they could “own nothing, control everything” and eliminate taxes on nearly all of their business income while maintaining full control over their money. 

Shukla marketed the scheme nationwide through seminars, webinars, podcasts and direct sales pitches. He instructed clients to restructure their companies so that approximately 98% of their business income flowed through layered trusts and a private family foundation. He told clients to run personal expenses — such as vehicles, entertainment and mortgage payments — through trust accounts and claim those expenses as deductions. Shukla typically sold these trust packages to clients for $25,000 to $55,000, created trust documents, trained other promoters and referred clients to tax preparers he had personally selected and knew would participate in the scheme. Shukla facilitated the concealment of more than $27 million in income from the IRS.   

On March 10, Shukla pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.

Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald of the Justice Department’s Nation Fraud Enforcement Division and U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement. 

IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this case. 

Acting Assistant Deputy Chief Boris Bourget, Trial Attorney Michael L. Jones and former Trial Attorney Lauren K. Pope of the National Fraud Enforcement Division’s Tax Section prosecuted the case.

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

DEL RIO, Texas – A Del Rio felon was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison for felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, in July 2022, Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigation Division special agents conducted a traffic stop on Alfredo Martinez Jr., 42, and located a firearm in the vehicle, which he denied owning.

In November 2022, the Texas Department of Public Safety executed a state search warrant on Martinez’s residence. During the search, agents found a .357 revolver and two shotguns. Martinez again denied ownership of the firearms, claiming that two individuals had left items at his house that could not fit in their vehicle and that, despite being a convicted felon, he agreed to store their things. 

Further investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives determined that one of the shotguns found in the search of Martinez’s residence had been stolen. On Jan. 11, 2023, a federal grand jury indicted Martinez for two counts of felon in possession of a firearm. 

On Jan. 26, 2023, a Val Verde Sheriff’s Office deputy conducted a traffic stop on Martinez.  The deputy notified an ATF special agent, who arrived on scene and located a loaded MP-25 pistol along with an additional loaded magazine inside Martinez’s vehicle. Martinez was arrested for the charges from the Jan. 11, 2023, indictment. A search warrant was executed on Martinez’s residence, resulting in the recovery of two more firearms and assorted ammunition.

Martinez pleaded guilty on July 10, 2023, to one count of felon in possession of a firearm. Last week, Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses sentenced Martinez to the statutory maximum.

The ATF and TX DPS CID investigated the case with assistance from the Val Verde Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Ellis-Dotson and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Allyson Breech prosecuted the case.

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

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A Mexican national, Luis Carlos Davalos-Lopez, 29, pleaded guilty today in El Paso, Texas, to conspiracy to bring in aliens to the United States. According to court documents, Davalos-Lopez conspired with others to smuggle migrants through an underground tunnel from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas.

“This defendant demonstrated a total disregard for our nation’s laws by conspiring to smuggle illegal aliens into the United States through a tunnel that ran from Mexico under the U.S. border into Texas,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This shows that smugglers will stop at nothing to move illegal aliens into the United States for profit. The Department of Justice is sending a clear message that those who undermine the integrity of our borders will be investigated and prosecuted.”

“The defendants in this case were key figures in a criminal enterprise that has had a heavy, detrimental impact on both sides of the border, smuggling drugs and illegal aliens into the U.S. while also trafficking firearms into Mexico, firearms which were then used to further facilitate the movement of drugs and illegal aliens into this country,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “The convictions secured in this case are just another nail in the coffin for these transnational criminal organizations and foreign terrorist organizations. With the full force of the Homeland Security Task Force and Joint Task Force Alpha behind us, we will accomplish our mission of eradicating these groups and ending their reign of terror.”

“Davalos-Lopez and his co-conspirators thought they could exploit the United States southern border utilizing a secret tunnel which was constructed by the foreign terrorist organization, Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion to facilitate their illegal activities in smuggling of humans, drugs, and firearms,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Coult W. Markovsky of the FBI El Paso Field Office. “The discovery of this tunnel and the subsequent convictions related to those who were part of this operation underscores the FBI’s and our partners’ never-ending commitment to dismantle trafficking by the foreign terrorist organization, CJNG.”

“Criminals who traffic human beings and firearms are exactly the individuals ATF works every day to stop,” said ATF Director Rob Cekada. “Our focus is squarely on violent offenders and the criminal networks that threaten public safety. If you fuel cartel violence or exploit our communities, we will find you and hold you accountable.”

“Today’s guilty plea reflects the relentless work of law enforcement to dismantle foreign terrorist organizations like CJNG,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert “Eric” Castañeda of the DEA’s El Paso Division. “No matter the concealment tactics, smuggling methods, or illicit finance networks used, DEA will track down those responsible and ensure they face justice.”

“Members of foreign terrorist organizations, such as the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, pose a serious threat to the safety and security of our communities and our nation,” said HSI Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon. “Exploiting vulnerable individuals for profit while facilitating movement of weapons, drugs or resources to terrorist organizations will not be tolerated. HSI will aggressively pursue those who enable these criminal networks and hold them accountable for the grave consequences of their actions. There is no place in our communities for individuals who profit from human suffering or knowingly strengthen terrorist organizations.”

In January 2025, federal law enforcement located a sophisticated tunnel between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso. Intercepted phone calls between Davalos-Lopez and other individuals revealed conversations regarding the smuggling of aliens through the tunnel and included references to charging aliens upwards of $30,000 to utilize the tunnel for purposes of entering the United States unlawfully and without inspection. In several of these intercepted phone calls, Davalos-Lopez specifically referred to a tunnel that exists between Juarez and El Paso and discussed how many migrants cross through the tunnel and how much is charged to use the tunnel. Davalos-Lopez and his co-defendants were indicted in April 2025. The Government of Mexico, pursuant to its National Security Law, subsequently transferred Davalos-Lopez to the United States.

Davalos-Lopez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to bring in aliens to the United States. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Davalos-Lopez faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Davalos-Lopez’s co-defendant, Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez, 40, of Mexico, previously pleaded guilty on Aug. 27 to conspiring with others to provide material support to the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) by trafficking firearms from the United States to Mexico, for the express purpose of delivering those firearms to members of CJNG. Gustavo Castro-Medina, 29, of Mexico, also previously pleaded guilty to serving as an intermediary to facilitate the interstate and foreign transfer of $3,000 in U.S. currency via wire to an undercover agent to purchase firearms for subsequent unlawful transport.   

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in El Paso, assisted by the U.S. Border Patrol, investigated the case. ATF legal attachés in Mexico City and Mexico’s Fiscalía General de la República Organized Crime Unit (FGR-FEMDO) provided substantial assistance. HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., and CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force also provided assistance with the investigation. The Justice Department’s (DOJ) Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.

Trial Attorney Marie Zisa of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory McDonald for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case.

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

Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including HSI and Customs and Border Protection U.S. Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 482 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 433 U.S. convictions; and more than 369 significant jail sentences imposed and forfeitures of substantial assets.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. HSTF utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

DEL RIO, Texas – A Texas man was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 10 years in prison for possessing prepubescent child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, Estin Cole West, 25, operated a Google account that had been identified as saving 81 videos and images of suspected child sexual abuse material in November 2023 when he was living in Laredo. An investigation by Homeland Security Investigations revealed the Google account, IP address, and two associated email addresses all belonged to West. 

HSI agents also learned that West was employed by the Texas National Guard and had recently been stationed at a military installation in Del Rio. During an interview with West, agents located multiple videos depicting CSAM in a locked folder within West’s phone, as well as a Telegram application that also contained several batches of CSAM. A forensic analysis of West’s phone returned 512 images and 726 videos depicting child pornography, including images of bestiality and prepubescent children.

West was arrested on Dec. 6, 2024. He pleaded guilty on March 24, 2025. 

ICE HSI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nallely Duarte prosecuted the case.

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

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SAN ANTONIO – A convicted felon already serving a state prison sentence was sentenced in a U.S. District Court to 360 months in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl while in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, Verndale Ray Seals, 36, was convicted in 2016 for armed robbery, for which he was sentenced to 20 years in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison. While imprisoned, Seals helped organize an extensive conspiracy smuggling fentanyl and other narcotics into TDCJ prisons. Seals operated a network sourcing fentanyl and other drugs to produce drug-soaked sheets of paper that were distributed inside the prisons.

Seals was indicted on Nov. 1, 2023, along with several co-conspirators. He pleaded guilty on April 24, 2025, to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Jason Pulliam ordered Seals to serve a 30-year federal prison sentence, which will begin at the conclusion of his state sentence.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and TDCJ investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Nowinski prosecuted the case.

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MIDLAND, Texas– A Texas man was sentenced in a federal court in Midland today to 420 months in prison for eight counts related to his production and distribution of child sexual abuse material, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, Raymond Daniel Solis, 28, sexually exploited multiple minor females via Snapchat. The FBI began an investigation based on a complaint relating to one of the victims. Solis sent the complainant victim a detailed note outlining a “sugar baby” arrangement wherein Solis would pay her $800 per week for a one-hour “session.” During the session, the victim would take and send multiple nude images of herself to Solis through Snapchat. The minor victim sent numerous media files to Solis while he directed her through various camera angles and poses.

As part of their investigation, the FBI traced Solis’s Snapchat username to his Google email address and IP address in Midland. Agents discovered Solis also shared CSAM depicting a 16-year-old victim through Snapchat in January 2024. Agents located and interviewed Solis in April 2025. At that time, Solis admitted that he had been producing CSAM of female minors since 2018. Solis would entice the victims by offering up to $1,000 per one-hour session and would threaten to contact their families if they did not send him additional images. 

A review of Solis’s iPhone revealed CSAM depicting seven minor females, ranging from 12 to 17 years old. Solis also saved the social media profile pages of six of the victims, along with screen recordings of his chat conversations with three of them. 

A nine-count indictment charged Solis with production of visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct—one count for each of the seven victims—one distribution of child pornography count and one possession of child pornography count. He pleaded guilty on June 2 to all seven production counts and the distribution charge.

In addition to the 35-year prison sentence, U.S. District Judge David Counts ordered Solis to pay a total of $14,205.96 in restitution to the victims. 

“This child predator used the convenience of a cell phone to abuse these young girls,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “Predators like this defendant are lurking in every corner of our society, including, and maybe especially, on the internet. Parents must pay attention to what their kids are doing on their phones, should closely monitor who they are talking to, and should strictly limit access to those messaging apps that are often the favored tool of sexual predators. If your child ever becomes a victim of child exploitation, immediately report it to the FBI. Doing so is key to making sure perpetrators spend decades locked away from those they would otherwise hurt.”

“The FBI remains unwavering in its commitment to protect America’s youth from predators like Solis,” said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Coult W. Markovsky. “Let this be a message to all those who think they can exploit and manipulate young girls utilizing their social media accounts to send explicit images, the FBI will find you and ensure you spend the rest of your days behind bars."

The FBI investigated the case.

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

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

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SAN ANTONIO – As part of a Homeland Security Task Force case, two Mexican nationals were extradited to the United States this week after being indicted in a federal court in San Antonio for allegedly running a timeshare fraud resale scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, Christian Felipe Rodriguez Peraza aka Jose Mario Ochoa Rodriguez, of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, and his wife Brenda Tamayo Corona aka Jazmin Oliva Chacon, of Mexico, along with co-defendants Michael Ian Hollands, of the United Kingdom, and Yorlena Alfonso Cuesta, allegedly conspired to victimize U.S. citizens who owned timeshares on Mexico’s pacific coast. The perpetrators deceived timeshare owners by telling them that their properties had been sold, but that proceeds could only be collected if the victims paid various fees and taxes in advance. In so doing, the fraudsters posed as U.S. and Mexican government officials and used the identities of real American lawyers to lend credence to their claims. An indictment alleges that Rodriguez, through Hollands and other co-conspirators, laundered the victims’ funds through U.S.-based entities and bank accounts. The indictment alleges the group, led by Rodriguez, stole more than $40 million from timeshare owners.

Rodriguez, Tamayo, Hollands, and Cuesta are each charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and conspiracy to engage in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. Rodriguez and Tamayo were arrested in France earlier this year and, on Monday, were extradited to the United States. They made their initial court appearances Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kelly Stephenson of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison for the wire fraud charge and 20 years for the money laundering conspiracy charge. The third charge, conspiracy to engage in monetary transactions, carries a penalty of 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. 

“Many of the elderly victims in this case sent all the money they had and more based on the lies told to them by this group of fraudsters,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “In case you haven’t noticed, this Department of Justice is uniquely committed to rooting out fraud in all of its forms, especially fraud conducted against Americans by transnational criminal organizations like this one. The long arm of American justice will continue to reach out and touch those who seek to enrich themselves to the detriment of Americans.”

“Our criminal investigators have been at the center of this investigation as a core part of our responsibility to detect and prevent threats to the integrity of Treasury programs and operations,” said Deputy Inspector General Loren Sciurba for the Department of the Treasury, Office of Inspector General. “Impersonation of government agencies victimizes countless Americans daily. We are proud that these joint law enforcement efforts have brought these individuals to justice.” 

“This alleged $40 million scheme was a brazen attempt to exploit timeshare owners and profit from deception, and we will continue working to identify and disrupt fraud schemes that target the public,” said DHS Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D. “We thank our federal and international partners for their tireless efforts to hold those accused of these crimes accountable.”

“The fraud network uncovered through this investigation represents a calculated and deeply harmful scheme driven by international criminals who preyed on U.S. timeshare owners,” said Jeffrey Tyler, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division. “The FBI remains fully committed to working with our law enforcement partners to dismantle violent criminal organizations and ensure that those responsible for exploiting victims and laundering their proceeds are held accountable.”

Co-defendants Hollands and Cuesta were previously apprehended, and their matters are currently pending. 

This matter was investigated by the United States Department of Treasury – Inspector General, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Chung is prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with the Government of France to secure the arrest and August 31 extradition of Rodriguez Peraza and Tamayo Corona to the United States. 

If you feel that you may have been a victim of a fraudulent advance fee scheme related to Mexican timeshares, please fill out the requested information at https://forms.fbi.gov/victims/TimeShare-Wf/view. Law enforcement will attempt to verify the potential loss and confirm that it is related to the scheme charged in this matter. Please be advised that several similar schemes operated during the same time period, and so your loss may not be tied to the matter charged in this case. While we cannot guarantee that any specific claim can be addressed or funds recovered, the agencies will do their best to vet and verify any submissions.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

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 – An illegal alien from Cuba was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio on Tuesday to 10 months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $10,000 in restitution for destruction of government property, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, Robyn Argote-Brooks, 26, of Havana, Cuba, used his vehicle to damage an SUV and a sedan, both of which were property of the United States and maintained by ICE. The amount of damage to each vehicle exceeded $1,000.

Argote-Brooks was arrested and charged via complaint with one count of destruction of government property. An indictment filed Feb. 4 added a second destruction of government property count as well as a charge of forcibly assaulting a federal officer. On May 8, a federal jury convicted Argote-Brooks of both destruction of government property counts.

U.S. District Judge Fred Biery sentenced Argote-Brooks to 10 months in federal prison for each count, which will run concurrently. Biery also ordered three years of supervised release, a $200 special assessment, and $9,767 in restitution for the damages.

ICE Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case with assistance from ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Walker and Todd Keagle prosecuted the case.

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

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AUSTIN, Texas – An Armenian national was sentenced in a federal court in Austin on Tuesday to 26 months in prison for his participation in a criminal conspiracy to export goods from the United States to the Russian Federation through the Republic of Armenia without the requisite license or authorization from the U.S. government, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, from February 2022 until at least August 2024, Kamo Kirakosyan knowingly and willfully combined, conspired, and agreed with others to export and reexport goods subject to the Export Administration Regulations without having first obtained the required licenses from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry & Security. The exported goods included items that could be used for semiconductor manufacturing.

Kirakosyan became the straw or substitute purchaser of the U.S.-origin goods for his co-conspirators shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and the imposition of additional sanctions and export restrictions on Russia. As part of the scheme, Kirakosyan sent a co-conspirator instructions on opening a bank account in Armenia for the purpose of evading sanctions. While arranging the transshipment of goods to Russia, Kirakosyan represented himself to U.S. companies as the Armenian buyer of goods and did not provide truthful information about the end users, despite the U.S. companies’ requests for end user statements, and despite Kirakosyan’s knowledge that the unauthorized export or reexport to Russia of certain shipments was prohibited without a license. On Feb. 23, 2023, the company Kirakosyan conspired with was designated by Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control and added to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, subjecting the Russian company to U.S. blocking sanctions and a general prohibition on transacting with U.S. persons or entities.

Kirakosyan was initially charged in a criminal complaint on or about July 31, 2024. He was extradited from Germany to the U.S. on Aug. 29, 2025, and, in April of this year, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate federal law. 

The FBI San Antonio Counterintelligence Task Force, comprised of the Bureau of Industry and Security of the U.S. Department of Commerce, and other partners, led the investigation. The FBI’s Legal Attaché office in Berlin provided significant assistance. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also played a key role in securing Kirakosyan’s extradition to the United States.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Roomberg and Keith Henneke prosecuted the case with assistance from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

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SAN ANTONIO – Less than three months after his cousin’s 32-year federal prison sentencing, a San Antonio man pleaded guilty to five counts related to his role in a string of armed robberies that occurred in 2020, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, Kevin Gonzales, along with his cousin Brian and several others, embarked on a spree of gunpoint robberies in San Antonio. In December 2020 alone, Kevin and Brian were responsible for at least six violent robberies. 

Gonzales pleaded guilty on Thursday to one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and four counts of aiding and abetting brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Gonzales was previously convicted at trial on state charges stemming from this robbery spree. He was sentenced to 40 years in state prison as a result of that conviction. He will be eligible for parole in 2031. This federal guilty plea ensures he will be sentenced to a minimum of 28 years in federal prison consecutive to his state prison term. In the federal system, there is no parole.

In May, Brian Gonzales was sentenced to a total of 32 years in federal prison, 28 of which will run consecutive to the state prison term he is currently serving.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Yuen is prosecuting the case. 

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DEL RIO, Texas – A federal jury in Del Rio convicted an illegal alien from Nicaragua for illegal re-entry on Wednesday, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Darwing Alberto Varela, was arrested in December 2025 after being rescued out of the water on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande River. During an immigration inspection with U.S. Border Patrol agents, Varela admitted that he swam across the river from Mexico to enter the U.S., that he was a citizen of Nicaragua, and that he had been previously deported from the U.S.

Concluding a two-day trial presided over by U.S. District Judge Ernest Gonzalez, the federal jury returned a guilty verdict in just four minutes.

“The Western District of Texas has the largest caseload in the nation, and, as here, we handle those cases with excellence,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “I am proud of our entire prosecution team for their work on this open-and-shut case and coming to work every day committed to doing the next right thing.”

The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carli Tuttle and Steven Shilling are prosecuting the case.

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Two Mexican nationals pleaded guilty today to multiple charges including alien smuggling and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, specifically, Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG). 

“The defendants smuggled methamphetamine and aliens into the United States for financial gain, then doubled down to make more money by conspiring to export AK-47 style weapons and .50 caliber rifles to Mexico for CJNG, a terrorist organization that has destroyed lives and caused death in our great country,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The defendant’s conduct directly threatened the national security of the United States and the well-being of American citizens.” 

“The Trump Administration’s designation of CJNG as foreign terrorist organization, along with 19 other cartels and transnational criminal organizations, gives us another powerful tool in our fight against those who place their profits over the lives and wellbeing of others,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “The conviction of Navarro Sanchez for providing support to a foreign terrorist organization is one of many to come as we continue to hit these FTOs where they are most vulnerable — their pocketbooks. I am very proud of our Assistant U.S. Attorneys and our law enforcement partners with the Homeland Security Task Force for their work in making this conviction possible.”

“This is but two more guilty pleas added in DEA’s long and sustained efforts against CJNG and its supporters,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert “Eric” Castañeda of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) El Paso Division. “Charges now carry more weight under CJNG’s designation as a foreign terrorist organization. Anyone seeking to profit from the deaths of Americans, no matter their level of involvement, will be brought to justice.” 

According to court documents, Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez, 40, of Mexico, conspired with others to provide material support to CJNG by trafficking firearms from the United States to Mexico, for the express purpose of delivering those firearms to members of the CJNG. Navarro Sanchez knew CJNG engaged in terrorist activities, including hostage taking, committing assassinations, and using explosives, firearms, and weapons in support of these activities. Navarro Sanchez also admitted that she contracted with alien smugglers to illegally bring individuals from Mexico into the United States. At least one of these individuals managed some of Navarro Sanchez’s stash houses in El Paso, Texas where Navarro Sanchez would warehouse firearms and narcotics.

In early August 2023, Navarro Sanchez negotiated a deal to purchase twenty AK-47 style weapons and two .50 caliber rifles from undercover agents. The firearms were intended to be placed in the possession of individuals who would unlawfully smuggle those firearms to Mexico where those firearms would then be used in furtherance of trafficking methamphetamine and other narcotics from Mexico into the United States. Coconspirator Gustavo Castro-Medina, 29, of Mexico, also acknowledged that these firearms were intended to be unlawfully exported from the United States into Mexico in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes.

Castro-Medina served as an intermediary to facilitate the interstate and foreign transfer of $3,000 in U.S. currency via wire to an undercover agent to purchase these firearms for subsequent unlawful transport. The $3,000 was a downpayment on the purchase price of $66,000 in U.S. currency. On Aug. 21, 2023, two co-conspirators of Navarro Sanchez and Castro-Medina arrived at a designated meeting point in El Paso to tender the remaining payment of $63,000 in cash and take possession of the firearms. Once the cash was exchanged, the undercover agents turned over possession of the firearms to the co-conspirators. These co-conspirators were then arrested by waiting agents.

In addition, Castro-Medina also admitted that he was stopped by U.S. Border Patrol in November 2020 driving a Nissan Sentra in Sierra Blanca, Texas. During a secondary inspection of the vehicle, Border Patrol Agents found several tape-wrapped bundles covered in transmission fluid located beneath a non-factory trap door. The bundle tested positive for the properties of crystal methamphetamine. The total weight of the methamphetamine was 36.36 kilograms. 

Navarro Sanchez, Castro-Medina, and their co-conspirators were indicted in April 2025. The Government of Mexico, pursuant to its National Security Law, subsequently transferred Navarro Sanchez and Castro-Medina to the United States.

Navarro Sanchez pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of conspiracy to engage in firearms trafficking, one count of conspiracy to bring aliens, and one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Navarro Sanchez faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Castro-Medina pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of conspiracy to engage in firearms trafficking. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Castro-Medina faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, DEA, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in El Paso, assisted by the U.S. Border Patrol, investigated the case. ATF Legal Attachés in Mexico City and Mexico’s Fiscalía General de la República Organized Crime Unit (FGR-FEMDO) provided substantial assistance. HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. and CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force also provided assistance with the investigation. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance. 

Trial Attorney Marie Zisa of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ian Hanna and Gregory McDonald for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case.

The investigation and superseding indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including HSI and Customs and Border Protection U.S. Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 482 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 433 U.S. convictions; and more than 369 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio felon was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to 140 months in prison for two charges related to ATM explosions in September 2025 and his illegal possession of multiple firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, Dustin Jay Ammons, 44, attempted to destroy ATMs at two San Antonio banks on Sept. 12 and Sept. 26, 2025. Surveillance video showed Ammons arriving at the banks in a black Ram 3500 pickup truck, wearing black gloves with a skeleton hand design, a black hooded jacket or sweatshirt, dark blue pants, and black and white training shoes, and placing pipe bombs at the ATMs. The footage from both videos also showed explosions that resulted in unsuccessful breaches of the machines.

On Dec. 12, 2025, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed a federal search warrant at Ammons’s residence. Inside the garage, agents discovered a homemade explosives lab containing Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate (PETN). Agents also located firearms (including a 9mm short-barreled rifle), magazines, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition throughout the house, as well as a pipe bomb in Ammons’s vehicle. 

ATF queried the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR) for Ammons and his address, and found no firearms, short-barreled rifles or destructive devices registered to him. Additionally, Ammons does not possess a license or permit allowing him to possess, manufacture, transfer, or ship explosive materials such as PETN.

Ammons has multiple prior felony convictions, including assault/family violence, possession of a stolen firearm, possession of burglary tools, and multiple counts of theft and burglary of a building. On April 30, he pleaded guilty to one count of felon in possession of a firearm and one count of transporting explosives. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez sentenced Ammons to 120 months in federal prison for the explosives charge and 140 months for the felon in possession charge, both penalties to be served concurrently.

The ATF, FBI, and San Antonio Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the San Antonio Arson and Bomb Squad and Bexar County Fire Marshal.

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

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AUSTIN, Texas – United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas Justin R. Simmons announced on Tuesday that assistant U.S. attorneys in Austin have filed approximately 40 federal cases  against defendants for gun-related crimes in recent months. 

Simmons made the announcement in a press conference, joined by representatives from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Austin Police Department. He said that, as part of an initiative to tackle violent crime in the community, his team has worked closely with the federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, to identify cases for federal prosecution.

“It is imperative that we focus our law enforcement resources and efforts on individuals who commit violent crimes, especially when those crimes are committed with firearms,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “According to data from the Major Cities Police Chiefs Association, Homicides in Austin are up 187% since 2015. Rape and Aggravated assault are up 65% and 38% respectively during that same period. Many of these crimes are committed by bad guys with guns. Just this year, we’ve seen multiple violent criminals engage in acts which endangered the lives of peace-loving Austinites, including the March 1st shooting on 6th Street. It’s plain to see that gun crime poses a significant threat to the law-abiding citizens of Austin, and the U.S. Attorney’s office takes that threat seriously. Our goal through this initiative is to emphasize that felons, or anyone else, who illegally possess or uses firearms will face serious consequences.”

“ATF is proud to stand alongside our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in this united effort to make Austin safer and hold violent offenders accountable,” said ATF Houston Special Agent in Charge Michael Weddel. “Our agency brings unique expertise in firearms investigations, and we remain committed to disrupting those who use firearms to facilitate violent crime by working with our partners to ensure dangerous offenders face the consequences of their actions. This partnership is a powerful example of what we can accomplish when law enforcement agencies work together toward protecting our communities.” 

Simmons highlighted multiple significant cases the Western District of Texas attorneys are currently prosecuting, including charges for felon in possession of a firearm, drug trafficking, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and illegal possession of machine guns. The penalties for convicted defendants include 10-, 15-, and 30-year minimums with maximum penalties for some reaching life in federal prison.

“It is true that this U.S. Attorney’s Office and others across the Department of Justice are prosecuting immigration crimes, taking on alien smugglers, drug traffickers, and Mexican cartels designated as foreign terrorist organizations,” Simmons added. “But we have not let up on our overall mission to ensure individuals who seek to harm our neighbors, friends, and loved ones, by violating federal laws with no regard for human life, are met with the full weight of the U.S. Department of Justice. We do this as law enforcement professionals so that Americans can live their lives, enjoy the blessings of liberty, and pursue happiness.”

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

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SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 235 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from August 14 through August 20, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against several alleged alien smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for numerous DWIs, violent crimes, thefts, and multiple prior removals.

Among the new cases, U.S. citizen Pablo Clark-Guillen was arrested and charged with alien smuggling. A criminal complaint alleges that Clark-Guillen, who has previously been convicted for alien smuggling, conspired to pick up an illegal alien from India in Fabens on August 18. The complaint alleges that when agents approached Clark-Guillen and ordered him to turn off his van, Clark-Guillen complied but broke his phone in an effort to destroy evidence, cutting his hands in the process. In addition to his prior smuggling conviction in 2024, Clark-Guillen has three prior DWI convictions. 

Also on August 18, U.S. Border Patrol agents investigating two separate alien smuggling events followed a vehicle to a residence in El Paso. The agents conducted an immigration inspection and confirmed that the driver, Aldo David Manjarrez-Vazquez, was an illegal alien. A criminal complaint alleges that Manjarrez-Vazquez had worked as an alien pickup driver and coordinator since March 2024, receiving approximately $720 per alien he picked up and making $250 as a coordinator. Manjarrez-Vazquez is alleged to have picked up and transported more than 10 illegal aliens in the El Paso and Tornillo areas.

Jesus Gamboa-Chavez, an illegal alien from Mexico, was charged with alien smuggling after a Texas Department of Public Safety (TXDPS) trooper conducted a traffic stop and requested assistance from Homeland Security Investigations. A criminal complaint alleges that further investigation led agents to a stash house in El Paso that Gamboa-Chavez was renting. A joint operation with HSI, USBP, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, and TXDPS, resulted in the apprehension of 16 illegal aliens from various Central and South American countries, two of whom were minor children. One of the children was unaccompanied.

In Del Rio, USBP agents arrested Luis Alfredo Navarette-Pastrana, an illegal alien from Mexico, who was just deported for the second time in June following a conviction for illegal entry. In 2020, Navarette-Pastrana was convicted for driving without a license and reckless homicide. 

Alejandro Diaz-Martinez, an illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested in El Indio and charged with illegal re-entry. He was convicted in March for his third DWI and sentenced to a two-year imprisonment. He was then deported on July 5. 

Illegal alien from Guatemala Ronald Samuel Lapop-Galicia, aka Ronald Carbajal, was transferred into ICE custody after being found in Travis County. Lapop-Galicia has five prior removals in his immigration history and has been previously convicted of four DWIs. He is charged with illegal re-entry.

Mario Daniel Campos-Segura was also found in Travis County and transferred into ICE custody. Campos-Segura is an illegal alien from Mexico who has been removed from the U.S. twice and has been twice convicted of DWI. Campos-Segura is charged with illegal re-entry. 

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

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

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

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SAN ANTONIO – A federal jury convicted two Lubbock men in San Antonio Tuesday afternoon for their roles in a massive Ponzi fraud scheme with their already convicted co-defendant Brooklynn Chandler Willy of San Antonio, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Joshua Allen and Michael Cox jointly owned and controlled four investment companies: Ferrum Capital LLC, Ferrum II LLC, Ferrum III LLC, and Ferrum IV LLC. Allen, Cox, Willy and others acting at their direction, solicited victims to invest in these entities. Willy, who pleaded guilty to 10 counts in March, was the owner of Chandler Capital Holdings and Queen B Advisory LLC doing business as Texas Financial Advisory (TFA). Among other services, TFA purported to provide asset management and financial planning services.

Allen, Cox and Willy conspired to mislead the victims concerning the security of the investments and concealed their high commissions. Additionally, Allen and Cox lied about the nature of the investments. Hundreds of victims collectively lost millions of dollars. Much of that money went to pay earlier investor-victims, thereby concealing the scheme and attracting additional victims. Much of the money also directly benefited the co-conspirators themselves.

On Tuesday, concluding a weeklong trial presided over by U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, the jury convicted both Allen and Cox of all four counts: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and securities fraud.

“In the midst of this Ponzi scheme, Allen and Cox collected a handsome fee by telling various egregious lies, even using their self-proclaimed faith and reputation in their community to con the investors they victimized,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “This case shows that within the Western District of Texas and across the Department of Justice, we are resolved to prosecute cases like these where individuals have preyed on the innocence and trusting nature of everyday Americans as Michael Cox and Joshua Allen did here.” 

“This case took years to unravel: tracing the money, interviewing witnesses, and working with our FBI partners to find more victims of this despicable Ponzi scheme. Allen and Cox preyed on their closest friends, their community, and many others across the country. They took millions of dollars to enrich themselves while devastating lives along the way. To say they violated trust is grossly insufficient — they destroyed it,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr. of IRS CI’s Texas Field Office. “Our work with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office cannot undo the victims’ suffering, but this verdict may provide some measure of satisfaction that these criminals will pay for their financial crimes. The women and men of IRS-CI will continue to band together with their law enforcement partners to pursue those who commit financial crimes and steal from trusting individuals.” 

“These convictions send an important message,” said FBI San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Daniel Faith. “When someone chooses greed over integrity and abuses the trust of others for illicit personal gain, there are serious consequences.” 

Now convicted on all four counts, Allen and Cox both face up to 70 years in prison. They were taken into federal custody immediately following the verdict. Their sentencing hearings have not been scheduled at this time. 

Willy’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 14. She faces up to 20 years in prison on each of the six wire fraud charges, on the one wire fraud conspiracy charge, and on the one money laundering conspiracy charge.  She also faces up to 10 years for engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from the wire fraud scheme and a mandatory minimum of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft, which, by statute, would run consecutive to any other punishment. 

IRS-CI and the FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joe Blackwell and Sam Shapiro are prosecuting the case.

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DEL RIO, Texas – One of the two fugitives indicted for her alleged involvement in an attempted fatal alien smuggling operation that resulted in multiple illegal aliens being found dead inside a shipping container in May is now in custody, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, Karina Garcia, 37, of Del Rio, made her initial appearance in federal court Tuesday afternoon in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew Watters. Garcia self-surrendered Sunday at a port of entry in Del Rio, following an investigation led by the U.S. Border Patrol Intelligence Division, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Marshals.

Garcia is alleged to have played a key role in the smuggling operation that spanned approximately three years and illegally used cargo trains to smuggle aliens further into the United States after illegally crossing them from Mexico. Each smuggled alien, or their families and friends, paid smugglers in Honduras, Mexico, the United States, and elsewhere between $1,500 and $10,000. 

Garcia was indicted in July and charged with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death and one count of aiding and abetting transport of illegal aliens resulting in death. If convicted, Garcia will face up to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Eight other defendants were arrested over a multi-day Homeland Security Task Force operation across central and south Texas last month. Mayra Alejandra Huerta was arrested in Del Rio on May 12. Seferino Huerta-Casillas is now the only indicted co-defendant still at large. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Spears, Todd Keagle, and Ashley Ellis-Dotson are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF comprises agents and officers from FBI; ICE HSI; DEA; ATF; U.S. Border Patrol; USMS; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Department of Transportation; IRS Criminal Investigation; Texas Department of Public Safety; as well as local police departments and sheriff’s offices, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.

The law enforcement efforts announced today were coordinated and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). JTFA also leads and supports U.S. Attorneys’ Offices (USAOs) in the prosecution of crimes related to unaccompanied alien children (UACs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including HSI and CBP/USBP and Office of Field Operations, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 477 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 431 U.S. convictions; and more than 370 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.

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 – Demonstrating the continued effectiveness of the Homeland Security Task Force, a federal jury convicted a New Braunfels man on Monday for seven counts related to the smuggling of firearm parts into Mexico and conspiracy to commit money laundering, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Chandler Britain Bradford, 37, engaged in a multimillion-dollar scheme to illegally provide thousands of semi-automatic rifles to a Mexican citizen who resided in the Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico area. Bradford supplied enough firearm parts to arm the recipient with approximately 5,700 semi-automatic rifles, despite not having a license to export firearm parts from the United States to Mexico.

 Evidence presented throughout the trial proved that Bradford provided his co-conspirator with the parts, tools, and counsel needed to facilitate a full firearm manufacturing enterprise in northern Mexico, and that Bradford received more than $3.5 million from his co-conspirator. 

“Chandler Bradford played a key role in a complex scheme, knowing that drug cartels were using the firearms he smuggled to secure their territory and the routes they routinely use to push drugs into the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “Like the drug cartels, Bradford only cared about the money he was making through his criminal activity and cared nothing about the many American lives that would be harmed as a result of his operation. On the other side of this fight, I’m proud of our law enforcement partners and our Assistant U.S. Attorneys who woke up every day during the course of this prosecution fully committed to the mission of the Department of Justice and the entire United States government to aggressively pursue anyone who supports the operations of Mexican drug cartels.  Their commitment to consistently do the next right thing was essential in this case and in every case because that commitment ensures that this country is one where Americans can live their lives, enjoy the blessings of liberty, and pursue happiness.”

“This conviction demonstrates the consequences of illegally trafficking firearms and firearm components across our borders,” said ATF Houston Special Agent in Charge Michael Weddel. “The defendant provided the means and expertise to facilitate the illegal manufacture of thousands of firearms for a criminal market in Mexico, all for financial gain. ATF will continue to work alongside our federal, local, and international partners to dismantle those who profit from these illicit activities.”

A federal jury delivered its verdict late Monday afternoon, ending a weeklong trial and convicting Bradford of one count of conspiracy to smuggle goods from the United States, one count of conspiracy to transfer firearms for use in a felony, four counts of aiding and abetting the smuggling of goods from the United States, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Bradford 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.

Two co-defendants, Jose Francisco Garcia-Cervantes and Ricardo Rodriguez-Sotelo, were sentenced to federal prison in January 2025. Co-defendants Troy Vernon Erbe and Jesus Guzman-Delgado have pleaded guilty. Two additional co-conspirators charged in the case, Julio Gomez-Mendoza and Octavio Quiroga-Trevino, remain fugitives at large.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case with assistance from the Department of Commerce Office of Export Enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Nowinski and Ryan Groomer are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF comprises agents and officers from FBI; ICE HSI; DEA; ATF; U.S. Border Patrol; USMS; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Department of Transportation; IRS Criminal Investigation; Texas Department of Public Safety; as well as local police departments and sheriff’s offices, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.

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SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 292 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from August 7 through August 13, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against alien smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for numerous DWIs, violent crimes, thefts, and multiple prior removals.

Among the new cases, illegal alien from Mexico Marco Antonio Dominguez-Barranco aka Isaias Salvador Gonzalez Jr., allegedly presented himself to U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry using a U.S. passport baring his photo but another individual’s name and date of birth. A criminal complaint affidavit alleges that Dominguez-Barranco stated he was looking for his godchildren, causing CBP officers to suspect he may have been associated with a recent smuggling event involving two minors. According to the allegations in the affidavit, Dominguez-Barranco admitted that he had participated in the smuggling event, crossed back into Mexico, and was returning illegally to the U.S. in order to transport the children to Denver, Colorado. Dominguez-Barranco is now charged with alien smuggling.

Erick Manuel Martinez-Mendez, an illegal alien from Cuba, allegedly made misrepresentations to gain entry to the United States through the Paso Del Norte POE. A criminal complaint affidavit alleges Martinez-Mendez presented a State of Texas birth certificate and a copy of a Texas identification card with the name and date of birth of another individual. Martinez-Mendez allegedly claimed that he lived in El Paso and had been in Mexico to visit his hospitalized mother. A fingerprint scan revealed Martinez-Mendez’s identity and that he had been removed from the United States in November 2025. Furthermore, his criminal record includes convictions for robbery/home invasion/armed kidnapping, for which he was sentenced to 17 years in prison; third-degree grand theft and dealing in stolen property, for which he was sentenced to five years in prison; aggravated battery of a person detained in prison, which earned him a six-year prison sentence; and, most recently, smuggling contraband into prison and resisting an officer/battery on law enforcement, for which he was sentenced to four years and eight months.  

U.S. citizen Magdalena Lachica was charged with harboring illegal aliens after U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered 14 illegal aliens inside a residence Lachica was allegedly renting. A criminal complaint affidavit alleges that Lachica’s cell phone contained communications involving alien smuggling, including alien dropoff locations, multiple stash house addresses, and co-conspirator information. Agents also allegedly discovered proof of life videos on her phone.

USBP agents conducted a traffic stop for suspected alien smuggling on Highway 277 near Brackettville. A criminal complaint alleges that several occupants fled the vehicle. One of the fleeing occupants, Yunior Omar Arita-Trimino, an illegal alien from Honduras, allegedly shoved an agent in the upper chest and arms, resisted arrest, and struck the agent multiple times with a black bag before breaking free into oncoming highway traffic. Arita-Trimino was ultimately arrested and charged with assaulting and resisting a federal officer engaged in performance of official duties.

An illegal alien from Brazil was arrested near Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. Fabio De Carvalho Fernandes has been deported from the U.S. three times, the last being in December 2014, following a felony conviction for bringing in and harboring aliens.

Francisco Gallegos-Garza, an illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested near Del Rio. Gallegos-Garza also has three prior deportations, the last being in June 2019. His criminal record includes two DWI convictions, assault causing bodily injury, and a felony for injury to a child with intent to inflict bodily injury.

In Austin, illegal alien from Mexico Ranferie Monroy Escuadra is charged with illegal re-entry after being found in the Travis County Jail, where he was booked for unlawfully carrying a weapon. Escuadra has been removed from the U.S. twice, the last being in November 2020, and he has three DWI convictions on his criminal record. 

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

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

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

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

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DEL RIO, Texas – An illegal alien from Mexico was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 420 months in prison for his role in a criminal conspiracy to import methamphetamine and heroin into the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, Juan Alberto Gutierrez-Guerra, 36, was one of five occupants in a vehicle pulled over by Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office deputies on Oct. 4, 2021. Inside the vehicle, law enforcement officers located a backpack with 10 bundles containing methamphetamine and one bundle containing heroin. An investigation revealed that Gutierrez-Guerra and co-defendant Oscar David Perez-Arita conspired together, intending to smuggle the narcotics to San Antonio before returning to Mexico. 

Gutierrez-Guerra and Perez-Arita were named in a five-count indictment on Nov. 3, 2021. On May 16, 2022, Gutierrez-Guerra pleaded guilty to all five counts. Perez-Arita pleaded guilty only to count one, conspiracy to import methamphetamine, and was sentenced in November 2025 to 292 months in federal prison with credit for time served since the Oct. 4, 2021 arrest.

Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses presided over the case.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.

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

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

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EL PASO, Texas – Furthering the achievements of the Homeland Security Task Force, a federal jury in El Paso convicted an illegal alien from Mexico of five counts for his role in a deadly conspiracy to smuggle and harbor illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Juan Carlos Lara-Quezada aka Ironman, was a leader of an alien smuggling organization operating in the Western District of Texas and District of New Mexico. The organization is responsible for smuggling hundreds of illegal aliens into the U.S. via the desert in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. After successfully entering the U.S., the aliens were picked up and then driven to a stash house in El Paso where they would remain until they were transported further into the United States.

In 2024, the organization smuggled a woman and her son-in-law into the U.S., using a foot guide to lead them on an eight-hour journey through the desert. On the journey, the woman fell ill. The smugglers were directed to drop her off at an El Paso hospital instead of the stash house. En route to the hospital, the foot guide and driver instead abandoned the woman and her son-in-law on the sidewalk of a residential neighborhood. A passing motorist noticed the two abandoned aliens and called emergency services. The woman was transported to a hospital where she was pronounced dead due to environmental heat exposure.

An investigation led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations resulted in Lara-Quezada’s arrest on Dec. 20, 2024. He was charged in a second superseding indictment on April 2, 2025, with conspiracy to transport aliens resulting in death, conspiracy to harbor aliens, transporting aliens resulting in death, conspiracy to bring in aliens, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. Now convicted om all five charges, Lara-Quezada is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 2.

Three co-defendants were sentenced earlier this year. Juan David Vaquera-Guerrero aka Cone aka Sonic was sentenced to 46 months in prison on April 2. Carlos Omar Lara-Muniz aka Goofy was sentenced to 57 months in prison on April 16. On April 21, Ruben Esquivel-Gomez aka Guero was sentenced to 72 months in prison. All defendants in the case are illegal aliens from Mexico and were charged with the death of the smuggled alien.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone presides over the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mathew Engelbaum and Michael Williams are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF comprises agents and officers from FBI; ICE HSI; DEA; ATF; U.S. Border Patrol; USMS; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Department of Transportation; IRS Criminal Investigation; Texas Department of Public Safety; as well as local police departments and sheriff’s offices, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.

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DEL RIO, Texas – An illegal alien from Ecuador was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 10 years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, on June 15, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered Jefferson Chancay-Sanchez, 26, with a group of individuals near Uvalde. Chancay-Sanchez had unlawfully entered the U.S. near the Eagle Pass Port of Entry and was placed under arrest. A search of his cellphone led to the discovery of an application disguised as a calculator, a method typically used to hide criminal behavior. When questioned about the app, Chancay-Sanchez, who was visibly nervous, stated it contained personal photographs of his girlfriend. Further investigation of the app revealed multiple photos which were sexually explicit in nature, including multiple images depicting child genitalia. 

Chancay-Sanchez admitted to downloading the CSAM from WhatsApp and saving it to the hidden folder on his phone. A forensic examination of his cellphone resulted in the discovery of 31 images and one video depicting CSAM. An additional 48 images and 15 videos were located and considered to be child erotica material. Some of the CSAM depicted toddlers, prepubescent, and adolescent males and females engaged in sexual activity. 

Chancay-Sanchez was named in a two-count indictment on July 16, 2025, and charged with one count of transportation of child pornography and one count of possession and access with intent to view child prepubescent pornography. He pleaded guilty to both counts on Dec. 22, 2025. U.S. District Judge Ernest Gonzalez presided over the case.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Ellis-Dotson and Nallely Duarte prosecuted the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Shilling handled the sentencing. 

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

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SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 271 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from July 31 through August 6, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against alien smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for numerous DWIs, violent crimes, thefts, and multiple prior removals.

Among the new cases, illegal alien from Mexico Karla Yaslin Montes-Esparza is charged with bringing in and harboring aliens. According to a criminal complaint, U.S. Border Patrol agents requested and received consent to view, search and utilize the cellphones of two arrested illegal aliens on July 23. The agents allegedly discovered the aliens had jointly paid a smuggler in Juarez, Mexico, $1,500 for their illegal passage into the United States. USBP agents allege the smuggler was linked to Montes-Esparza, who then attempted to gain entry into the U.S. via the Ysleta Port of Entry on July 31. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers determined that Montes-Esparza allegedly received $1,500 for aiding in the smuggling of two illegal aliens on July 23. Additionally, CBP officers determined Montes-Esparza had allegedly assisted with the illegal entry, transportation, and furtherance of approximately 100 illegal aliens, from which she received approximately $83,174. The criminal complaint alleges Montes-Esparza’s cellphone revealed multiple images and videos of proof of transportation and furtherance of several illegal aliens. 

Ricardo Gonzalez-Aguirre aka Antonio Ybarra-Rodriguez aka Francisco Carranza-Salas, an illegal alien from Mexico, is charged with illegal re-entry. A criminal complaint alleges Gonzalez-Aguirre approached the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry on Aug. 2 and claimed to be a U.S. citizen born in Cameron. Gonzalez-Aguirre allegedly stated he was in the process of obtaining a new state identification card and therefore did not have documents. The complaint alleges Gonzalez-Aguirre provided the CBP officer with his name, date of birth and age, but the age did not correlate to the date of birth. Further inspection revealed that Gonzalez-Aguirre was an illegal alien previously removed from the U.S. for the third time in June 2024. His criminal record includes convictions for domestic violence and disorderly conduct, as well as burglary and grand larceny.

Illegal alien from Ecuador Gen Santiago Aguirre-Zapata was arrested by USBP near Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. He’s been deported only once, in October 2021, but has been previously convicted of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of stolen property exceeding $1,000 in value, forcible theft armed with a deadly weapon, murder with intent, and second-degree assault with intent to cause physical injury.

USBP agents also arrested Jose Luis Amador-Bonilla, an illegal alien from Guatemala, near Eagle Pass. Amador-Bonilla was deported for the fifth time in September 2025. He’s been twice convicted of illegal re-entry, as well as forgery, interference with a law enforcement officer and a DUI.

Arturo Vasquez De La Sancha, an illegal alien from Mexico, was found in the Travis County Jail and transferred into ICE custody. Vasquez De La Sancha was removed for the third time in July 2022. He was convicted of his third DWI in 2021 and had his temporary supervised release revoked in 2022. Vasquez De La Sancha has also been previously convicted of deadly conduct, discharge of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance. He’s now charged with his second illegal re-entry offense.

Roberto Quintanilla, also an illegal alien from Mexico, was found in Travis County and charged with illegal re-entry as well. Like Vasquez De La Sancha, Quintanilla has three DWI convictions on his criminal record. He has also been previously convicted of improper entry by an alien and illegal re-entry. He’s been removed from the United States three times.

Illegal alien from Mexico Jose Martin Velasquez-Monsivais was transferred into ICE custody from the Blanco County Jail and charged with illegal re-entry. Velasquez-Monsivais has previously been convicted of alien smuggling, escape while arrested/confined, and prohibited substance/item in a correctional or civil commitment facility. He was previously deported from the U.S. in 2020.

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

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

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

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

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WACO, Texas – A Pflugerville woman was sentenced in federal court today to 21 months in prison for submitting fraudulent Paycheck Protection Loan (PPP) applications, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, on March 10, 2021, Aisha Jackson, 34, doing business as Logo Boosters, submitted a PPP application to a loan processor. The application contained false statements and documentation, including a fabricated voided check stub. Federal agents found that Jackson had opened the bank account reflected on the check stub in her own name but used the stolen social security number of a minor victim. Bank records showed that no checks were written from the account. Further investigation revealed that Jackson used the same victim’s social security number in 2016 to obtain a vehicle loan.

Agents also found that Jackson had submitted a false 2019 Schedule C, Profit or Loss from Business, using the business name Logo Boosters, and listing nearly $80,000 in net profit. Jackson did not file a 2019 Form 1040. Jackson received the PPP load deposit of $16,628 on March 15, 2021.

Less than two weeks later, on March 24, 2021, Jackson dba WCS Consulting, submitted another PPP loan application containing false statements and documentation. A review of Jackson’s bank records showed Jackson did not open the bank account until March 16, 2021, and used the same social security number belonging to a minor to open the account. As with her business, Logo Boosters, Jackson provided a false 2019 Schedule C with the business name WCS Consulting, listing a net profit of $53,900, and she did not file a 2019 Form 1040. Jackson completed and signed a PPP Loan Forgiveness Application Form on Oct. 5, 2021, indicating that she had complied with all requirements of the PPP rules.

The total loss to the U.S. Government amounted to $43,980 over three PPP loans received by Jackson. Jackson used the proceeds from her fraudulently received loans to purchase jewelry such as tennis bracelets and necklaces, two Rolex watches and a Cartier Santos watch. 

Jackson was arrested on Jan. 15, 2025, and released on bond. On Jan. 13, 2026, she pleaded guilty to one count of false statement on a loan or credit application and one count of theft of government property. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Christopher Wolfe sentenced Jackson to serve 21 months in federal prison and pay the $43,980 in restitution. Judge Wolfe also ordered Jackson to forfeit the fraudulently purchased jewelry.

The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Gloff prosecuted the case.

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

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DEL RIO, Texas – An illegal alien and convicted sex offender from Honduras was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 20 years in prison for attempting to enter the United States illegally, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, on Nov. 17, 2025, Noel Jose Funez-Antunez, 41, was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol agents near Eagle Pass. Funez-Antunez was questioned regarding his citizenship status, and he freely admitted to being a citizen of Honduras, and without legal permission to be present in the United States. He was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Eagle Pass South Border Patrol Station for processing. Further investigation into his criminal history revealed that Funez-Antunez was previously convicted of kidnapping, illegal re-entry into the United States, and sexual assault. 

“This is the message that we need to send to anyone who is thinking of coming into the United States illegally,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “Here we have an illegal alien who has already been convicted multiple times in our country, who thought he would be able to sneak in and live a life of freedom. He instead was met by federal agents and Lady Justice, and will spend the next two decades in federal prison before he’s deported yet again.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nallely Duarte prosecuted the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Shilling handled the sentencing.

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

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SAN ANTONIO – In celebration of Freedom 250, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas Justin R. Simmons presented Bexar County Sheriff’s Office Violent Crimes Sergeant Che Lopez with the Freedom 250 Hometown Hero Award. 

In honor of America’s 250 years of independence, the Hometown Hero award is being presented by U.S. Attorneys across the country. The award recognizes public officials who have demonstrated steadfast commitment to service in their communities and who embody the spirit upon which our Nation was founded.

 “Here in the Western District of Texas, we pride ourselves on our partnerships between federal, state, and local law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “Sergeant Lopez’s work exemplifies the same pride in partnership and has led to a safer community. This Freedom 250 Hometown Hero Award serves as a token of gratitude from the United States for Lopez’s selfless service and dedication as a law enforcement officer.”

“Sergeant Lopez spearheads multi-agency investigations, collaborating closely with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners,” said Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar. “His professionalism, effective communication, and commitment to teamwork embody the values of the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.”

For more information on the award and the Freedom 250 initiative, visit the Department of Justice news page or White House Freedom 250 Page. 

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SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 250 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from July 24 through July 31, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for numerous DWIs, violent crimes and sexual abuse, thefts, and multiple prior removals.

Among the new cases, Manuel Sanchez-Sanchez, an illegal alien from Mexico with a prior felony conviction of assault to commit rape, was arrested approximately four miles west of the Fort Hancock Port of Entry. Sanchez-Sanchez is charged with illegal re-entry having been previously removed from the United States in 2008.

Illegal alien from Mexico Reginaldo Cardona-Cardona was also arrested in Fort Hancock, less than two miles west of the POE. Cardona-Cardona has been previously removed from the U.S. three times, the last being in June 2024. He has an extensive criminal record that includes convictions for assault causing bodily injury, burglary of a building, a DWI, and two separate convictions for driving with an invalid license.

The ICE Fugitive Operations Team in El Paso encountered and arrested Francisco Ibarra-Quinones in El Paso as part of an investigation into aliens who have been previously removed from the U.S. and returned without permission. Ibarra-Quinones was previously deported in 2009, following a conviction for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He’s now charged with illegal re-entry.

Ismael Guillermo Cedillo-Martinez, an illegal alien from Mexico who has been removed from the United States seven times, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents near Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. Cedillo-Martinez has previously been convicted of three DWI charges, improper entry by an alien, and one illegal re-entry charge.

Illegal alien from Honduras Jose Efrain Corrales-Corrales was also arrested near Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. Corrales-Corrales was last deported on Nov. 23, 2025. He has been previously convicted of three DUIs as well as child cruelty and possession of a controlled substance.

In Austin, Abel Alejandro Martinez Robles, an illegal alien from Mexico, was transferred into ICE custody after being found in the Burnet County Jail, where he was booked for failure to identify. Martinez Robles has been removed from the U.S. two times and was previously convicted of aggravated sexual abuse.

Illegal alien from El Salvador Nelson Romero-Membreno was found in the Travis County Jail, where he was serving a sentence for his second DWI. Romero-Membreno has been deported twice and was also previously convicted of unlawful restraint with serious bodily injury.

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

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

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

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

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An El Paso, Texas, woman pleaded guilty today to smuggling unaccompanied alien children into the United States. 

According to court documents, Dianne Guadian, 33, and three other members of an alien smuggling organization brought unaccompanied alien children between the ages of five and 13 illegally into the United States from Juarez, Mexico, sometimes using candy laced with THC to sedate them during smuggling events. The drivers and their co-conspirators would then present U.S. documents to inspecting officers falsely claiming the documents belonged to the children, and that they were the parents of the children. Once inside the United States, the children were then transported to El Paso. During one smuggling event, a child was taken to a local hospital and diagnosed with THC poisoning.  One of Guadian’s co-defendants, Manuel Valenzuela, was sentenced on July 1 to five years in prison for his role in the child smuggling scheme.

“This defendant and her co-conspirators engaged in serious and dangerous conduct, which included giving THC laced gummies to children to sedate them while smuggling them from Mexico into the United States, all in order to make money,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The smuggling of unaccompanied children can expose them to the additional crimes and societal ills of human trafficking and sexual assault. This robs them of their innocence and youth, and it must be stopped.”

“Dianne Guadian was just one conspirator in a sickening smuggling operation, toying with the lives of children by drugging them in order to bring them into the United States from Mexico,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Fortunately, our partners at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recognized something was off. Their keen instincts resulted in the successful medical treatment of THC-poisoned children and the arrests of the smugglers. While we will aggressively prosecute all alien smugglers, those who smuggle children and risk the lives of those children in the process, should be especially aware that their date with American justice is coming at the hands of prosecutors in the Western District of Texas.”

“Dianne Guadian’s actions were not only unscrupulous, they put innocent children in grave danger,” said Deputy Executive Associate Director Matthew Millhollin of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Human smuggling is never a victimless crime. Smugglers routinely expose vulnerable people, including children, exploitation and life-threatening risk. HSI is committed to holding individuals like Guadian accountable and dismantling criminal organizations that profit from the desperation and suffering of others.”

“Criminal human smugglers exploit vulnerable children in horrific ways,” said Chief Patrol Agent Jesse Munoz of U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector. “I am glad our Border Patrol agents investigating this case were able to contribute to the successful prosecution of a criminal who will be held accountable for this terrible crime.”

Guadian pleaded guilty to four counts of aiding and abetting bringing of aliens without authorization for profit. She faces a minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

HSI El Paso and U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) led investigative efforts, with substantial assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. and CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force. 

Trial Attorney Bethany Allen of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Hines for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case.

The indictment and plea announced today were coordinated and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). JTFA also leads and supports U.S. Attorneys’ Offices (USAOs) in the prosecution of crimes related to unaccompanied alien children (UACs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including HSI and CBP/USBP and Office of Field Operations, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 465 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 424 U.S. convictions; and more than 368 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.

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

A Cayman resident who renounced his U.S. citizenship was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for tax evasion. 

According to court documents and statements made in court, Justin Ryan Schmidt, formerly of Austin, managed a hedge fund focused on cryptocurrency investments. Over a period of several years, Schmidt earned a total of at least $7 million from his hedge fund but did not report any of this income on his 2020, 2021 or 2022 tax returns. Instead, Schmidt falsely reported earning income of $5,000 or less during each of those years. At the same time, he held millions of dollars in foreign bank accounts that he failed to disclose to the IRS.

“Today’s sentence makes clear that renouncing U.S. citizenship does not shield you from American justice,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. “Mr. Schmidt deliberately hid millions in income and assets from the IRS, filed false statements, and cheated America’s tax system. Despite his best efforts to evade the reach of the Justice Department, Mr. Schmidt will now begin to reap the true reward of his crimes.”

“Schmidt benefited from being a U.S. citizen but didn't want to pay the taxes to reap the benefits. When it was profitable to renounce his citizenship, he turned his back on his country, even lying about how much he was worth to avoid paying one last time,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr. of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Texas Field Office. “As criminal investigators for the IRS, we aren't limited by our nation's borders. He may have walked out on our country, but he didn't leave our sight.”

Schmidt renounced his U.S. citizenship in March 2022. Individuals who expatriate from the United States are required to report certain information to the IRS about their net worth, income, assets, and liabilities as of the date of their expatriation. Schmidt filed a false expatriation statement reporting that his net worth was $25,000, knowing that his net worth at the time exceeded $2 million. He also falsely stated that he had complied with his tax obligations for the preceding five years.

In 2023, Schmidt paid approximately $5.8 million to purchase a house in Snowmass Village, Colorado, and sold it three months later for approximately $9 million. Schmidt had a duty to report his U.S. sourced income but did not report the gains from this sale and evaded payment of taxes by submitting false documents to prevent taxes from being withheld on the sale.

In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman for the Western District of Texas ordered Schmidt to serve three years of supervised release and to pay approximately $3.4 million in restitution to the United States.

Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division and U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement. 

IRS-CI investigated the case.

Senior Litigation Counsel Michael C. Boteler and Trial Attorney Michael Jones of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Doug Gardner for the Western District of Texas.

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

AUSTIN, Texas – Total MD Physicians Group, P.L.L.C., doing business as Total Men’s Primary Care, and Dr. Mason Jones, a physician registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration to handle controlled substances at several Total Men’s Primary Care clinics in the Austin area, have agreed to a consent judgment requiring them to pay up to $600,000 in civil penalties for violating the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), 21 U.S.C. §§ 801 et seq.

The settlement resolves allegations that Total Men’s Primary Care and Dr. Jones violated the CSA by failing to comply with certain recordkeeping requirements and electronically signing and transmitting prescriptions for a Schedule II controlled substance without a doctor/patient relationship. These violations were identified by DEA following onsite inspections of three Total Men’s Primary Care locations in Austin, Bee Cave, and Cedar Park in 2023.

In 2024, while DEA’s investigation was pending, Dr. Jones voluntarily retired fourteen certificates of registration affiliated with Total Men’s Primary Care locations in Austin, Hutto, Round Rock, Georgetown, New Braunfels, San Marcos, Kyle, and Cedar Park. He later surrendered for cause four additional DEA certificates of registration.

Under the terms of their civil settlement agreement with the United States, Total Men’s Primary Care and Dr. Jones can satisfy their legal obligation under the consent judgment by paying the Government $300,000 within 12 months.

“When medical providers violate patient trust and federal law, my Office will hold them accountable through whatever means available,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas Justin R. Simmons. “The American people deserve a healthcare system they can rely on, and we, along with our partners at the DEA, intend to do all we can to ensure its reliability.”

“DEA San Antonio Diversion investigators work tirelessly to protect the public from physicians who abuse their trusted privilege,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge for the San Antonio Division Miguel Madrigal. “Reckless and unlawful prescribing practices endanger public health, fuel prescription drug misuse, and undermine the integrity of the medical profession. The DEA will continue holding any medical professionals who violates the law accountable.”

DEA’s San Antonio Division Office led the investigation of this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Parnham negotiated the settlement on behalf of the Government.

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

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DEL RIO, Texas – An illegal alien from Mexico was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 15 years in prison for his role in a human smuggling operation that resulted in death, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, on April 17, 2025, Alan Vargas-Gonzalez, 23, of Huetamo, Michoacan, Mexico, was apprehended along with five illegal aliens near Eagle Pass. An investigation revealed that Vargas-Gonzalez was the foot guide of the group of illegal aliens. Agents noted that all the individuals had a backpack with food and/or water, and that Vargas-Gonzalez was the only person not wearing camouflage clothing and the only one that did not have carpet glued to the bottom of his shoes.

Further investigation connected Vargas-Gonzalez with a previous smuggling attempt that resulted in the death of a female Guatemalan in March 2025. A forensic examination of Vargas-Gonzalez’s cellphone revealed information that corroborated his involvement in the fatal smuggling event, including conversations with other co-conspirators related to human smuggling.

Vargas-Gonzalez was arrested April 17, 2025, and indicted on May 14, 2025. A superseding indictment filed on Oct. 1 charged him with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens causing serious bodily injury and one count of illegal alien transportation causing serious bodily injury. He pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge on Nov. 17. U.S. District Judge Ernest Gonzalez presided over the case.

The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Ellis-Dotson prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nallely Duarte handled the sentencing hearing.

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

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SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 188 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from July 17 through July 23, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. 

Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for numerous DWIs, violent crimes and sexual abuse, thefts, and multiple prior removals.

Among the new cases, Alejandro Flores-Martinez, an illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents near Eagle Pass after he had previously been deported in September 2025. Flores-Martinez was convicted in 2024 of first-degree sexual abuse in Butler County, Missouri, for which he was sentenced to seven years of confinement. He now faces a federal charge for illegal re-entry.

Jose Luis Gutierrez-Laguna, also an illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol near Comstock. He was last deported for the sixth time in May 2025. Gutierrez-Laguna was convicted of his second illegal re-entry charge in 2024. He has also been convicted of operating while intoxicated and forgery.

In El Paso, illegal alien from Mexico Juan Manuel Tinoco-Oros was arrested near Sierra Blanca, approximately 10 miles east of the Fort Hancock Port of Entry. Tinoco-Oros had been previously convicted of domestic violence and was deported for the third time in November 2025.

Raul Medina Gonzalez, an illegal alien from Mexico, was charged in Austin this week. He has been deported from the U.S. eight times and convicted five times for improper entry, the most recent being in 2018. He now faces an illegal re-entry charge.

Enrique Alberto Oxlaj-Lopez has been previously removed from the U.S. six times. He is an illegal alien from Guatemala with a prior conviction for illegal re-entry along with convictions for arson, theft and a DWI.

Also in Austin, Luis Jaimes-De Paz, an illegal alien from Mexico, faces an illegal re-entry charge. His previous illegal re-entry conviction was in 2010. Jaimes-De Paz has also been convicted of three DWI charges and one failure to ID. He’s been removed from the U.S. three times.

Illegal alien from Honduras Gabriel Euceda-Bonilla was arrested in San Antonio by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations on Tuesday. Euceda-Bonilla has previously been convicted of three DUI charges as well as intoxication assault causing brain injury. He is now charged with illegal re-entry.

Illegal alien from Mexico Sergio Arturo Delgadillo-Ledesma is also charged with illegal re-entry. San Antonio Police arrested Delgadillo-Ledesma for possession of a controlled substance in March. He was turned over to ICE custody on July 16, the day after his conviction and sentencing. The July conviction was Delgadillo-Ledesma’s second for possession of a controlled substance. He’s also been previously convicted of a DUI and twice for evading arrest. 

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

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

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

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

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As part of a Homeland Security Task Force case, a federal grand jury in Del Rio, Texas, returned an indictment this week charging 11 defendants for their alleged involvement in an attempted alien smuggling operation that resulted in multiple illegal aliens being found dead inside a shipping container in May.

The 11 defendants charged are:

1. Karina Garcia, 37, of Del Rio, Texas;
2. Edson Alejandro Perez, 18, of Del Rio;
3. Seferino Huerta-Casillas, 35, of Mexico;
4. Jonas Ulloa-Aguilera, 25, of Honduras;
5. Mayra Alejandra Huerta, 32, of Del Rio;
6. Maria Norma Neri de Moran, 56, of Mexico;
7. Damian Huerta Analucas, 55, of Mexico;
8. Rosario Cristal Lopez-Saldana, 26, of Mexico;
9. Eric Hernandez, 40, of Eagle Pass, Texas;  
10. Franklin Williams Ayala Aguilera, 30, of Honduras; and
11. Pascual Raymundo Loarca, 34, of Guatemala 

According to the indictment, from at least April 2023 through May 12, 2026, the defendants and others operated a human smuggling organization that illegally used cargo trains to smuggle aliens further into the United States after illegally crossing them from Mexico.Each smuggled alien, or their families and friends, paid smugglers in Honduras, Mexico, the United States, and elsewhere between $1,500 and $10,000. 

The indictment alleges that, toward the end of April 2026, the organization began facilitating the smuggling of at least seven aliens from Acuña, Mexico into Del Rio. On or about May 9, after the smugglers illegally crossed the seven aliens from Mexico into the Del Rio area, the organization transported the aliens to an area near the Union Pacific train tracks in Del Rio. From approximately 1:18 p.m. to 1:25 p.m., while a Union Pacific train was stationary, smugglers, using red bolt cutters, allegedly cut the lock off a Conex shipping container’s door, loaded the aliens into the container, and then shut the door.

The shipping container was stacked on top of another and had no ventilation or cooling system. Based on the investigation, the recorded outside temperatures for that day ranged from 88 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit. In total, seven aliens were loaded into the container, including one 14-year-old child. It was secured from the outside and could not be opened from the inside. The train then departed Del Rio and traveled east along U.S. highway 90 to San Antonio. 

Once the train arrived in San Antonio, smugglers opened the door to the Conex container and discovered the aliens in peril. The smugglers then fled the scene, allegedly leaving one of the deceased aliens near the railroad tracks. Smugglers left the remaining aliens in the shipping container. The next day, the train departed south along its route to Laredo. 

On May 10, a worker at the Union Pacific Rail Yard in Laredo saw a leg sticking out from a Conex shipping container. Upon inspection, six aliens were discovered deceased in the shipping container. Laredo law enforcement contacted San Antonio agents for assistance. Later, San Antonio law enforcement discovered the seventh alien deceased and abandoned by the railroad tracks in San Antonio. Ultimately, seven aliens died from being in the Conex shipping container—four were Mexican nationals and three were Honduran nationals. One of the aliens was a 14-year-old child. The investigation revealed that at least one alien messaged a loved one, pleading for help.

Mayra Alejandra Huerta was arrested May 12 in Del Rio and initially charged with one count of harboring illegal aliens. She has remained in federal custody and now faces two charges in today’s indictment. Last week, eight other defendants were arrested over a multi-day HSTF operation across central and south Texas. Two defendants, Karina Garcia and Seferino Huerta-Casillas, remain at large. 

All 11 defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death and one count of aiding and abetting transport of illegal aliens resulting in death. If convicted, the defendants would each face maximum penalties of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas, and Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon of Homeland Security Investigations made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Spears, Todd Keagle, and Ashley Ellis-Dotson for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF comprises agents and officers from FBI; ICE HSI; DEA; ATF; U.S. Border Patrol; USMS; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Department of Transportation; IRS Criminal Investigation; Texas Department of Public Safety; as well as local police departments and sheriff’s offices, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.

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