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February 2, 2025Los Angeles, CA, United StatesEnforcement and Removal

ERO Los Angeles arrests Mexican national convicted of DUI

LOS ANGELES — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested Sandra Ordaz, 47, an illegally present citizen of Mexico, Jan. 27 in Pomona, California, during an enforcement operation.

Ordaz entered the United States at an unknown location or date without being admitted by an immigration officer. She was arrested by the San Bernadino County Sheriff’s Department in May 2020, for driving under the influence and evading police, and again by the Chino Police Department in Aug. 2020, for driving on a suspended driving license. Ordaz was convicted June 2021 by the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernadino, for driving under the influence.

Ordaz will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form.

Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X: @EROLosAngeles.

Updated: 06/13/2025
July 25, 2025Pensacola, FL, United StatesEnforcement and Removal, Worksite Enforcement

Fake green card, 4-time illegal reentry leads to 2 criminal alien arrests in Florida

PENSACOLA, Fla. — Crescencio Diaz-Diaz, 36, and Marcelo Perez-Santiz, 33, both of Mexico, have been charged in federal court with illegal reentry of a previously removed alien. Diaz-Diaz has also been charged with possession and use of fraudulent employment authorization documents as part of an ongoing investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Court documents allege that Diaz-Diaz reentered the United States illegally after being deported in 2020. Federal agents encountered him while executing federal criminal search warrants at a Navarre business, Emerald Coast Lawns, and an adjacent residence yesterday. During the search, agents seized a fraudulent permanent resident card, also referred to as a “green card,” and social security card bearing Diaz-Diaz’s name and photograph but another person’s identifying information. Diaz-Diaz allegedly admitted to giving the documents to Emerald Coast to gain employment.

Separate court documents allege that Perez-Santiz reentered the United States illegally after being deported on three separate occasions in 2012. Officials found him at the business address for Emerald Coast Lawns in February. Officials arrested him July 23 on a criminal complaint, and he faces up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

ICE Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations, the FBI, the ATF, the Florida Highway Patrol, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office are investigating these cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia H. Forbes is prosecuting.

Updated: 07/25/2025
March 12, 2025Newark, NJ, United StatesFirearms, Ammunition and Explosives

Federal grand jury indicts New Jersey firearms trafficker following ICE investigation

NEWARK, N.J. – An investigation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement resulted in a federal grand jury indictment of a New Jersey man for numerous firearms-related charges.

Mikhail Gouldson, 36, of Paterson, was charged on March 10 at the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey in a five-count indictment with one count of dealing in firearms without a license, one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, one count of possession of machine guns, one count of possession of unregistered firearms and one count of attempted trafficking in firearms.

“We seized an alarming number of firearms, ammunition, and equipment from Gouldson’s residence that was capable of bringing a lot of destruction into our community” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel Newark. “Our incredible partnership with the FBI in Cherry Hill, ATF in Newark and the United States Postal Inspection Service’s Philadelphia Division in this investigation supported the Paterson Violent Crime Initiative to combat violent crime in their city. We remain steadfast to their commitment to public safety of all New Jersey communities by holding violent offenders like this firearms trafficker accountable.”

Law enforcement discovered dozens of illicit firearms, including 3D-printed “ghost” gun frames, machine gun conversion devices, firearm silencers, short-barreled rifles, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a 3D printer in Gouldson’s residence.

Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement intercepted multiple shipments of weaponry that were mailed to Gouldson’s residence. After searching Gouldson’s residence, law enforcement recovered large quantities of firearms and ammunition, as well as 3D printing equipment.

The dealing in firearms without a license count carries a maximum penalty of 5 years’ imprisonment. The possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon and attempted trafficking in firearms counts each carries a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment. The possession of machine guns and unregistered firearms counts each carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment. Each of the counts carries a maximum fine of $250,000.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Updated: 03/12/2025
March 5, 2025Tampa, FL, United StatesDocument and Benefit Fraud, Financial Crimes, Worksite Enforcement

Florida businessman sentenced for migrant labor employment scheme, payroll tax evasion, worker death

WASHINGTON — A Florida man was sentenced Feb. 20 to 48 months in prison and ordered to forfeit more than $5.5 million to the United States as well as forfeit numerous real properties and cash, and to pay over $55 million in restitution for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and willful violation of a workplace standard that resulted in the death of his employee following a joint agency investigation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Manual Domingos Pita, of Wesley Chapel, previously pleaded guilty to those charges on July 9, 2024.

According to court documents, Pita owned and operated Domingos 54 Construction, a subcontracting business for the wood framing of new construction homes. Domingos 54 was a shell construction company that Pita used to provide workers, including undocumented aliens, with construction jobs. However, Pita failed to secure the required workers compensation insurance coverage for these employees by falsifying in worker’s compensation insurance applications the number of workers for which he sought coverage. In addition, Pita failed to pay any federal employment taxes on the wages that these workers earned during the course of the scheme between 2018 and 2022. As a result, Pita caused several worker’s compensation insurance companies to sustain a loss of over $22.7 million in premiums that they could have charged had they been aware of the number of workers which they had been manipulated into covering with their policies. In addition, Pita failed to pay to the IRS over $33.7 million in federal employment taxes on those workers’ wages.

Between February and July 2019, investigators with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued six citations to Domingos 54 for failure to provide fall protection to workers. Even after being cited for these violations, Pita continued to ignore OSHA requirements. In March 2020, Pita assigned a worker and three other carpenters to install sheeting on the roof of a residential home in windy conditions without providing the required fall-protection gear or ensuring its use. As a result, one of the workers was blown off the roof and died from his injuries.

The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, ICE Tampa, Florida Department of Financial Services’ Bureau of Insurance Fraud-Criminal Investigations and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay L. Hoffer for the Middle District of Florida and Senior Trial Attorney Banumathi Rangarajan of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section prosecuted the case.

Updated: 03/05/2025
May 4, 2026New York, NY, United StatesLaw Enforcement

Florida man arrested for 1993 execution-style murders of husband, wife following HSI New York, NYPD investigation

NEW YORK — An investigation by Homeland Security Investigations New York and the New York City Police Department led to the April 22 arrest of William Antonio Solis in connection with the June 21, 1993, execution-style murders of Luis Guerrero and his wife, Danis Sime, in the Bronx. HSI Tampa agents and local law enforcement officials arrested Solis, 62.

Solis, a Tampa, Florida, resident, is charged with intentional killing while engaged in a narcotics conspiracy.

“As alleged, William Solis spent decades hiding in plain sight more than a thousand miles from where he viciously murdered the Guerreros in front of their young child,” said HSI New York acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso. “This arrest is the result of years of meticulous investigative work by dedicated special agents and task force officers who refused to let this case go cold. Regardless of the time that has passed or the distance traveled, HSI New York, together with the Southern District of New York and the NYPD, will stop at nothing to ensure those responsible for senseless violence face justice on behalf of New Yorkers.”

According to the investigation and as alleged in the indictment:

On or about June 21, 1993, Solis and two co-conspirators participated in the planned robbery of Guerrero, a narcotics supplier, at an apartment in the Bronx.  During that robbery, Solis and his co-conspirators restrained Guerrero, took his drugs, then lured his wife, Danis Sime, into the apartment, where she too was overpowered and bound. Solis then executed both victims by shooting them in the head. The murders were carried out in the presence of the victims’ three-year-old child.

This investigation was conducted by HSI New York’s Violent Gang Task Force, the NYPD and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York with significant assistance from HSI Tampa, the Tampa Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

Learn more about this case here.

Updated: 05/04/2026
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February 3, 2025Ocala, FL, United StatesChild Exploitation

Florida man indicted for attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity

OCALA, Fla. — A grand jury returned with an indictment charging a Florida man with attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity following a joint investigation with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Orlando.

David Araujo, 57, of St. Petersburg, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. Araujo is currently detained pending the resolution of the criminal case.

According to the indictment, between July 26-27, 2024, Araujo knowingly attempted to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce an individual whom he believed had not yet attained 18 years of age to engage in sexual activity.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by HSI Orlando, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Ocala Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Chiefland Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

HSI Tampa’s area of responsibility, which includes 10 geographically strategic offices, covers more than 51,600 square miles of the total 65,757 square miles in the state of Florida. This region has more than 14.2 million people and includes 58 of the 67 counties. HSI Tampa also includes five of the 10 largest cities in Florida, 15 primary commercial service airports, and 11 seaports.

Learn more about HSI Tampa’s mission to increase public safety in Florida communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSITampa.

Updated: 06/13/2025
March 16, 2026Washington, DC, United StatesCyber Crimes

Florida man pleads guilty to distributing violent, sexual animal crushing videos following ICE investigation

The man created and administered online chat groups dedicated to distributing content and discussing heinous abuse of animals

WASHINGTON — Florida man Francisco Javier Ravelo, a U.S. citizen, pleaded guilty in federal court March 2 to distributing videos depicting the physical and sexual torture of monkeys. He faces up to seven years in prison for his crimes.

“Homeland Security Investigations pieced together the case that led to Ravelo’s guilty plea,” said ICE Director Todd M. Lyons. “He personally distributed more than 40 animal crushing videos to other people, but he didn’t count on HSI being able to track him down, pull together evidence and present it to the judge. Now he knows better. I hope this serves as a warning to others who acquire or distribute this kind of content: HSI will find you, and you’ll end up in federal court just like Ravelo did.”

According to court documents, Ravelo created and administered online chat groups dedicated to distributing and discussing sexual and violent videos involving monkeys being tortured. HSI New Orleans, HSI Pensacola, the local U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division investigated the case that led to Ravelo’s guilty plea.

Read more on Justice.gov.

You can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

Learn more about ICE’s public safety mission on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky or Truth Social.

Updated: 03/16/2026
March 5, 2025Tampa, FL, United StatesNational Security

Florida man pleads guilty to operating a helicopter without license

TAMPA, Florida – A Florida man has pleaded guilty to operating a helicopter with passengers without the required pilot’s license following a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation.

Ernesto Cordero, 54, of Bradenton, faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, Cordero obtained a student pilot’s license. That license allowed him to operate his personal helicopter with an instructor in the passenger seat or fly the helicopter alone in certain circumstances. The license did not authorize Cordero to fly with passengers. To fly with passengers, Cordero would need to obtain an unrestricted pilot’s license, which he never did. Instead, Cordero frequently flew his helicopter with passengers onboard, despite the restrictions on his license.

In June 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration received a complaint when Cordero landed his helicopter at Egmont Key State Park off the coast of Tampa. When he landed, a passenger left and then returned to the helicopter. The following month, the FAA received another complaint that Cordero was flying others in his helicopter from a dock behind a home in Marathon. After these incidents, the FAA learned that Cordero’s helicopter was landing at Tampa Executive Airport. Once the helicopter landed, Cordero admitted that he was again flying the helicopter and that he had a passenger onboard.

This case was investigated by ICE Homeland Security Investigations Orlando and the FAA. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Buchanan.

Updated: 03/06/2025
March 28, 2025Jacksonville, FL, United StatesChild Exploitation

Florida sex offender sentenced to 15 years for distribution of child sexual abuse material

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Florida man and previously convicted child predator was sentenced March 26 to 15 years in federal prison for distributing imagery and video depicting child sexual abuse on a social media application following a Northeast Florida Interagency Child Exploitation and Peoples Trafficking Task Force investigation that included U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Nicholes Scott Newman, 42, of Hilliard, was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and register as a sex offender.

“This predator’s prior conviction did not deter him from continuing to victimize children by distributing vile child sexual abuse material,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tim Hemker. “The men and women of HSI and the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force will continue to work tirelessly to dismantle these networks and keep our communities safe.”

According to court records, in June 2024, a detective acting in an undercover capacity was monitoring a social media messaging group chat where Newman was distributing CSAM images and videos to others in the group. The undercover detective communicated directly with Newman who sent additional videos and images containing CSAM to the undercover detective.

In 2014, Newman was convicted in Pinellas County for 20 counts of possession of CSAM and was sentenced to Florida State Prison. He was released on Feb. 6, 2019.

This Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force case was investigated by ICE Homeland Security Investigations Jacksonville, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney John Cannizzaro.

Updated: 03/28/2025
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Know2Protect Campaign

March 21, 2025Los Angeles, CA, United StatesChild Exploitation

Former city commissioner for West Covina, California sentenced for child exploitation violations, following ICE investigation

LOS ANGELES – An official in a position of public trust was sentenced on March 17 in the Central District of California to 151 months, lifetime supervision and paying victim restitution for violations, including the possession, distribution, and receipt of child sexual abuse material, following a joint U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Postal Service investigation.

Herbert Redholtz, a Southern California native, previously served as a city commissioner for the city of West Covina, California, and was part of the Community and Senior Services Commission.

ICE Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles Child Exploitation Investigations Task Force, acting on a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, obtained a federal search warrant for an email account belonging to Redholtz. Agents subsequently discovered over 950 images and videos of containing suspected CSAM involving children, including infants and toddlers.

This is an ICE HSI Los Angeles led investigation. ICE HSI is a global leader in the fight against child exploitation and is committed to protecting children from exploitation by predators involved in the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material and travel in foreign commerce to engage in illicit sexual conduct with minors.

Report suspected child exploitation to the ICE Tip Line at 1-866-347-2423 or through the Cyber Tipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's website.

Learn more about ICE HSI’s mission to protect children in your community on X at @HSILosAngeles.

Know2Protect is a national public awareness campaign from the Department of Homeland Security. K2P’s aim is to educate and empower children, teens, parents, trusted adults and policymakers to prevent, combat and report online child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information, please visit Know2Protect’s YouTube playlists at Know2Protect Campaign PSA Playlist and Know2Protect Digital Safety Series Playlist on the DHS main channel. Additional resources are available at Know2Protect.gov and @Know2Protect on Instagram, Facebook and X.

Updated: 05/20/2026
May 15, 2025Washington, DC, United StatesChild Exploitation

Former El Paso US Army soldier charged with child pornography offenses

WASHINGTON — A federal grand jury returned an indictment May 14 charging Seth Herrera, 35, a U.S. Army soldier, previously of El Paso, Texas, with attempted sexual exploitation of a child and receiving files depicting child sexual abuse.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations special agents are investigating the case.

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

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

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

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

Updated: 05/15/2025
July 30, 2025Los Angeles, CA, United StatesOrganized Crime

Former NBA star, suspected Israeli crime figure arrested on federal indictment alleging high-stakes illegal poker games at Encino mansion

LOS ANGELES — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and law enforcement partners conducted an operation July 30, where former NBA star Gilbert Arenas and five other defendants — including a suspected high-level member of an Israeli transnational organized crime group — were arrested on a federal indictment alleging they operated an illegal gambling business in which high-stakes poker games were played at an Encino mansion Arenas owned.

Arenas, 43, aka “Agent Zero,” of Woodland Hills, is charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, one count of operating an illegal gambling business, and one count of making false statements to federal investigators.

He is scheduled to make his initial appearance and be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

USAO News Release

Updated: 07/30/2025