May 2010 Press Releases
May 28, 2010 - Villalon
MISSION MAN ARRESTED AFTER SIX YEARS ON THE RUN PLEADS GUILTY TO ALIEN SMUGGLING
(BROWNSVILLE, Texas) – Roberto Villalon Jr., 45, charged in 2004 and arrested after six years on the run, has pleaded guilty to alien smuggling and failing to appear in court as ordered (Read more)
May 28, 2010 - Beltre and Alana
HOUSTON PODIATRIST AND HIS UNLICENSED PODIATRIST CO-DEFENDANT SENTENCED TO PRISION FOR HEALTH CARE FRAUD
(McALLEN, Texas) – Franklin Beltre D.P.M., 40, of Houston, and a co-defendant have been sentenced to prison for committing more than $1 million in Health Care Fraud for submitting false and fraudulent claims to both the Medicare and Medicaid health care programs(Read more)
May 28, 2010 - Daft
FORMER CBP CANINE OFFICER INDICTED FOR MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS TO OBTAIN FEDERAL EMPLOYEES COMPENSATION AND MAIL FRAUD
(HOUSTON) – A former Customs and Border Protection (CBP) canine officer has been indicted for lying to obtain federal compensation (Read more)
May 27, 2010 - Mirza
JURY CONVICTS ADNAN MIRZA OF CONSPRING TO SUPPORT THE TALIBAN AND UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF FIREARMS
(HOUSTON) – After a three-day trial, a federal jury has convicted Adnan Mirza, 33, of all nine counts in an indictment arising from his efforts to provide support and funds to the Taliban (Read more)
May 25, 2010 - Martinez
IMPERSONATING AN IMMIGRATION OFFICER TO DEFRAUD PERSONS SEEKING DOCUMENTS LANDS MCALLEN WOMAN IN PRISON
(HOUSTON) – A McAllen, Texas, woman’s scheme to solicit thousands of dollars to provide immigration documents while posing as an immigration official has landed her in federal prison without parole (Read more)
May 25, 2010 - Luna
FORMER POSTAL EMPLOYEE CONVICTED OF STEALING NETFLIX FROM US MAIL
(HOUSTON) – A former postal employee has pleaded guilty to stealing money from the U.S. Mail while on duty (Read more)
May 24, 2010 - Flores
OWNER OF ST. MARY’S AMBULANCE INC. SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR HEALTH CARE FRAUD CONVICTION
(McALLEN, Texas) – Jesus Jorge Flores Jr., 38, the owner and operator of St. Mary’s Ambulance Inc., has been sentenced to prison for defrauding Medicare and Medicaid of more than $1 million by submitting false and fraudulent claims (Read more)
May 24, 2010 - Villarreal
WESLACO MAN SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR CARJACKING
(MCALLEN, Texas) – Jesus Miguel Villarreal, 26, of Weslaco, Texas, has been sentenced to prison for carjacking (Read more)
May 21, 2010 - Akinola
MONEY SERVICES BUSINESS OPERATOR CHARGED WITH CONSPIRING TO COMMIT FRAUD AND MONEY LAUNDERING
(HOUSTON) - An eight-count indictment charging Jonathan Akinola, of Houston, with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit international money laundering, international money laundering and aggravated identity theft was unsealed today following Akinola’s arrest (Read more)
May 20, 2010 - Boling and Hall
TWO ARRESTED IN VISA FRAUD SCHEME
(HOUSTON) – Two men have been arrested on charges of encouraging illegal immigration (Read more)
May 20, 2010 - Garza
RIO GRANDE CITY MAN CONVICTED OF TRANSPORTING UNDOCUMENT ALIEN
(LAREDO, Texas) – Michael Garza, 25, a U.S. citizen and resident of Rio Grande City, Texas, has been convicted of transporting for financial gain, an alien who was present in the United States illegally (Read more)
May 20, 2010 - Benavides
JURY FINDS LAREDOAN GUILTY OF TRANSPORTING 391 POUNDS OF COCAINE
(LAREDO, Texas) - A federal jury has found Heriberto Benavides, of Laredo, guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute approximately 391 pounds of cocaine (Read more)
May 19, 2010 - Watson
ORGANIZER OF TEXAS MUSIC FESTIVAL INDICTED
(HOUSTON) – James Watson Jr. has been indicted on charges of bank fraud and credit card fraud (Read more)
May 19, 2010 - Lanni
OWNER OF FACTORY DIRECT SPAS SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR WIRE FRAUD
(HOUSTON) - Steve Todd Lanni, the owner of Factory Direct Spas, has been sentenced to prison for defrauding Ebay customers who paid for hot tubs which were never built and never delivered (Read more)
May 18, 2010 - Guajardo
BROWNSVILLE WOMAN PLEADS GUILTY TO BRIBERY OF A CBP OFFICER AND ALIEN SMUGGLING
(BROWNSVILLE, Texas) – A Brownsville woman has pleaded guilty to bribing a customs officer and alien smuggling (Read more)
May 18, 2010 - Sanchez and Argueta
TWO MORE TAQUERIA ARANDAS RESTAURANT OWNERS PLEAD GUILTY
(HOUSTON) – Luis Antonio Sanchez Sr. and Maria F. Argueta each entered pleas of guilty to filing of a false federal income tax return (Read more)
May 17, 2010 - Gonzalez
FORMER FEDERAL JUROR SENTENCED IN JURY TAMPERING CASE
(HOUSTON) – A former federal juror who served on the jury of the 2008 trial of two brothers charged with drug trafficking which ended in a mistrial has been sentenced for jury tampering (Read more)
May 17, 2010 - Frazier, Veazie, Greer
THREE INDICTED FOR MORTGAGE FRAUD
(HOUSTON) – Two sealed indictments charging Veronica Frazier, Robert Veazie and Felton Greer with fraudulently obtaining home purchase loans have been unsealed (Read more)
May 14, 2010 - Lansdale et al
ELEVEN INDICTED IN MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR AUTOMOBILE LOAN FRAUD SCHEME
(HOUSTON) – Eleven individuals have been charged in a multi-count indictment for their alleged role in an automobile loan fraud scheme that resulted in millions of dollar losses to lenders (Read more)
May 14, 2010 - Roy
BANK ROBBER SENTENCED TO PRISON
(HOUSTON) – Erik Roshan Roy, 38, of Houston, convicted of robbing a branch of Wachovia Bank in July 2009, has been sentenced to prison without parole (Read more)
May 14, 2010 - Garcia et al
SIX INDICTED FOR CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT MARRIAGE FRAUD AND BENEFIT FRAUD
(HOUSTON) - A sealed nine-count federal indictment has been unsealed following the arrests of three U.S. citizens and three Cambodian nationals for allegedly conspiring to commit marriage fraud, benefit/visa fraud and passport fraud (Read more)
May 13, 2010 - Garza
DRUG TRAFFICKER SENTENCED TO 20-YEAR PRISON TERM AFTER SECOND FELONY CONVICTION
(CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas) – Julio Garza, 36, of Edinburg, Texas, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after his second federal felony drug conviction (Read more)
May 12, 2010 - Gentry
BAYTOWN MAN SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
(HOUSTON) - Dustin Shane Gentry, 29, a Baytown resident, has been sentenced to 24 months in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release for possessing child pornography (Read more)
May 11, 2010 - Sweezy
FORMER CEO OF SWEEZY CONSTRUCTION INC. AND TWO BUSINESS ENTITIES PLEAD GUILTY TO FRAUD CONSPIRACY
(BROWNSVILLE, Texas) - Former CEO of Sweezy Construction Inc. (SCI) Mitchell Kent Sweezy, 58, has been convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bankruptcy fraud (Read more)
May 10, 2010 - Ramon
BELLAIRE RESIDENT GETS 10 YEARS FOR MULTIMILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT FRAUD
(HOUSTON) – Melissa Marie Ramon, 34, of Bellaire, has been sentenced to 120 months in prison for defrauding millions of dollars from investors for a nonexistent French investment company (Read more)
May 10, 2010 - Camp
BUSINESS OWNER CONVICTED OF HARBORING AN ILLEGAL ALIEN SENTENCED
(HOUSTON) – The landscaping business owner who knowingly harbored an illegal alien by employing and leasing a residence to him has been sentenced to serve three months in prison, three months home confinement and to be under the supervision by the federal court for a period of five years (Read more)
May 7, 2010 - Martinez-Sosa
JURY FINDS MEXICAN CITIZEN GUILTY OF POSSESSION OF NEARLY 200 KILOS OF MARIJUANA
(BROWNSVILLE, Texas) - Javier Martinez-Sosa, 26, a Mexican citizen, has been found guilty by a federal jury of conspiracy to possess and possession with intent to distribute 196.6 kilograms of marijuana (Read more)
May 7, 2010 - Adeneye
NIGERIAN CONVICTED OF MARRIAGE FRAUD
(HOUSTON) – Ibraheem Adeneye, a naturalized United States citizen originally from Nigeria, has been found guilty of charges of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, naturalization fraud, making a false statement to a federal agency and marriage fraud (Read more)
May 7, 2010 - Tijerina et al
EIGHT RIO GRANDE VALLEY MEN ARRESTED AS A RESULT OF DRUG TRAFFICKING AND MONEY LAUNDERING INDICTMENT
(McALLEN, Texas) - A sealed indictment was partially unsealed this morning following the arrest of eight men from the cities of Donna, Edinburg, San Juan and Weslaco during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) led multi-agency enforcement action (Read more)
May 6, 2010 - Flowers
KATY MAN SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR IDENTITY THEFT AND CREDIT CARD FRAUD
(HOUSTON) - Robert C. Flowers, 31, of Katy, Texas, has been sentenced by United States District Judge Nancy Atlas to serve more than five years in the federal penitentiary without parole for aggravated identity theft and credit card fraud (Read more)
May 6, 2010 - Ashoor
SAUDI CITIZEN SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR SELLING COUNTERFEIT CISCO COMPUTER PARTS TO THE MARINE CORPS IN IRAQ
(HOUSTON) - Ehab Ali Ashoor, 49, a Saudi citizen residing in Sugar Land, Texas, has been sentenced to 51 months in prison for purchasing counterfeit Cisco Gigabit Interface Converters (GBICs) from an online vendor in China in an attempt to satisfy a contract he had with the United States Marine Corps in Iraq to deliver genuine Cisco GBICs (Read more)
May 6, 2010 - Oskose et al
AREA DOCTOR, PHARMACIST AND PHARMACY OWNER CHARGED IN CONSPIRACY TO ILLEGALLY DISTRIBUTE NARCOTICS
(HOUSTON) - Dr. Peter Okose, 56, Troy Solomon, 47, and Bede Nduka, 55, have been charged in a three-count indictment alleging conspiracy to unlawfully dispense and distribute controlled substances outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose (Read more)
May 6, 2010 - Joubert
HOUSTON BUSINESS OWNER WHO SOLD CHILDREN’S SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS USED IN MORTGAGE FRAUD SCHEME SENTENCED TO PRISON
(HOUSTON) – Carlin Joubert, 55, has been sentenced to a total of 24 months in federal prison for her role in providing Social Security numbers as well as fraudulent drivers’ licenses and Social Security cards to individuals who used them to obtain fraudulent home loans (Read more)
May 5, 2010 - Cavazos
FORMER CBP OFFICER SENTENCED FOR BRIBERY
(BROWNSVILLE, Texas) - Javier Cavazos, 50, of Los Fresnos, Texas, has been sentenced to 19 months in federal prison for bribery (Read more)
May 5, 2010 - Cedor
FORMER BAIT STAND OPERATOR NETS LENGTHY PRISON TERM FOR CHILD PORN CONVICTON
(CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas) – Richard Louis Cedor, 55, of Corpus Christi, has been sentenced to maximum term of 120 months in federal prison following his conviction of possession of child pornography (Read more)
May 5, 2010 - Campuzano et al
ADDITIONAL ARRESTS MADE IN ALIEN SMUGGLING ORGANIZATION
(HOUSTON) – Two United States citizens and two Mexican nationals, including one legal permanent resident alien, are in federal custody charged in a conspiracy involving the transportation of undocumented aliens (Read more)
May 4, 2010 - Green
DICKINSON MAN SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
(HOUSTON) - Richard Carl Green, 46, of Dickinson, Texas, has been sentenced to 41 months in federal prison without parole and ordered him to register as a sex offender for possessing child pornography (Read more)
May 4, 2010 - Vargas
FORMER POSTAL EMPLOYEE CONVICTED OF STEALING MONEY FROM THE USPS
(HOUSTON) – A former letter carrier has pleaded guilty to stealing money from the United States Postal Service (USPS) while on duty (Read more)
May 3, 2010 - Garcia and Martinez
CORPUS CHRISTI COUPLE AND SAN ANTONIO ORTHOTIST SENTENCED FOR HEALTH CARE FRAUD
(CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas) - A Corpus Christi couple and an orthotist from San Antonio, Texas, have been sentenced to lengthy terms in federal prison for defrauding Medicare, Medicaid and United HealthCare Group (Read more)
May 3, 2010 - Swetnam
INSURANCE AGENT CONVICTED OF MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR INSURANCE FRAUD SCHEME
(HOUSTON) – A Houston federal jury has convicted Michael N. Swetnam Jr., 46, of Harlingen, Texas, of three counts of mail fraud for a scheme involving more than $3.8 million stolen from Valley Baptist Hospital (Read more)
