Making Immigration Happen
Chicago Woman Arrested for Selling Fraudulent Identity Documents to Illegal Aliens
A woman was arrested Wednesday, February 13, 2013, on charges she allegedly sold fraudulent identity documents to illegal aliens. These charges resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigra
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Tag Archives: sentencing

Wife of Philippines Senator Sentenced for Bulk Cash Smuggling

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The wife of a sitting senator in the Philippines has been sentenced to five months of home confinement and 36 months’ probation after pleading guilty to charges of bulk cash smuggling resulting from a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Marissa Tadeo Lapid, 55, wife of Philippines Senator Manuel “Lito” Lapid, was sentenced Monday, February 4, 2013, by U.S. District Court Judge Lloyd D. George. The defendant previously pleaded guilty to two counts contained in a criminal information – bulk cash smuggling and conspiracy to structure transactions to evade reporting requirements. In addition to the term of home confinement and probation, the court also ordered Marissa Lapid to pay a fine of $40,000 and forfeit $199,700 in funds found to be derived from the scheme.

“Bulk cash smuggling is a serious crime motivated by greed,” said Michael Harris, assistant special agent in charge for HSI Las Vegas. “HSI will continue to target those who seek to exploit vulnerabilities in our financial systems in order to earn, move and store their illegitimate gains.”

Lapid originally came under suspicion in November 2010 when she failed to declare $40,000 in currency following her arrival at McCarran International Airport on a flight from the Philippines. According to court documents, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers subsequently found the money in Lapid’s luggage inside two socks and a cloth bag concealed under the suitcase’s lining.

HSI’s subsequent investigation revealed that, from January 2009 through June 2010, Lapid conspired with others to make 23 cash deposits of under $10,000 at multiple banks in the Las Vegas area, often on the same day, knowing the banks were obligated to report cash transactions of more than $10,000. In all, the defendant structured $159,700 in deposits.

HSI special agents arrested Marissa Lapid at McCarran International Airport Jan. 15, 2012, following her arrival on a flight from the Philippines.

Mexican Drug Smugglers Sentenced for Cocaine Conspiracy

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Two Mexican drug traffickers were sentenced Friday, February 8, 2013, for their roles in a cocaine conspiracy. The sentence is the result of an extensive investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Genaro Torres, 58, formerly of Laredo,Texas, and Maria E. Garcia, 64, formerly of Houston,Texas, were both sentenced by U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer in Rochester.

Torres, who was convicted of conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. In addition, Torres forfeited $750,000 in U.S. currency, which he admitted constituted or derived from proceeds he obtained as a result of his illegal drug activity.

Garcia, who was convicted of conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, was sentenced to four years in prison by Judge Larimer.

According to court documents, the defendants were involved with a group of individuals that distributed over 150 kilograms of cocaine from Mexico in the United States between 1991 and 2008. During the course of the conspiracy, cocaine was transported to, and distributed in, Rochester by members of the conspiracy. Cocaine was also provided to Houston,Chicago,New York, Atlanta, and the New England region of the country.

Since the early 1990s, Torres was involved in transporting quantities of cocaine across the Mexican-Texas border in the area of Laredo and thereafter distributing the cocaine. Torres was found by the court to have acted as a manager or supervisor in this extensive drug distribution activity. Between 2000 and 2008, Torres arranged at times for the distribution of multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine to individuals in Houston.

As for Maria Garcia, by early 2000, this defendant was selling cocaine in Houston after being supplied by Torres. Between February and April 2000, Torres arranged the delivery of over 50 kilograms of cocaine in Houston to Garcia or her customers. Torres and Garcia are Mexican citizens and lawful permanent residents of the United States. It is anticipated that both Torres and Garcia will be deported by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations upon the completion of their sentences.

“It’s often said that crime doesn’t pay and in this case that is especially true,” said U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr., Western District of New York. “The hard work of our law enforcement partners and prosecutors has led to the take down of a major drug conspiracy. But in addition, we have literally taken the profit out of this particular crime syndicate. The money being forfeited will now be put to a much more positive use including continued crime fighting efforts.”

HSI and the DEA were assisted in the investigation by the Rochester Police Department and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank H. Sherman, Western District of New York, prosecuted this case on behalf of the U.S. government.

U.S. Citizen Residing in Mexico Convicted for Smuggling Methamphetamine

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A federal jury on Friday, January 18, 2013, convicted a woman, a U.S. citizen who resided in Reynosa,Mexico, on one count of possessing with intent to distribute more than 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of methamphetamine, announced U.S Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas.

This conviction resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Jennifer Ellen Marie Rodriguez, 31, was convicted by a jury following a three day trial. During the trial, the government presented testimony that Rodriguez was pulled over June 23, 2012, by a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper near Encino. During that traffic stop, Rodriguez claimed to be traveling to San Antonio to attend her grandfather’s funeral. Rodriguez did not know the name or location of the funeral home and did not have appropriate attire expected for such an event.

Rodriguez provided consent to search her vehicle and was arrested after the methamphetamine was discovered hidden in a void behind the vehicle’s dashboard. The government also provided evidence that Rodriguez’s grandfather was a lifelong resident of Michigan and had passed away in 2011.

Rodriguez admitted at trial that she made up the story about the funeral. She testified she did not know the drugs were hidden in her vehicle, but was driving to San Antonio to exchange the vehicle for her kidnapped cousin. Rodriguez claimed that on the previous day, her cousin was kidnapped in Mexico and kidnappers demanded she deliver the vehicle to San Antonio in exchange for her cousin.

The government countered with evidence demonstrating that Rodriguez never told this story to law enforcement at the time of her arrest. In fact, the government proved that Rodriguez had only made the claim just a few days before trial began.

Rodriguez is scheduled to be sentenced April 24, at which time she faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life imprisonment, as well as a possible $10 million fine. Rodriguez will remain in custody pending that hearing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad W. Cowan, Southern District of Texas, prosecuted the case.

Texas Man Sentenced for Attempt to Smuggle Ammunition to Mexico

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A local man was sentenced Friday, January 11, 2013, to 41 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for purchasing ammunition that was to be smuggled into Mexico. The case was investigated by U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Edward Sandoval, 31, from San Antonio, pleaded guilty Sept. 6 to aiding and abetting the smuggling of goods from the United States.

According to the factual basis filed in this case, in January and February 2011, Sandoval admittedly purchased about 40,000 rounds of multiple caliber ammunition, including 7.62mm and .223-caliber, from a San Antonio gun shop for a friend who informed Sandoval that the ammunition was destined for Mexico via Eagle Pass,Texas.

Sandoval further admitted that he was paid $1,500 each time he bought ammunition for others. In February 2011, authorities in Eagle Pass seized about 15,000 rounds of ammunition purchased by Sandoval before it was smuggled into Mexico.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also assisted with this investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Roomberg, Western District of Texas, prosecuted this case.

New Jersey Child Predator Sentenced to Life in Prison

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A Pemberton, N.J., man was sentenced Monday, January 7, 2013, by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith to life plus 10 years in federal prison. The man was convicted in May 2012 on charges of interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual acts with a minor, aggravated sexual assault, enticement of a minor and distribution of child pornography. The man was previously convicted on three occasions in the state of New Jersey for crimes against children, including child pornography and aggravated sexual assault of a child under the age of 13. The sentence is the result of an extensive investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Donald J. Jones III, 48, was arrested by HSI special agents and the Rhode Island State Police April 8, 2011, after he traveled by bus from Philadelphia to Providence, expecting to meet with an 8-year-old girl and her father.

Jones communicated for nearly three weeks via the Internet and by phone with a person he believed was the girl’s father, when in fact he was communicating with federal agents assigned to the Rhode Island State Police Computer Crimes Unit/Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.

“As prosecutors, we have no higher calling than to aid parents in protecting their children,” said U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha, District of Rhode Island. “Accordingly, I am very pleased with the life sentenced handed down today, which ensures that a remorseless, recidivist pedophile has been brought to justice. Spending the rest of his life in prison ensures that he will never, ever harm another child.”

“Today’s life sentence demonstrates the serious consequences that await those who would sexually prey upon and exploit children,” said Bruce Foucart, special agent in charge of HSI Boston. “Criminals with this kind of depravity in mind should know that we are ever vigilant. For every tactic taken to evade law enforcement, we will adapt our strategies to find them and prosecute them. Through our partnerships with state, local and other federal law enforcement agencies in Rhode Island, HSI will continue to police cyber space to investigate child predators and ensure that they feel the full weight of the law.”

“In addition to preventing this particular pedophile from further targeting any more children, a life sentence sends a clear message to others that may choose to follow in the same path he did,” said Colonel Steven G. O’Donnell, superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police. “I commend the prosecutors, troopers, local police and federal agents for their continued vigilance in tracking, arresting and prosecuting those who prey on our children.”

“A life sentence demonstrates the serious consequence that awaits those who sexually exploit innocent children,” said Kevin M. Niland, U.S. Postal Service inspector in charge. “The Postal Inspection Service will to continue to aggressively identify, target and arrest those who dare prey on our children.”

According to the government’s evidence presented at trial March 21, 2011, Jones posted a message on an adult Internet forum seeking a parent willing to allow him to have sex with their pre-pubescent child. The message was discovered by a postal inspector assigned to the Rhode Island ICAC who responded, posing as the father of an 8-year-old Rhode Island girl.

Jones and the agent exchanged numerous emails which evolved from the parent purporting to have an interest in allowing Jones to have sex with his daughter, to Jones at first describing and then emailing videos of child pornography in an effort to depict his intentions. They also had numerous telephone conversations, including conversations during which a female Providence Police officer posed as the young girl.

The government presented evidence to the jury that Jones purchased clothing for the young girl and mailed them to the person he believed to be her father. Jones also purchased and brought with him a nightgown and underwear for the young girl to wear.

On April 8, 2011, federal agents watched as Jones boarded a bus in Philadelphia and traveled to New York and then on to Rhode Island. Jones was arrested by federal and state law enforcement agents as he stepped off the bus in downtown Providence.

According to the State of New Jersey sex offender registry, Donald J. Jones III is a level two child sex offender, convicted in 1993 on charges of aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child. Both offenses were against a female under the age of 13. Jones was sentenced today to a consecutive 10 year federal prison sentence for committing a new sex offender crime while being required to register as a sex offender.

Providence Police, special agents from HSI New Jersey and the U.S. Marshals Service assisted in the investigation.

The Rhode Island ICAC is a Department of Justice grant-funded program administered by the state police, and is comprised of six state police detectives, detectives from the Providence, West Warwick, Coventry, Warwick, Johnston and Pawtucket police departments, and federal officers from HSI and the United States Postal Inspectors’ Office. The objective of the ICAC is to form strong working relationships among federal, state and local law enforcement in order to effectively and efficiently prevent, detect, investigate and prosecute online child exploitation and child pornography crimes.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-347-2423 or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-843-5678.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.

Chinese National Pleads Guilty to International Cyber-Theft Conspiracy

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Late Monday, January 7, 2013, a Chinese national pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement and wire fraud. The individual operated a website used to distribute more than $100 million worth of pirated software around the world, making it one of the most significant cases of copyright infringement ever uncovered – and dismantled – by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Xiang Li, 36, of Chengdu, China, will be sentenced May 3, 2013, by U.S. District Court Judge Leonard P. Stark. Li faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release following his prison sentence. The entry of the guilty plea was announced at a press conference held this morning in Wilmington by U.S. Attorney Charles M. Oberly III, District of Delaware and ICE Director John Morton.

“Li mistakenly thought he was safe from the long arm of HSI, hiding halfway around the world in cyberspace anonymity,” said Director Morton. “Fast forward to today, where he is now being held accountable in Delaware for illegally stealing, distributing and ultimately exploiting American ingenuity and creativity at a loss of at least $100 million to U.S. companies. HSI is committed more than ever to protecting American industry and U.S. jobs from criminals like him.”

According to statements made at the plea hearing and documents filed in court, HSI identified Li as the operator of a website located at www.Crack99.com that was advertising thousands of pirated software titles at a fraction of their retail value. The investigation revealed that Li used the Crack 99 website to distribute pirated or cracked software to customers all over the world, including the United States. Software is “cracked” when its digital license files and access control features have been disabled or circumvented.

Through emails sent to customers of his website, Li described himself as being part of “an international organization created to crack” software. In a November 2008 email exchange with a customer, for example, Li stated that he would charge $1,000 to obtain a cracked version of a particular software program. When the customer wrote, “Yes ok tell me who do this.” Li replied, “Experts crack, Chinese people Sorry can not reveal more.”

During the course of the charged conspiracy from April 2008 to June 2011, Li engaged in more than 500 transactions, in which he distributed approximately 550 different copyrighted software titles to at least 325 purchasers located in at least 28 states and more than 60 foreign countries. These software products were owned by approximately 200 different manufacturers and were worth more than $100 million. The software is used in a wide range of applications including defense, engineering, manufacturing, space exploration, aerospace simulation and design, mathematics, and explosive simulation.

More than one-third of the unlawful purchases were made by individuals within the United States, including small business owners, government contractors, students, inventors and engineers. Some of Li’s biggest American customers held significant engineering positions with government agencies and government contractors. For instance, Li sold 12 cracked software programs worth more than $1.2 million to Cosburn Wedderburn, who was then a NASA electronics engineer working at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, in Greenbelt, Md. Li also sold 10 cracked software programs worth more than $600,000 to Dr. Wronald Best, who held the position of chief scientist at a Kentucky-based government contractor that services the U.S. and foreign militaries and law enforcement with a variety of applications such as radio transmissions, radar usage, microwave technology and vacuum tubes used in military helicopters. Both Wedderburn and Best have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement and are awaiting sentencing in the District of Delaware.

Between January 2010 and June 2011, undercover HSI special agents made a series of purchases of pirated software worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from Li’s Crack 99 website. The investigation culminated in a face-to-face meeting between Li and undercover HSI special agents on the Island of Saipan in June 2011. Li agreed to travel from China to Saipan to deliver pirated software, design packaging and 20 gigabytes of proprietary data from a U.S. software company to undercover HSI special agents posing as U.S. businessmen. In addition, Li and the undercover HSI special agents were meeting to discuss a plan to distribute pirated software to small businesses in the United States. The undercover HSI special agents arrested Li June 7, 2011, after he delivered the stolen intellectual property to them at a Saipan hotel. Li was transported to the District of Delaware, where he has remained in custody since June 2011.

One of the companies victimized by the software piracy scheme stated, “Circumventing our commercial aerospace and defense software license mechanisms not only harms the competitiveness of our company, but also U.S. national security interests. In addition to the revenue lost, we spend significant legal resources obtaining patents and trademarks to protect our intellectual property. We also invest a lot of energy administering software license agreements and product-based, end-user licenses, which are key components of our U.S. export control compliance and customer support programs.”

HSI-led National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center)

As the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, HSI plays a leading role in targeting criminal organizations responsible for producing, smuggling and distributing counterfeit products. HSI focuses not only on keeping counterfeit products off our streets, but also on dismantling the criminal organizations behind such illicit activity.

HSI manages the IPR Center in Washington. The IPR Center is one of the U.S. government’s key weapons in the fight against criminal counterfeiting and piracy. As a task force, the IPR Center uses the expertise of its 21 member agencies to share information, develop initiatives, coordinate enforcement actions and conduct investigations related to IP  theft. Through this strategic interagency partnership, the IPR Center protects the public’s health and safety, the U.S. economy and the war fighters.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys David L. Hall and Edward J. McAndrew, District of Delaware, are prosecuting this case on behalf of the U.S. government.

Texas Man Sentenced for Alien Smuggling and Death of Smuggled Immigrant

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A Houston man was sentenced Wednesday, November 14, 2012, to 6 ½ years in federal prison following his conviction on conspiracy to transport 14 illegal aliens within the United States and causing serious bodily injury, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas. The investigation was conducted by special agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Border Patrol.

Leonel Alvaro Abundis-Carreon, 22, pleaded guilty Aug. 6 before U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzalez-Ramos, who sentenced him to a term of 78 months in federal prison, which is to be followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Ramos also ordered Abundis-Carreon to pay restitution in the amount of $7,300 to the victim’s family, $71,423.81 to Christus Spohn Kleberg, $257,638.05 to Christus Spohn Memorial and $34,689.01 to Christus Spohn Hospital in medical costs. In his guilty plea, he admitted he was driving a truck loaded with several illegal aliens, one of whom was killed.

The court learned that on Feb. 9, at about 6:10 a.m., Falfurrias Border Patrol agents were advised to be on the lookout for a white Ford F 250 pickup truck that was possibly involved in alien smuggling. Moments later, agents witnessed a white Chevrolet pickup truck traveling north on Farm to Market Road (FM) 1538 in Brooks County,Texas.

Several people were observed in the cab with several more ducking down in the bed of the truck. When agents began to follow the truck, it sped off at a high rate of speed. Border Patrol agents activated their emergency lights and siren, but the truck continued to travel north on FM 1538 until it merged onto County Road (CR) 417. The driver then turned off the headlights and drove straight through a fence and into a privately owned ranch. Agents followed the truck’s dust cloud and located it facing south on the opposite side of the fence line.

When agents exited their vehicle, they saw several injured individuals lying on the ground near the truck. A deceased person was pinned under the truck’s front tire and another was pinned under the rear axle of the truck, who appeared to still be breathing but unresponsive. At the scene, agents located seven individuals, three of whom were airlifted to the hospital. Near the crash site, Border Patrol agents located seven more individuals involved in the crash.

Abundis-Carreon admitted to HSI special agents that he was the driver of the truck and was being paid $125 for each alien he smuggled. One of the aliens suffered a broken pelvis which is expected to prevent him from walking for at least six months. The person found under the rear axle suffered third-degree burns on his legs. A third alien suffered an injury to his eye that required surgery.

Abundis-Carreon will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Hugo R. Martinez, Southern District of Texas, prosecuted the case.

“Millennium Bomber” Receives 37-Year Prison Sentence

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The Algerian native known as the “Millennium Bomber” was sentenced Wednesday, October 24, 2012, to 37 years in federal prison for his failed 1999 plot to bomb Los Angeles International Airport.

The case was investigated by the special agents with the former U.S. Customs Service’s Office of Investigations, which is now part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and the FBI.

Ahmed Ressam, 45, was arrested Dec. 14, 1999, as he attempted to enter the United States through the port of entry at Port Angeles, Wash. Ressam had traveled on a ferry fromVictoria,British Columbia,Canada, in a rental car. In the vehicle, he had bomb-making materials and powerful explosives. His plan was foiled after U.S. Customs inspectors grew suspicious of his nervous demeanor.

Following an 18-day trial in 2001, Ressam was convicted on multiple charges including: act of terrorism transcending a national boundary; placing an explosive in proximity to a terminal; using false identification documents; using a fictitious name for admission; making a false statement; smuggling; transporting explosives; possessing an unregistered explosive device; and carrying an explosive during the commission of a felony.

Facing a possible sentence of 65 years to life in prison in early 2001, Ressam agreed to provide information to the United States and testify against others. However, he stopped providing information in 2003 and now claims that he was mentally incompetent when he provided the information.

On Wednesday, October 24, 2012, prosecutors recommended a sentence that would keep Ressam incarcerated for life, noting that two key prosecutions have been dismissed because of his lack of cooperation. At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Court Judge John C. Coughenour acknowledged that Ressam was “highly culpable and took substantial steps to carry out a horrific crime.” However in sentencing him to 37 years, the judge said a life sentence was too harsh and it was unlikely Ressam would be involved in another violent conspiracy.

In 2005, and in a second sentencing hearing in 2008, Judge Coughenour sentenced Ressam to 22 years in prison. Earlier this year the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals remanded the case for resentencing, finding that the 22-year sentence was unreasonably low.

The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.

Drug Ring and Money Laundering Operation Shut Down by HSI

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Seven people were sentenced to federal prison Wednesday, October 17, 2012, for their roles in a drug trafficking and money laundering scheme that used Arkansas businesses to hide $315,000 in illegal proceeds from a California-based drug ring. The charges stemmed from a joint investigation launched in May 2011 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and members of the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, Springdale Police Department and Rogers Police Department.

Manuel Haro-Gutierrez, 50, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, was sentenced to more than seven years in prison and fined $35,000 by U.S. District Court Judge Jimm Larry Hendren. Gladis Haro, 51, an aggravated felon from Guatemala previously removed from the United States, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment and fined $25,000. Osiris Depaz-Ramirez, 28, a citizen of Guatemala, was sentenced to more than two years imprisonment and Victor Palacios, 52, a citizen of El Salvador, was sentenced to eight months imprisonment.

Jania Haro, 34, a U.S. citizen, was sentenced to eight months imprisonment plus two years supervised release. Ivan Salan-Aguilar, 49, and Manuel Haro Jr., 24, also U.S. citizens, were each sentenced to one year and one day imprisonment plus two years supervised release.

The defendants were arrested Dec. 15 and pleaded guilty April 25.

Raymond R. Parmer Jr., special agent in charge of HSI New Orleans, said, “These defendants sought to hide the proceeds of drug trafficking by passing ill-gotten money through a seemingly legitimate business. Today’s sentencing shows how HSI and its law enforcement partners work to penetrate and dismantle elaborate criminal enterprises that threaten the safety and security of our nation.” Parmer oversees a five-state area of responsibility including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

During the investigation it was discovered that Manuel Haro-Gutierrez and his wife, Gladis Haro, operated a multi-state methamphetamine and crack cocaine ring based in Los Angeles that funneled its profits through two Springdale, Ark., businesses owned by the Haro family – Haro Auto Repair and Paint, and the Rumba Room Night Club. HSI investigators traced a bulk of the laundered currency to the Los Angeles area, where Gladis Haro was residing.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Drug Enforcement Agency assisted with the investigation.

Montana Woman Sentenced for Methamphetamine Distribution

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A Billings, Mont., woman was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison August 30, 2012, following her guilty plea on methamphetamine distribution charges, announced U.S. Attorney Michael W. Cotter, District of Montana.

This case was jointly investigated by the following agencies: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI, Billings High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, and Billings Big Sky Safe Streets Task Force.

Chief U.S. District Judge Richard F. Cebull also sentenced Jeri Lynn Milheim, 32, to four years of supervised release, $1,934 in restitution, and a $200 special assessment fee. Milheim was sentenced in connection with her guilty plea to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and uttering counterfeit obligations.

In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica T. Fehr, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

  • Between February 12 and May 16, 2011, a total of $2,637 in counterfeit Federal Reserve Notes were passed and/or seized ($1,590 passed, $1,047 seized) in and around Billings, Mont., involving 18 different serial numbers in denominations of $1, $5, $20 and $100 bills.
  •  During its investigation, law enforcement learned that two individuals linked to Milheim were responsible for manufacturing the counterfeit money that was passed inBillings. Additionally, law enforcement learned that Milheim was present when counterfeit Federal Reserve Notes were manufactured by others during a stay at a Billings motel in mid-February 2011. The cleaning staff at the motel confirmed for law enforcement that a printer/scanner was found in a room in February, along with a page of uncut counterfeit Federal Reserve Notes.
  •  On Feb. 22, 2011, Milheim wired money from Billings, Mont., to Las Vegas, Nev.She presented $340 in counterfeit $20 bills to Western Union to pay for the wire. Each of the $20 bills presented to Western Union were counterfeit Federal Reserve Notes. Four of the counterfeit Federal Reserve Notes presented to Western Union were marked with Serial No. II08725279A. Milheim knew the bills she presented were counterfeit.
  •  During the same period of time Milheim was involved with counterfeiting, summer 2009 to spring 2011, she was also obtaining methamphetamine from a source of supply in Las Vegas. The investigation discovered that Milheim personally transported quantities of methamphetamine for redistribution in Yellowstone County from Las Vegas, Nev., in vehicles and on her person. Once the methamphetamine was transported to Billings, Mont., Milheim conspired with others in Yellowstone County to redistribute the methamphetamine. The investigation uncovered that from summer 2009 to spring 2011, Milheim conspired with others to redistribute 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.

 Because there is no parole in the federal system, the “truth in sentencing” guidelines mandate that Milheim will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, Milheim has the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for “good behavior.” However, this reduction cannot exceed 15 percent of the overall sentence.

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