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Convictions through guilty pleas and sentencings in Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) prosecutions (Sept. 8 through Sept. 11, 2026)

 

Date: Sept. 16, 2026

Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov

San Juan, PR – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, Héctor Ramírez-Carbó, Acting United States Attorney, in conjunction with our partner agencies in the Homeland Security Task Force (“HSTF”) announce the following prosecutorial results for the week of Sept. 8 through Sept. 11, 2026. The HSTF is a permanent, interagency law enforcement task force created by executive order to combat transnational criminal organizations—including cartels, trafficking networks, and foreign terrorist organizations. 

Convictions through guilty pleas

  • On Sept. 9, 2026, Alison Mateo-Custodio pleaded guilty to violating 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a) in Criminal Case 26-255 (SCC). According to the indictment, the defendant was charged with illegal reentry of a removed alien. Defendant was arrested on June 11, 2026. The sentencing hearing will be held Dec. 9, 2026. SAUSA Cody A. McKinney is in charge of the prosecution of the case.

Sentencings

  • On Sept. 9, 2026, Wilfredo Hernández-Vizcarrondo was sentenced by United States District Court Judge María Antongiorgi Jordán to five years of imprisonment and 8 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. According to court documents, defendant was indicted on Dec. 5, 2024, in Criminal Case 24-453 (MAJ) and pleaded guilty on May 12, 2026. Laura Díaz-González and Joseph Russell in charge of the prosecution of the case.
  • On Sept. 10, 2026, Luis Xavier Morales-Alonso was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Silvia Carreño Coll to 12 years of imprisonment and 8 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. According to court documents, defendant was indicted on June 11, 2025, in Criminal Case 25-272 (SCC) and pleaded guilty on June 11, 2026. Laura Díaz-González and Andrés Orr in charge of the prosecution of the case.
  • On Sept. 10, 2026, Michael J. García-Marquez was sentenced by United States District Court Judge María Antongiorgi Jordán to 15 years of imprisonment and 10 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. According to court documents, defendant was indicted on Dec. 5, 2024, in Criminal Case 24-453 (MAJ) and pleaded guilty on May 14, 2026. Laura Díaz-González and Joseph Russell in charge of the prosecution of the case.
  • On Sept. 10, 2026, Paul W. Herrera-Rivera was sentenced by United States District Court Judge María Antongiorgi Jordán to 12 years of imprisonment and 8 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. According to court documents, defendant was indicted on Dec. 5, 2024, in Criminal Case 24-453 (MAJ) and pleaded guilty on May 27, 2026. Laura Díaz-González and Joseph Russell in charge of the prosecution of the case.

These prosecutions are 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 San Juan comprises agents and officers from the following federal partners: FBI, ICE-HSI, CBP (OFO, AMO and Border Patrol), the U.S. Marshals Service for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, DEA, ATF, IRS, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Department of State, and the U.S. Secret Service, the Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands HIDTA, TSA, FAA, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Districts of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The HSTF also has the following state and local law enforcement partners as participating agencies: the Puerto Rico Police Department; the San Juan, Carolina, Guaynabo, Barceloneta, and Ponce Municipal Police Departments, the Puerto Rico National Guard – Counter Drug Program; the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; the Puerto Rico Internal Revenue Service (Hacienda); the Puerto Rico Port Authority; and the Virgin Islands Police Department.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 16 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.