ICE Arrests Illegal Aliens Charged for Thefts in West Virginia, Including $21,000 Worth of Jewelry

 

All three criminal illegal aliens were RELEASED into the country by the Biden Administration

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following statement after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested three illegal aliens charged with larceny after several thefts occurred on the same day in West Virginia. 

According to local reporting, the two separate thefts took place on July 26, with one in Weston and the other in Sutton. In the first case, while a Walmart in Weston was undergoing repairs from flood damage, two suspects were arrested after $21,000 worth of jewelry was stolen from a secure display case during the cleanup. In the second case, a suspect was arrested for a separate theft in Sutton.

The suspects in the Walmart theft are Deivis Willyan Diaz and Daniel Alberto Arias Ramirez, who have been charged with grand larceny and conspiracy to commit a felony. Diaz’s criminal history includes arrests for assault and carrying a concealed weapon in Colorado. The suspect in the Sutton theft is Oscar Jose Hernandez Silva, who has been charged with petit larceny.

Deivis Willyan Diaz

Daniel Alberto Arias Ramirez

Oscar Jose Hernandez Silva

All three suspects are criminal illegal aliens from Venezuela. Local authorities have since turned them over to ICE custody.

“These three criminal illegal aliens are all charged with larceny after two separate thefts on the same day in West Virginia,” said a DHS Spokesperson. “None of these illegal aliens would have been in our country if it weren’t for the reckless open-border policies of the Biden Administration, which RELEASED them all into our communities. Thanks to our state and local partners, these criminals are now in ICE custody and we will REMOVE them from our country.” 

Diaz illegally entered the United States through Texas in April 2024, and was RELEASED into the country by the Biden Administration. Ramirez illegally entered the United States through Texas in December 2023, and was RELEASED by the Biden Administration. A Department of Justice (DOJ) Immigration Judge issued Ramirez a final order of removal on December 4, 2024. Hernandez illegally entered the United States through California in May 2024, and was RELEASED into the country by the Biden Administration.

Interstate Cocaine Trafficker Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison Following Conviction at New York Trial

 

Carlos ALMONTE PALMERS, convicted for his role in an interstate narcotics trafficking organization, received a 14-year prison sentence for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree following a jury trial prosecuted by the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York. The sentence was imposed in Manhattan Supreme Court by Acting Supreme Court Justice Sara Litman, who presided over the two-week trial that concluded with a conviction on June 26, 2026. 

The multi-agency investigation into interstate narcotics trafficking resulted in the seizure of approximately 20 kilograms (nearly 45 pounds) of cocaine, carrying a street value of more than $1 million, from a Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by ALMONTE PALMERS on March 13, 2024. Members of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New York Task Force Division Group T-41 tracked the vehicle from Connecticut through New York City to a truck stop in New Jersey, where ALMONTE PALMERS picked up the load of cocaine. 

As detailed at his sentencing, ALMONTE PALMERS faced a minimum of 12 years in prison due to his status as a predicate felon. He was previously deported from New York to the Dominican Republic in 2022, after serving an eight-year sentence for a prior Bronx conviction for Attempted Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree. 

DEA New York Task Force Division Group T-41 is comprised of agents and officers from DEA New York Division, the New York City Police Department (NYPD), and the New York State Police, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service New York Division.

“This 14-year prison sentence sends a clear message to those looking to use our nation’s highways to traffic deadly narcotics into our communities, that your actions will have consequences,” stated DEA New York Task Force Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher Roberts. “The seizure of nearly 45 pounds of cocaine prevented more than a million dollars’ worth of poison from reaching neighborhoods throughout New York and the Northeast corridor. This outcome is the result of relentless investigative work and seamless coordination among our federal, state, and local partners. I commend the outstanding efforts of the DEA New York Task Force Division, comprised of DEA Special Agents and Task Force Officers from the NYPD and NYS Police. I also would like to extend my sincere appreciation to our prosecuting partners, whose unwavering commitment ensured this dangerous trafficker was brought to justice. Together, we remain committed to disrupting the criminal organizations that profit from addiction and violence.”

Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan said, “The sentence imposed in this case reflects the devastating impact of high-level narcotics trafficking. Thousands of precious lives across the US are lost to cocaine related overdose each year – often when cocaine is mixed with fentanyl and other deadly substances.  Our office and partner agencies relentless track and prosecute narcotics organizations that rake in millions by endangering the lives of our friends, neighbors, and loved ones.”

“This defendant attempted to flood our city with nearly 45 pounds of cocaine, but our interagency task force was there to stop him,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “Our investigators tracked down the defendant’s car as he crossed state lines, and because of their diligent work, those drugs never made it to our streets. I thank our NYPD investigators and the Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s Office for their commitment to identifying drug traffickers and working together to hold these criminals accountable.” 

On March 13, 2024, at approximately 7 p.m., members of NYDETF Group T-41 conducted surveillance as the white Jeep Grand Cherokee, registered to ALMONTE PALMERS in Massachusetts, travelled southbound on I-95 from the New York State/Connecticut border. Geolocation data showed the Jeep had started traveling at or around Lawrence, Mass. The Jeep crossed into the Bronx and Manhattan, and then over the George Washington Bridge towards New Jersey. 

At approximately 7:50 p.m., the Jeep stopped at the Alexander Hamilton Travel Plaza in Secaucus, N.J., and pulled beside a large tractor trailer. Minutes later, the Jeep drove away heading towards New York City and into the Bronx. Agents and officers stopped the vehicle on the Major Deegan Expressway near the Cross County Parkway exit in Yonkers an hour later and recovered a large duffel bag stuffed with rectangular objects that proved to be 20 kilograms of narcotics. DEA laboratory analysis later identified the seized narcotics as cocaine.

Evidence presented at trial demonstrated that ALMONTE PALMERS made similar same-day trips on several prior occasions from Massachusetts to the New York City area.

Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan thanked Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark, and commended Assistant District Attorneys Oleg M. Shik and Luke X. Flynn-Fitzsimmons of SNP’s Special Investigations Bureau, Trial Preparation Assistant Kayla Paolicelli, Senior Trial Preparation Assistant Kristine Lamburini, J. Patrick Slattery, Deputy in Charge, Digital Forensics and Litigation Unit, and Investigative Analyst Natalie Vitale for their work on the prosecution and trial. She also commended the DEA New York Task Force Division, the New York City Police Department, the New York State Police, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service New York Division for their work on the investigation.

Convicted	Charge	Sentence Imposed
Carlos Almonte Palmers  Worcester, MA  Age: 45	CPCS 1st – 1 ct	14 years in New York State prison;  5 years post-release supervision

D.A. Bragg: Man Indicted On Hate Crime Charges In Anti-Gay Attack On Child On Lower East Side

 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., announced the indictment of KEVIN MAXWELL, 37, for allegedly assaulting a 12-year-old boy in an anti-gay attack at Baruch Playground on the Lower East Side in April 2026. MAXWELL is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with Assault in the Second Degree as a Hate Crime, Assault in the Third Degree as a Hate Crime and Endangering the Welfare of a Child, among other charges. [1]

“Hate crimes undermine the values of dignity, safety and inclusion that define our city,” said District Attorney Bragg. “As alleged, Kevin Maxwell violently attacked an innocent and vulnerable child – a stranger – while directing hateful language at him. Every child deserves to feel safe in our parks and other shared spaces, and we are dedicated to protecting New Yorkers by using every tool available to hold those who commit bias-motivated attacks accountable.”

As alleged in court documents and statements made on the record in court, on April 29, 2026, at approximately 6:00 p.m., the 12-year-old boy was with friends at Baruch Playground in the New York City Housing Authority’s Bernard M. Baruch Houses on the Lower East Side. MAXWELL approached the child and stated, in substance, that he should be mindful of his property to avoid it getting stolen. When the child did not respond and instead hummed and sang to himself, MAXWELL allegedly called the child “stupid” and made an anti-gay remark. Shortly after, MAXWELL left the playground and went to a nearby building.

A few minutes later, MAXWELL returned carrying a belt. He approached the child and allegedly hit him with the belt, lacerating his shoulder. As further alleged, MAXWELL repeatedly called the child “gay” during the assault.

MAXWELL was arrested on July 5, 2026.

D.A. Bragg thanked the NYPD, particularly Detective Steven Acevedo of the Hate Crimes Task Force.

Justice Department Partners with Tennessee Attorney General to Preserve Competition for Asphalt in Western Tennessee

 

The Proposed Settlement with Two of Western Tennessee’s Largest Hot-Mix Asphalt Suppliers would Prevent Competitive Harm from APAC’s Purchase of Standard Construction

The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, joined by the Attorney General of Tennessee, announced that they will require CRH and its subsidiary APAC-Tennessee to divest two hot-mix asphalt plants as part of its acquisition of Standard Construction to address antitrust concerns in western Tennessee. 

“This settlement is a model for how government works better when federal law enforcers collaborate with states in protecting local interests from competitive harm,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. “I thank Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti for his partnership to protect critical roadway infrastructure in western Tennessee and preserve the state and federal funds that pay for it.”  

“State antitrust enforcers can play an important role in merger enforcement in local markets in which potential harm is limited to a single state,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General G. Charles Beller of the Justice Department's Antitrust Division. “I am proud of our partnership with the Tennessee Attorney General and our collective efforts to preserve competition in local asphalt markets. This enforcement action builds on recent consent settlements we have taken alongside other state attorneys general to obtain local concrete plant divestitures in California and power plant divestitures in Texas.”

The divestiture is part of a proposed settlement that was filed at the same time as a civil antitrust lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee to block APAC’s proposed acquisition of hot-mix asphalt plants from Standard Construction. The proposed settlement, if approved by the court, will resolve concerns that the transaction, as originally proposed, would likely harm competition, leading to higher prices, lower quality, and less favorable terms for hot-mix asphalt used by the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

The Antitrust Division is actively collaborating with state antitrust enforcers in reviewing mergers in which potential competitive harm is local. State enforcers often bring significant local expertise, and their participation and leadership in local matters helps preserve federal resources for matters of regional and national significance. 

As alleged in the complaint, APAC and Standard Construction are two of the three leading suppliers of hot-mix asphalt in western Tennessee. The acquisition, as originally proposed, would have left the Tennessee Department of Transportation and other customers with fewer choices and higher prices. The proposed settlement requires APAC and Standard to divest two hot-mix asphalt plants in western Tennessee to Dunn Construction of Birmingham, Alabama. 

CRH plc, headquartered in Ireland, is a global supplier of building materials. In 2025, CRH had global sales of approximately $37.4 billion, with sales in the United States of approximately $10 billion through subsidiaries, including APAC-Tennessee, Inc. Standard Construction Group, Inc. is a privately held corporation headquartered in Cordova, Tennessee. 

As required by the Tunney Act, the proposed settlement, along with a competitive impact statement, will be published in the Federal Register. Any person may submit written comments concerning the proposed settlement within 60 days following the publication to Soyoung Choe, Acting Chief, Defense, Industrials, and Aerospace Section, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 450 Fifth Street NW, Suite 8700, Washington, DC 20530. At the conclusion of the public comment period, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee may enter the final judgment upon finding it is in the public interest.