News

An indictment was unsealed charging five men with a child exploitation enterprise, conspiracy to produce child pornography, conspiracy to receive and distribute child pornography, and conspiracy to communicate interstate threats. As alleged, Hector Bermudez, 29, of Queens, New York; Zachary Dosch, 26, of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Rumaldo Valdez, 22, of Honolulu, Hawaii; David Brilhante, 28, of San Diego, California; and Camden Rodriguez, 22, of Longmont, Colorado, led an online group called “Greggy’s Cult,” which carried out the alleged criminal conduct on a series of Discord servers. The defendants were arrested today throughout the United States and will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date.

Joaquin Guzman Lopez, who succeeded his father, Joaquin Guzman Loera, also known as “El Chapo,” as one of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, pleaded guilty to federal drug charges. “The Sinaloa Cartel is a terrorist organization that has spent decades destroying American families through brutal violence and deadly drug trafficking,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.

AUSTIN – Texas 10 Most Wanted Criminal Illegal Immigrant William Herrera Zamora – a convicted child sex offender from Cuba – is this month’s Featured Fugitive. The reward for information leading to his arrest is increased to $8,500 during December if the tip is received this month.

AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott reappointed Heather “Hex” Lightfoot and appointed Gregorio Mata and Oscar Ocuto, Ed.D. to the Governing Board of the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) for terms set to expire on Jan. 31, 2031. The board oversees the provision of all TSD services, and is responsible for budget preparation, policy adoption, and the appointment of the superintendent.

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION — The Board of Regents of The Texas A&M University System has approved the designation of 17 faculty members as Regents Professors and 13 agency service, extension and research professionals as Regents Fellows for exemplary performance and professional service during the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott congratulated the city of Burleson for being designated a Tourism Friendly Texas Certified Community by Travel Texas after completing the multi-step certification process. The Tourism Friendly Texas Certified Community designation shows Burleson’s commitment to further develop tourism as an economic growth strategy, boost local job creation, and draw more visitors to their community and to Texas from across the nation and around the world.