Federal authorities allege Giovanna Mercedes Moreno Occhipinti, 32, transported the two suspected gunmen linked to TDA, Ricardo Granadillo Padilla and Edward Martinez Cermeno.
An illegal immigrant from Venezuelan who also holds Italian citizenship was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on May 13, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Officials said Occhipinti entered the United States through the Visa Waiver Program in October 2021 but overstayed after her visa expired in 2022 and was involved in a shooting with the notorious Tren de Aragua (TDA) gang in 2024.
Federal authorities allege Giovanna Mercedes Moreno Occhipinti, 32, transported the two suspected gunmen linked to TDA, Ricardo Granadillo Padilla and Edward Martinez Cermeno, to a Chicago house party on Dec. 2, 2024, where the shooting occurred. Three people were killed and five others were wounded in the attack.
DHS officials said investigators found several firearms inside the suspects vehicle following the shooting and believe she helped the suspects evade law enforcement afterward.
Although Chicago police arrested Occhipinti on weapons-related charges days after the shooting, DHS claimed she was later released without ICE being notified due to the lax sanctuary city policies in Chicago.
“Although Chicago police arrested this illegal alien shortly after the shooting, sanctuary politicians released her from jail without notifying ICE,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement to Fox News.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office ultimately declined to prosecute the suspects, according to DHS. The two alleged gunmen were later deported.
Border Czar Tom Homan railed against the Cook County officials and reconfirmed the White House’s commitment to public safety in a Fox News interview.
“I’ll say it again, President Trump has promised the American people he's gonna make this country safe again and one of the ways he's going to do that is to remove illegal aliens and public safety threats,” he said. So ICE is going to continue their job… it makes it harder for them to do their job when we have local law enforcement that won't help us.”
Officials also revealed that Occhipinti previously worked as a teacher at a school in the Chicago suburb. DHS has said that the Chicago officials are refusing to release the name of the school where Occhipinti worked. Occhipinti is currently being held at the Grayson County Detention Center in Kentucky as federal proceedings continue.
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