Category: US Marshals Service

Source: US Marshals Service

Cincinnati, OH – The U.S. Marshals Service and Butler County Prosecutor’s Office are pleased to announce the arrest of Antonio Riano in his hometown of Zapotitlan Palmas, State of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Antonio Riano was wanted by the Butler County Sheriff’s Office for Homicide, who was charged in the Butler County Court of Common Pleas for the shooting death of Benjamin Becarra, age 25, that occurred in December of 2004. After the shooting, Riano allegedly fled the United States to avoid prosecution.

Riano was listed as one of the Butler County Sheriff’s Office “Most Wanted” and was profiled on the America’s Most Wanted television series in 2005. Over 20 years after the shooting the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office teamed up with the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs who worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Riano. When Riano was arrested in Mexico he was found to be working as a local police officer.

On August 1, 2024, Deputy U.S. Marshals took custody of Riano from Mexican authorities in Mexico City. He was flown to Cincinnati and then transported to the Butler County Jail where he remains pending court proceedings.

“This type of apprehension would not be possible without the cooperation and due diligence of both the Prosecutor’s Office investigators, the United States Marshal Service, and the United States Department of Justice,” said Michael T. Gmoser, Butler County Prosecutor. 

“The United States Marshal Service, through our violent fugitive task forces, assists our state and local law enforcement partners to apprehend the area’s most dangerous fugitives. This arrest is the result of the ongoing sharing of information between the agencies and the determination of the investigators who refused to give up on this case,” said Michael D. Black, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Ohio.

Cincinnati’s Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST) is a U.S. Marshals Service-led task force consisting of local, state, and federal authorities including the Adult Parole Authority, Butler County Sheriff’s Office, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Butler County Probation Office, Colerain Township Police Department, Department of Homeland Security/ Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Golf Manor Police Department, Harrison Police Department, Mount Orab Police Department, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Trenton Police Department, Warren County Prosecutor’s Office, and Warren County Sheriff’s Office.

Anyone with information on any fugitive may submit an anonymous web tip.

Source: US Marshals Service

Concord, NH – The United States Marshals Service (USMS), District of New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force (NHJFTF) and Belknap County Sheriff’s Office are pleased to announce the arrest of the Belknap County fugitive that fled from the Concord Hospital – Laconia early Sunday morning. 

Anthony Clark, 41, was arrested early this morning by the USMS Massachusetts Fugitive Task Force, Mass. State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section, and Boston Police Department Fugitive Unit. Tips developed by the NHTF and Belknap County Sheriff’s Office led investigators to an apartment on Logan Way in South Boston. Clark, who did not immediately surrender to the arrest team, was eventually found in a back bedroom. Clark was compliant with officers once encountered and arrested without further incident. 

Clark had been awaiting trial for domestic violence related crimes, including strangulation, simple assault, stalking, and witness tampering. While in custody, Clark required medical treatment and was taken to the hospital. An ankle monitor was placed on Clark, but it was recovered outside the hospital grounds later that day. An investigation into Clark’s disappearance ensued, and authorities believed Clark was making efforts to flee to California at the time of his arrest. 

The United States District Court – District of New Hampshire issued a federal arrest warrant for Clark yesterday, charging him with flight to avoid prosecution. Deputies from the MFTF delivered Clark to the U.S. Marshals Service District of New Hampshire after his arrest. Clark will have a hearing at 12:00 pm at the federal District Court before being released back to the Belknap County authorities. 

“I commend the excellent collaborate work performed by everyone involved in the swift apprehension of a violent man,” stated U.S. Marshal Bill Hart, who also wants to recognize the public assistance that help lead to the arrest. 

The USMS New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force was formed in fall of 2002 and is headquartered in the USMS office in Concord. The task force coordinates federal, state, county, and local resources to develop leads, gather intelligence, track and apprehend targeted fugitives. All 10 county sheriff departments, the New Hampshire State Police and many local and federal law enforcement agencies support task force operations.

Source: US Marshals Service

San Juan, PR – The U.S. Marshals Service Puerto Rico Violent Offenders Task Force (PRVOTF) and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), arrested in Caguas and Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, two men wanted in West Virginia on charges of conspiracy to produce and distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, heroin and fentanyl.

Victor Jose Canales, 45, of Puerto Rico, was arrested without incident in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.

Yan Lionel Diaz-Cruz, 27, of Puerto Rico, was arrested without incident in Caguas, Puerto Rico.

The indictment was issued on July 23 by Northern District of West Virginia Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble. Canales and Diaz-Cruz were part of a drug trafficking organization that operates in West Virginia with alleged ties to the Sinaloa drug cartel. According to the investigation, drugs were shipped from Puerto Rico through the U.S. Postal Service, as well as from a source connected to the Sinaloa Cartel to the state of West Virginia. In total, 25 individuals were indicted by a federal grand jury on this case. These arrests are the product of a OCDETF investigation that began in 2023.

“These significant arrests by our team of dedicated members of the Puerto Rico Violent Offender Task Force from the U.S. Marshals Service is a great example of the result of combined efforts from various federal agencies across the nation,” said Wilmer Ocasio-Ibarra, U.S. Marshal for the District of Puerto Rico. “It is a priority in our District to take out of the streets dangerous fugitives, such as Canales and Diaz-Cruz, who are part of a transnational drug trafficking organization that brings fentanyl and cocaine to our communities. We will not stop in our efforts to pursue those who believe they can evade the law. They may try to hide, but know that the District of Puerto Rico of the U.S. Marshals Service will assign all the necessary resources to support the efforts of the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force, led by the U.S Attorney’s Office in Puerto Rico.”

The USMS encourages the community to continue to collaborate with our deputies on tips that help find the whereabouts of a fugitive by contacting our local office at (787) 766-6540, calling the U.S. Marshals Service Communication Center at 1 (800) 336-0102, or submitting tips using the U.S. Marshals Service Tips app.

The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program was established in 1982. OCDETF mission is to destabilize and disrupt the most serious crime organizations. The goal of this initiative is the continued, systematic disruption and dismantlement of OCDETF Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs). The USMS has presence in the OCDETF Strike Forces in key cities throughout the country. These Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that are forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who work together over time and are a proven model in combating organized crime. 

Source: US Marshals Service

Jackson, TN – On July 31, 2024, U.S. Marshals captured Richard Perkins, 56, of Bells, TN, who was wanted by the United States Army for parole violation.

While a member of the U.S. Army, Perkins was convicted of rape, sodomy, burglary, assault, and threatening communication. After serving a sentence in the penitentiary at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Perkins was released from confinement and placed on community supervision. According to his U.S. Probation Officer, Perkins allegedly violated the conditions of his parole, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

The U.S. Marshals Service Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force (TRVFTF) in Jackson took on the case and tracked Perkins to the Daybreak Suites at 1849 Highway 45 By-Pass in Jackson. Perkins was taken into custody without incident or injury.

The U.S. Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force is a multi-agency task force within Western Tennessee. The TRVFTF has offices in Memphis and Jackson, and its membership is primarily composed of Deputy U.S. Marshals, Shelby, Fayette, and Tipton County Sheriff’s Deputies, Memphis and Jackson Police Officers, the Tennessee Department of Correction Special Agents and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Since 2021, the TRVFTF has captured over 2,600 violent offenders and sexual predators.

Source: US Marshals Service

Source: US Marshals Service

Washington, DC – The U.S. Marshals Service elevated Deshawn “Thorobread” Davis, 36, to its 15 Most Wanted Fugitives list for a May 2023 murder in Florida and by Ontario authorities for his role in a January 2022 kidnapping and murder of a woman.

Davis, a Canadian man, is wanted for a brutal murder that occurred May 7, 2023, during which he is alleged to have opened fire during a party at the GALA, a Miami Beach nightclub, shooting to death Lowell “Lo” Grissom, a Miami rapper and talent scout for Chris Brown Entertainment, and injuring two women. 

Law enforcement in Florida believe the murder was a targeted attack with a gang nexus. 

Davis was already a fugitive in Canada when the Florida murder took place.

In February 2023 the Ontario Provincial Police charged Davis and two others with the January 2022 kidnapping and murder of Elnaz Hajtamiri. Authorities believe Hajtamiri’s ex-boyfriend Mohamad Lilo (currently in jail in Canada) orchestrated the murder with Davis and another accomplice by posing as police officers and forcibly dragging the woman from a relative’s house in Wasaga Beach, Ontario, on the night of Jan. 12, 2022, to an SUV before disappearing. Hajtamiri is presumed dead. Her body has not been recovered. The Canada Crown attorney charged Lilo with murder by way of direct indictment. 

“Placing Deshawn Davis on the U.S. Marshals Service 15 Most Wanted list reflects the heinous nature of his alleged crimes and shows our resolve to bring him to justice” said U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald L. Davis. 

The U.S. Marshals are offering a reward of up $25,000 for information that leads to Davis’s capture.  The USMS in the Southern District of Florida and the USMS Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force have adopted the Miami Beach Police murder warrant and are collaborating with the USMS Investigative Operations Division Office of Canadian Affairs to locate Davis, who is believed to be in the U.S. 
Davis has been featured on Ca

nada’s 25 Most Wanted for his involvement in the Ontario kidnapping and murder. A $100,000 joint OPP and York Regional Police reward is available for anyone with information about Hajtamiri’s whereabouts. 

Canadian authorities are asking anyone with information about Davis to contact the OPP or the dedicated Tip Line at 1-833-728-3415.

Davis is a black man of average build, standing 6 feet 1 inch and weighing approximately 175 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair. He has tattoos on his neck, forearms and chest.      

Anyone with information on Davis’s current location is urged to contact the U.S. Marshals Service at 1-877-WANTED-2. Tips may be submitted via the USMS Tips App.  Your information will be taken in strict confidence. Your anonymity is guaranteed.  

Created in 1983, the USMS 15 Most Wanted fugitive program draws attention to some of the country’s most dangerous and high-profile fugitives. These fugitives tend to be career criminals with histories of violence who pose a significant threat to public safety.  Generally, 15MW fugitives are considered the “worst of the worst” and can include murderers, sex offenders, major drug kingpins, organized crime figures and individuals wanted for high-profile financial crimes. Since the program began in 1983, more than 250 15MW fugitive cases have been closed. 

The USMS has a long history of providing assistance and expertise to other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in support of their fugitive investigations. Working with authorities at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels, USMS-led fugitive task forces arrested more than 73,000 fugitives and cleared nearly 86,000 warrants in FY 2023.     

The Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force began operations in July 2008 following the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000. With partnership agreements with more than 90 federal, state or local agencies and 11 fully operational offices, the FCRFTF has apprehended more than 64,600 fugitives since inception. The FCRFTF, in cooperation with its partners, has made an extraordinary impact on the apprehension of the region’s most dangerous and violent fugitives, making communities and citizens safer.

Source: US Marshals Service

Memphis, TN – On July 31, 2024, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), Memphis Police Department (MPD), and Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Teams captured Alfred Draper, 31, of Memphis, who was wanted for a murder where a man was beaten with a pole and left in a field last year.

On October 11th, 2023, MPD responded to the 1600 block of Rayburn Street in South Memphis. Officers arrived and found Shanqualus Morgan, 46, unresponsive in a grassy field. Morgan was transported to Regional One in critical condition and died days later from head trauma.

A few days later, MPD detectives obtained an arrest warrant charging Draper with first degree murder. The case was later adopted for a fugitive investigation by the USMS Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force in Memphis.

Today, U.S. Marshals, MPD, and sheriff’s deputies found Draper inside a vehicle behind a shopping center off Park Avenue and Getwell Road in Memphis. He was arrested without injury or incident.

The U.S. Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force is a multi-agency task force within Western Tennessee. The TRVFTF has offices in Memphis and Jackson, and its membership is primarily composed of Deputy U.S. Marshals, Shelby, Fayette, and Tipton County Sheriff’s Deputies, Memphis and Jackson Police Officers, the Tennessee Department of Correction Special Agents and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Since 2021, the TRVFTF has captured over 2,600 violent offenders and sexual predators.

Source: US Marshals Service

Concord, NH – The United States Marshals Service (USMS), District of New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force and Belknap County Sheriff’s Office are asking for the public’s assistance in locating an escaped Belknap County prisoner that fled from the Concord Hospital – Laconia early Sunday morning. 

Anthony Clark, 41, was being held at the Belknap County Department of Corrections pending trial for a variety of domestic violence related crimes, including strangulation, simple assault, stalking, and witness tampering. While in custody, Clark required medical treatment and was taken to the hospital. An ankle monitor was placed on Clark, but it was recovered outside the hospital grounds later that day. Nationwide arrest warrants from Belknap County Superior Court have been issued for new charges of escape, criminal mischief, and breach of bail. 

Clark is actively evading law enforcement but is known to have associates and relatives in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and California. Victims of Clark’s violent behavior consider his escape a looming threat. Additional charges for associates aiding his continued escape may be pending. 

Clark is described as a Hispanic man, standing 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 230 pounds. He has brown eyes, short brown hair and tattoos on both upper and forearms, and there is an emoji-style tattoo on his right hand above the thumb. 

If you see Clark, or someone that matches his description, please do not approach or attempt to follow him, as he is considered dangerous. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is urged to call the USMS Tip Hotline at 1 (877) WANTED-2 or District of New Hampshire at (603) 225-1632. Tips can also be submitted via the USMS Tips App.  All tips are kept confidential.

The USMS New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force was formed in fall of 2002 and is headquartered in the USMS office in Concord. The task force coordinates federal, state, county, and local resources to develop leads, gather intelligence, track and apprehend targeted fugitives. All 10 county sheriff departments, the New Hampshire State Police and many local and federal law enforcement agencies support task force operations.

Source: US Marshals Service

Canton, OH – This afternoon, the U.S. Marshals led Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force (NOVFTF) in Canton, OH arrested Jermaine Taylor, Cassandra Cheek, and Tyson Dean. Taylor, Cheek, and Dean were wanted by the Canton Police Department and United States Marshals Service for kidnapping and felonious assault.

It is alleged that Taylor, Cheek, and Dean held victims in the basement of a residence in the 1500 block of Clark Avenue SW, Canton, Ohio from at least July 10, 2024, to July 12, 2024. While holding the victims, Taylor, Cheek, and Dean did inflict serious physical harm to both victims by beating them with a baseball bat and pistol whipping them with a firearm.

This afternoon, members of the U.S. Marshals fugitive task force arrested Tyson Dean at an address near the 1800 block of Woodlawn Ave. NW, Canton, and arrested Cassandra Cheek and Jermaine Taylor at an address near 200 block of Millvale Ave. NE, Canton.

U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott stated, “The strong partnership between the U.S. Marshals Service and the Canton Police Department has resulted in hundreds of arrests over the years. Taking these three violent fugitives off the street is another example of our strong partnership and our commitment to make the communities we serve a safer place to live.”

Anyone with information concerning a wanted fugitive can contact the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4WANTED (1-866-492-6833), or you can submit a web tip. Reward money is available, and tipsters may remain anonymous. Follow the U.S. Marshals on Twitter @USMSCleveland.  

The NOVFTF Canton Division consists of the following federal, state and local agencies:  United States Marshals Service, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Stark County Sheriff’s Office, Canton Police Department, Carrollton Police Department, Holmes County Sheriff’s Office, North Canton Police Department, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Perry Township Police Department, Stark County Park District, and Stark County Probation.

Source: US Marshals Service

Cleveland, OH – The U.S. Marshals in Cleveland, OH recovered a five-year-old child yesterday who was missing from Yorktown, VA. The child was taken by a non-custodial parent and never returned on May 1, 2024. 

Authorities in Virginia were able to identify information putting the child and non-custodial parent in Cleveland, OH. The U.S. Marshals Missing Child Unit followed up on the information and were able to locate the child and arrest the non-custodial parent in the 14400 block of Cedar Road, Cleveland, OH.

Ashlee Benneson (31), of Newport News, VA was charged by the Newport News Police Department with parental abduction. She was taken to the Cuyahoga County Jail and the child was turned over to the Department of Family Services until united with the custodial parent.

U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott stated, “Cases such as these highlight the reach of our agency and team.  The safety of children is a highest priority for us and we are happy to recover this child and reunite them with their custodial parent.”

Anyone with information concerning a wanted fugitive can contact the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4WANTED (1-866-492-6833), or you can submit a web tip. Reward money is available, and tipsters may remain anonymous. Follow the U.S. Marshals on Twitter @USMSCleveland.  

The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force – Cleveland Division is composed of the following federal, state and local agencies:  U.S. Marshals Service, Cleveland Police Department, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority Police Department, Euclid Police Department, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Independence Police Department, Parma Police Department, Aurora Police Department, Solon Police Department, Cleveland RTA Police Department, Westlake Police Department, Bedford Police Department, Middleburg Heights Police Department, Newburgh Heights Police Department and the Metrohealth Police Department.