Category: US Marshals Service

Source: US Marshals Service

Source: US Marshals Service

Raleigh, NC – The U.S. Marshals (USMS) have joined the search for a man wanted for escaping Jan. 26 from the Craven County Detention Facility in New Bern.

John Matthew Nigh, 37, has an extensive criminal history to include attempted murder of law enforcement, drugs and weapons charges and was being held on attempted murder charges when he escaped from the facility.

The USMS Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, along with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations, are assisting in the search and have offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to Nigh’s arrest.
  
Nigh is described as white man, standing 6 feet 3 inches and weighing approximately 175 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes. He has a tattoo of a cross on his right arm, the initials “JMN” on his upper left arm, “LIFE” on his left leg and “TRIBAL” on his right shoulder.

He should be considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the USMS at 1-877-WANTED2 or send tips via the USMS Tips App.  

Source: US Marshals Service

Austin, TX – Members of the U.S. Marshals-led Lone Star Fugitive Task Force today arrested a juvenile* who is one of two suspects sought for a Jan. 24 murder in Austin. 

Another suspect, Bill Tarlue Nyanway, 18, of Austin, was arrested Jan. 27 and charged with tampering with physical evidence that stemmed from the shooting incident. 

The Austin Police Department, Homicide Division investigated the shooting incident in the 10200 block of Wildhorse Ranch Trail and obtained arrest warrants in the Austin Municipal Court Jan. 27 for the two individuals believed to be connected to the deadly shooting incident. 

When Austin Police, Fire and Travis County Emergency Medical Services responded to the location, they discovered a white sedan which had been reported crashed in a ditch near Manor Excel Academy, and a victim had been shot. They attempted life-saving measures on the victim, who was ultimately pronounced deceased on scene. 

The Austin Police Department requested assistance from the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force in the Austin Division to locate and apprehend both suspects.

Members of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force initiated a fugitive investigation and arrested Nyanway in the 9400 block of North Lamar Blvd without incident, booking him into the Travis County Jail where he will await further judicial proceedings. 

The juvenile was arrested without incident in the 14500 block of Heartland Drive in Manor and was transported to the Austin Police Headquarters.

Members of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force in Austin – 

Austin Police Department-Tactical Intelligence Unit
Georgetown, Round Rock, and San Marcos Police Department
Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson County Sheriff’s Office
Texas Attorney General’s Office
Texas Department of Criminal Justice OIG
Texas Department of Public Safety
U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement
U.S. DHS/Homeland Security Investigations

*USMS policy generally prohibits naming juvenile suspects.

Source: US Marshals Service

New Orleans, LA – Crimestoppers Greater New Orleans (GNO) and the U.S. Marshals Service New Orleans Task Force sponsored their annual Operation Boo Dat 2024 from Oct. 22, 2024, to Jan. 18, 2025.  The operation was a partnership between New Orleans Police Department, Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Kenner Police Department, St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana Probation and Parole, Homeland Security Investigations, and USMS New Orleans Task Force resulted in 51 arrests, with 16 of the arrests being for felony sex offender registration violations.  A missing/endangered 13-year-old female was also recovered for NOPD during the operation and that recovery led to an immigration violation arrest of a 16-year-old male who was believed to have been involved in juvenile gang activity across the New Orleans metro area.  Twenty-one of the 51 arrested fugitives were arrested during the operation on felony warrants related to open sex-based offenses.  Crimestoppers GNO provided critical support during the operation to include a media released photo spread of 31 fugitives.  The photo spread resulted in the arrests or clearing of 11 of the photo spread targets.  The 20 remaining targets are still at large and Crimestoppers GNO rewards are available for information that leads to their arrest.

During the operation, sex offender compliance checks were also conducted in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, and St. Tammany parishes.  These compliance checks require law enforcement officers to physically visit the sex offender’s reported address of residence to verify that the offender still lives at the provided address.  Countless hours of follow-up investigative work are often required during and after a compliance check.  The compliance checks led to the arrests of 16 fugitives wanted for violating their sex offender registration (Failure to Register or Update as a Sex Offender—FTR).  Several of the FTR arrests were based off Crimestoppers GNO tips.    

Highlights of Operation Boo Dat 2024 included:

— The Nov. 1, 2024, arrest of Kevin Dubon-Carrasco, who was wanted by JPSO on an October 2024 warrant for sexual battery, indecent behavior with juveniles, and domestic abuse battery-child endangerment. The alleged victim was an 8-year-old child.  Dubon-Carrasco was arrested in the 3300 block of Green Acres, Metairie, and later rebooked with immigration violations.

— The Nov. 6, 2024, arrest of Michael K. Brooks on an August 2024 NOPD warrant for aggravated battery by shooting, home invasion, and first-degree rape.  He was also wanted out of Fort Smith, Arkansas, on an active warrant for aggravated assault.  After an almost three-hour standoff with Brooks fleeing on foot through a neighborhood in the 2400 block of Sixth Street, he was finally arrested with assistance from NOPD Special Operations Division.

— The Nov. 13, 2024, USMS Missing Child Unit recovery of an endangered 13-year-old female runaway for NOPD.  She had been listed as a runaway for NOPD 3rd District earlier in November. She had a prior history of running away and allegations of prior sexual abuse.  It was determined via investigation that she was associated with alleged teenage gang members known to operate in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish and be in possession of firearms and rifles.  With critical assistance from HSI and SBPSO she was recovered in Chalmette, and a 16-year-old male was taken into immigration custody based on the female’s recovery.

— The Nov. 19, 2024, arrest of Jose Briseno-Molina, who was wanted by the Montgomery County Texas Sheriff’s Office on a warrant for aggravated sexual assault of children.  The alleged victims were under the age of 13.  Briseno-Molina is alleged to have fled Texas to Jefferson Parish, working at a barber shop to raise money before allegedly planning to flee to Mexico.  USMS Southern District of Texas contacted the USMS New Orleans Task Force for assistance and, with critical support from JPSO, the task force arrested Briseno-Molina in the 700 block of Terry Parkway in Jefferson Parish. An ICE immigration hold was also placed on him.  

— The Dec. 4, 2024, arrest of Ashley Karl Carambat, wanted on a November 2024 STPSO warrant for pornography involving juveniles under the age of 13 and aggravated crimes against nature.   Information was developed by the USMS New Orleans Task Force that Carambat had relocated to the Mobile, Alabama, area and a collateral lead was sent to the USMS Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, who arrested her in Spanish Fort, Alabama.

— The Dec. 19, 2024, arrest of Jalil Jonas Williams on an NOPD warrant for second-degree murder. Williams, who was on active LA P&P supervision, is alleged to have murdered a Cox Cable technician in the 8000 block of Dwyer Road Dec. 16, 2024.  He was also wanted for an attempted armed robbery in the French Quarter and is a person of interest in another armed robbery in Jefferson Parish.  With assistance from a Crimestoppers GNO tip he was arrested at the New Orleans Bus/Train Station where he was awaiting a bus to allegedly flee from New Orleans.  He was in possession of a firearm at the time of his arrest.

— The Dec. 20, 2024, arrest of Parnell Wilson, wanted by the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office on a July 2024 warrant for two counts of first-degree rape of a child (an 8-year-old girl).  Wilson was on active Louisiana Probation and Parole supervision. The USMS New Orleans Task Force, working with LA P&P, developed information that Wilson was going back and forth between New Orleans and Tangipahoa Parish and refusing to comply with his supervision.  He was finally arrested at the LA P&P Office in New Orleans based on work done by the USMS New Orleans Task Force and LA P&P.  

“Operation Boo Dat demonstrates the commitment of the U.S. Marshals Service, Crimestoppers GNO, and our local law enforcement to protect our communities from violence and exploitation,” said Eastern District of Louisiana U.S. Marshal Enix Smith III.

“Together, we will continue to prioritize the safety and well-being of our residents and hold accountable those who threaten them.”  

Any information can be provided to the U.S. Marshals Service at (504) 589-6872 or via email at usms.wanted@usdoj.gov.  Crimestoppers GNO may also be contacted with tips at (504) 822-1111.
 

Source: US Marshals Service

Memphis, TN – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) captured a Memphis murder fugitive, Samuel Sipes, 22, in Olive Branch, Mississippi.

In January of 2023, a 17-year-old male was found dead of an overdose in a home on Wrenwood Street in Memphis. It is alleged that he died of a fatal dose of fentanyl. In April of the same year, Samuel Sipes was charged with second degree murder in connection to this crime and released on a $100,000 bond; however, he failed to return for his court date.

A failure to appear warrant was issued on November 12, 2024. The case was adopted for a fugitive investigation by the USMS Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task (TRVFTF) in Memphis.

On January 27, 2025, the TRVFTF and Desoto County (Mississippi) Sheriff’s Deputies went to an apartment complex in Olive Branch. Deputy marshals and task force officers found Sipes inside an apartment. He was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Desoto County Jail where he awaits extradition to Tennessee.

The U.S. Marshals Service 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, Tipton, and Gibson County Sheriff’s Deputies, Memphis and Jackson Police Officers, Tennessee Department of Correction Special Agents and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Since 2021, the TRVFTF has captured approximately 3,000 violent offenders and sexual predators.

Source: US Marshals Service

Memphis, TN – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) captured a Memphis murder suspect, Styrone Walker, 36, in West Memphis, Arkansas.

On January 2, 2025, Angelica Taylor was found stabbed to death in a motel in southwest Memphis. The case was investigated by the Memphis Police Department. On January 16, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Styrone Walker. The fugitive investigation was adopted by the USMS Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force (TRVFTF) in Memphis.

On the morning of January 24, the TRVFTF tracked Walker to the 2000 block of Jackson Heights Cove in West Memphis, Arkansas. With the assistance of the West Memphis Police Department, deputy marshals and task force officers found Walker at the residence and took him into custody without incident. He was transported to the Crittenden County Jail where he is being held pending extradition back to Tennessee.

The U.S. Marshals Service 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, Tipton, and Gibson County Sheriff’s Deputies, Memphis and Jackson Police Officers, Tennessee Department of Correction Special Agents and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Since 2021, the TRVFTF has captured approximately 3,000 violent offenders and sexual predators.

Source: US Marshals Service

Denver, CO – The U.S. Marshals Service’s Colorado Violent Offender Task Force (COVOTF), along with the Vail Police Department, located and arrested a Florida homicide suspect Wednesday evening in Vail.

Aldo Armijos-Castillo, 32, is wanted by the Manatee County (FL) Sheriff’s Office on a felony arrest warrant for murder by person engaged in burglary in connection to a Dec. 26, 2024 home invasion in Bradenton, Florida that left one man dead. A warrant for Armijos-Castillo’s arrest in that case was issued on Jan. 6. 

Investigators with the U.S. Marshals Service’s Florida-Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force in Tampa recently developed information indicating Armijos-Castillo had fled Florida and was traveling to California. On Jan. 22, that information was relayed to the U.S. Marshals Service’s Colorado Violent Offender Task Force who picked up the investigation. COVOTF investigators learned Armijos-Castillo was travelling by bus westbound on I-70, but was delayed due to a large traffic accident near Vail.

COVOTF Task Force Officers from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation in Grand Junction then contacted the Vail Police Department (VPD) for assistance. VPD officers along with members of their SWAT team were able to locate and positively identify Armijos-Castillo and safely take him into custody.

Armijos-Castillo was transported to the Eagle County Jail where he was booked on the outstanding homicide warrant from Florida. He is currently awaiting extradition.

The success of this arrest represents a culmination of extensive cooperative investigative efforts between the U.S. Marshals Florida-Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force, U.S. Marshals Colorado Violent Offender Task Force, Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Vail Police Department, Colorado State Patrol, and Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. 

The Colorado Violent Offender Task Force is a multi-jurisdictional fugitive task force that targets the most violent offenders to include those wanted for murder, assault, sex offenses, and other serious offenses throughout the state and country.  Nationally, the U.S. Marshals Service fugitive programs are carried out with local law enforcement in 94 district offices, 58 local fugitive task forces, eight regional task forces, as well as a growing network of offices in foreign countries.     

Tips can be submitted to the U.S. Marshals Service directly and anonymously by downloading the USMS Tips App to your Apple or Android device. You can also follow the latest news and updates about the U.S. Marshals Service on X (previously Twitter): @USMSDenver.

Source: US Marshals Service

Martinsburg, WV – On June 5, 2024, a warrant was issued out of Berkeley County for Manuel Ernest Watson Gordon,33, of Hagerstown, Maryland. The warrant charged Watson Gordon with failure to appear on charges of distribution of Fentanyl and Cocaine.

The charges were a result of an undercover purchase of narcotics in September of 2023 conducted by the Eastern Panhandle Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force.

On July 26, 2024, the Berkeley County Prosecutor’s Office requested the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Mountain State Fugitive Task Force in apprehending Watson Gordon. Investigators quickly learned Watson Gordon was wanted by the Hagerstown Police Department in Maryland for a double homicide. The charges stem from a shooting on Washington Street in July of 2024.

The task force searched for Watson Gordon in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland. At the end of 2024, information was developed Watson Gordon may have returned to New York where his family was originally from. The USMS requested the assistance of the Marshals Service New York and New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force to help locate Manuel Watson Gordon.

On January 23, 2025, members of the task force located and arrested Manuel Watson Gordon in the unit block of Main Street, Yonkers, New York without incident.

“Federal, and local law enforcement agencies in West Virginia, Maryland and New York working together were able to develop a location for this violent offender,” said Acting U.S. Marshal Terry Moore. “This arrest is a great example of how the Marshals Service’s partnerships with state and local agencies give these fugitives no place to hide.”

Agencies involved in the search for Watson Gordon were: U.S. Marshals Service, Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, Hagerstown Police Department, Martinsburg Police Department, and the Eastern Panhandle Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force.

Watson Gordon is currently being held in Yonkers, New York and will be extradited to West Virginia and Maryland. Additional information on this case may be obtained from the Berkeley County Prosecutor’s Office in Martinsburg, West Virginia, or the Hagerstown Police Department in Maryland.

Source: US Marshals Service

Van Buren, AR – On Wednesday, January 22nd, Michael Wayne Hall of Van Buren was located and arrested without incident by the U.S. Marshals led Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force at an Amtrack Station in Orlando, Florida.

On December 17, 2024, Hall had been released from custody after serving 120 days in the Crawford County Detention Center and given a suspended sentence on various charges including attempting human trafficking, aggravated assault on a family or household member, and terroristic threatening. On January 15, 2025, Crawford County Prosecuting Attorney Kevin Holmes, filed a Petition to Revoke his suspended sentence for violating various terms and conditions of his release and a felony warrant was issued.

A joint fugitive investigation between the Van Buren Police Department and U.S. Marshal in Fort Smith lead to information that Hall had left the state and was believed to be in Orlando, Florida. Based on information provided by investigators in Arkansas, members of the U.S. Marshals Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force established surveillance of an Amtrack Station located at 1400 Sligh Blvd in Orlando on Wednesday. Hall was identified by Deputy U.S. Marshals as he was attempting to board a train late Wednesday evening and was arrested without incident. Hall was subsequently taken to the Orange Correctional Center and is pending extradition back to Arkansas. Hall is now facing 36 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.

The U.S. Marshals led Western Arkansas Fugitive Task Force combines the efforts of federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies to arrest the most dangerous fugitives. Partner agencies in the Arkansas River Valley currently include the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Smith Police Department, Van Buren Police Department, Alma Police Department, and Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. In FY 2024, the U.S. Marshals Service apprehended and cleared 33,960 federal fugitive and 57,210 state fugitive cases nationwide.

Source: US Marshals Service

Jackson, TN – On January 22, 2025, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) captured a 17-year-old male wanted for shooting at a FedEx delivery truck driver in a road rage incident. The teen’s father was arrested as an accessory during the fugitive investigation.

On December 15, 2024, around 5:20 p.m., the Jackson Police Department (JPD) responded to a report of road rage on S. Highland Avenue in Jackson. A FedEx driver told police that a male driving a pick-up truck almost caused an accident, then began following him. The FedEx driver said the pick-up driver pulled up beside him near the area of the Civic Center on S. Highland and fired a gun into the side of the FedEx truck behind the victim’s head. The victim followed the suspect vehicle, called 911, and provided a vehicle description.

JPD spotted the suspect vehicle on N. Highland Avenue near Ridgecrest Road. Officers initiated a traffic stop, but the suspect vehicle evaded officers by escaping eastbound on I-40 while reaching speeds more than 100 m.p.h. JPD Investigators developed a 17-year-old male as the suspect, and a juvenile petition was issued for his arrest for attempted first degree murder, possession of a firearm during a dangerous felony, felony reckless endangerment, and felony evading arrest. The USMS Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force (TRVFTF) in Jackson was requested to assist in locating and apprehending the teen.

On January 22, Deputy marshals and task force officers went to the teen’s residence in Lexington, TN. During the investigation, the teen’s father, Ricky Maness, Jr., 44, gave false information about the teen’s location. Subsequently, the teen was found hiding underneath a bed. He taken into custody and transported to the Madison County Juvenile Detention Center. A task force officer charged Maness with accessory after the fact. He was transported and booked at the Henderson County Detention Center.

The U.S. Marshals Service 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, Tipton, and Gibson County Sheriff’s Deputies, Memphis and Jackson Police Officers, Tennessee Department of Correction Special Agents and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Since 2021, the TRVFTF has captured approximately 3,000 violent offenders and sexual predators.