Category: US Marshals Service

Source: US Marshals Service

Cleveland, OH – Earlier this morning, members of the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force (NOVFTF) arrested Cesar Soto-Roman, 21.  Soto-Roman was wanted by authorities in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico as well Rochester, New York. 

A warrant was issued on November 13, 2023, for Soto-Roman for weapons violations out of Hato Rey, Puerto Rico.  Additionally, a warrant was issued from police in Rochester for homicide.  Soto-Roman is the suspect in a homicide that occurred in the 900 block of Avenue D in Rochester on May 3, 2024.  The victim was a 54-year-old man.

During the investigation members of the U.S. Marshals Service in Rochester believed that Soto-Roman may have fled to the Cleveland area.  Task force officers and Detectives from Rochester traveled to Ohio to work in conjunction with the NOVFTF and this morning officers located Soto-Roman.  Soto-Roman was arrested in a home in the 4200 block of Hinsdale Rd. in South Euclid.  A firearm was also located in the home. 

U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott stated, “Dedicated work by Detectives in Rochester and swift work by members of our task force led to a quick arrest of this suspect.  Having another firearm off the streets and out of the hands of violent fugitives is paramount to the safety of law enforcement and the community.”

Anyone with information concerning a wanted fugitive can contact the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4-WANTED (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. 

Source: US Marshals Service

Source: US Marshals Service

Source: US Marshals Service

Las Cruces, NM – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) District of New Mexico (D/NM) Southwest Fugitive Team developed information on May 29, 2024, resulting in the arrest of a woman in Fayetteville, NC. Subject is wanted by the District of New Mexico stemming from an arrest in 1994 for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine. Subject was allowed to bond out and then failed to appear for her sentencing hearing.

Maribel Quintanilla, 60, had been using a false alias/identification helping her stay hidden to elude arrest.

The United States Marshal Service D/NM Southwest Investigative Fugitive Team (SWIFT) received the warrant to arrest Quintanilla on February 22, 2000. Leads were developed over the past 24 years taking authorities to Mexico, California, Colorado, Nevada, Florida, and finally Fayetteville, North Carolina.

On May 29, 2024, USMS -SWIFT developed leads placing Quintanilla in Fayetteville, NC. USMS-SWIFT coordinated with Deputy U.S. Marshals from the Eastern District of North Carolina to help identify, locate, and apprehend Quintanilla, putting an end to her 24 yr run from the law.

Quintanilla is currently being held in North Carolina where she awaits her Initial Appearances on two separate federal charges: Failure to Appear for Sentencing & Failure to Appear on Indictment. She will then be transferred back to New Mexico to complete her court proceedings for her outstanding charges.

“The United States Marshal Service in the District of New Mexico is relentless in its pursuit to ensure justice is served. Quintanilla’s arrest was a collaborative effort. I would like to thank the State Department, the Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Taskforce, and the Eastern District of North Carolina for helping make this apprehension possible.” Acting U.S. Marshal Russell Lashley

The U.S. Marshals Service District of New Mexico – Southwest Investigative Fugitive Team for this arrest was composed of officers/agents from the USMS Taskforce, Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Taskforce, the State Department, and the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Source: US Marshals Service

Source: US Marshals Service

Cheyenne, WY – U.S. Marshals and Task Force Officers from the Wyoming Fugitive Task Force and members of the Evansville Police Department May 28 recovered a child kidnapped from Texas earlier this month.

The recovery follows a May 17 request for assistance by the Abilene Police Department.

On May 15, an arrest warrant for interference with child custody was issued for the noncustodial mother Courtney Klein in Abilene.

“I would like to thank the Wyoming Department of Family Services and the Evansville Police Department for their assistance and cooperation in the safe recovery of the missing child,” said Randall Huff, U.S. Marshal for the District of Wyoming.

The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) is fully committed to assisting federal, state, and local agencies with locating and recovering endangered missing children, in addition to their primary fugitive apprehension mission.

The U.S. Marshals Service supports the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s mission to protect children from victimization by providing assistance to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. 

In Fiscal Year 2023, the USMS contributed to the location or recovery of 495 missing children, an approximate 16% increase over FY22.

Since 2015 the agency has recovered more than 3,600 missing children. The USMS has recovered missing children in 56 percent of cases received. Of those recovered, 61 percent were recovered within seven days. Nationwide, more than 50 local USMS task forces are dedicated to violent crime reduction by locating and apprehending wanted criminals. These task forces also serve as investigation hubs for missing and exploited juveniles throughout the country.

According to the FBI National Crime Information Center (NCIC), there were 375,304 reported entries for missing children in 2023.  In comparison to the FBI’s count in 2022, the total number of missing children in NCIC has decreased by 16,210.

The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 enhanced the U.S. Marshal Service’s discretionary authority to assist other law enforcement agencies with the recovery of missing, endangered or abducted children, regardless of whether a fugitive or sex offender was involved. The USMS have a Missing Child Unit to oversee and manage the implementation of its enhanced authority under the act. Upon request, the Marshals assist other law enforcement agencies with the recovery of “critically missing children,” who have gone missing under circumstances that indicate an elevated risk to the child. 

Source: US Marshals Service

Washington, DC – May 25, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) recognized National Missing Children’s Day, established to honor the commitment to child safety and the importance of locating and protecting missing children. 

The U.S. Marshals Service is fully committed to assisting federal, state, and local agencies with locating and recovering endangered missing children, in addition to their primary fugitive apprehension mission.

In 2023, the USMS, along with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and state and local agencies in 16 federal judicial districts and 15 geographical locations across the U.S., led a 10-week national operation that resulted in the recovery or safe location of 225 endangered missing children, which includes runaways and those abducted by non-custodial persons.

Operation We Will Find You was the first nationwide missing child operation focused on geographical areas with high clusters of critically missing children.  

In May 2015, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (JVTA) was passed and clarified the USMS’ discretionary authority to support law enforcement requests for assistance on any missing child cases. As such, the USMS assists state, local, and other federal law enforcement agencies, upon request, in locating and recovering missing children, while focusing agency resources on “critically missing child” cases – those that involve a suspected crime of violence or where law enforcement identifies factors indicate an elevated risk to a missing child.

In 2016, the USMS Missing Child Unit (MCU) was established within the Sex Offender Investigations Branch to manage JVTA implementation. The MCU develops and manages training, guidance, and enforcement initiatives as well as provides overall oversight of the program. The MCU is in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and assists with missing child case information sharing.

While the mission is dependent on available district and regional task force resources, the USMS investigative skill set provides a unique ability to assist federal, state, and local partners in recovering our communities’ most vulnerable children and return them to safe guardianship. 

According to the FBI National Crime Information Center (NCIC), there were 375,304 reported entries for missing children in 2023.  In comparison to the FBI’s count in 2022, the total number of missing children in NCIC has decreased by 16,210.

In Fiscal Year 2023, the USMS contributed to the location or recovery of 495 missing children, an approximate 16% increase over FY22.

Since the passage of the JVTA in 2015, the USMS has contributed to the location or recovery of 3,653 (as of May 28) missing children. 

The USMS received 845 missing child cases in FY23, resulting in an approximate 50% increase from the 562 missing child cases received in FY22.

In FY23, the USMS assisted in resolving 11 missing child investigations in which the child was located outside of the United States.

Of the missing children recovered from July 2015 to September 2023, 61% were recovered within seven days of USMS assistance being provided in the case.

Since 2015, the USMS has directly contributed to the location or recovery of a missing child in 66% of the missing child cases supported by the agency.

Our message to missing children and their families is that we will never stop looking for you!

Source: US Marshals Service

Hartford, CT – The Hartford Police Department and the Connecticut U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Violent Fugitive Task Force today arrested two men wanted on murder charges stemming from two separate shootings in Hartford.

Brian Jones, 28, of Hartford, was apprehended today at a residence on Charlotte Street in Hartford. He was transported to the Hartford Police Department and charged with murder and criminal possession of a firearm with a court-set bond of $800,000.

Jones had been identified as suspect after the Hartford PD investigation into an Aug. 14, 2023, shooting incident at Granby and Tower Avenue which left one person dead.

James Chaney, 26, of Plainville, was arrested today on Spring Street in Plainville by the Hartford PD, USMS and Plainville PD.  

Chaney had been identified as the suspect in a May 4 shooting in the 90 block of Hendricxsen Avenue after responding Hartford police officers found two unresponsive men suffering from gunshot wounds. Both were transported to Hartford Hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries.

Chaney was transported to the Hartford Police Department for processing, charged with murder and reckless endangerment in the first degree, with a court-set bond of $1 million.

Since the inception of the U.S. Marshals – Connecticut Violent Fugitive Task Force in 1999, these partnerships have resulted in over 11,046 arrests (Updated as of 9/08/2022). The task force’s objective is to seek out and arrest violent fugitives and sexual predators. Membership agencies include Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Norwalk, Waterbury Police Departments and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. These arrests have ranged in seriousness from murder, assault, unregistered sex offenders, probation and parole violations and numerous other serious offenses. Nationally the United States Marshals Service fugitive programs are carried out with local law enforcement in 94 district offices, 85 local fugitive task forces, eight regional task forces, as well as a growing network of offices in foreign countries.

Source: US Marshals Service

Dublin, CA – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force (PSWRFTF) in northern California, with assistance of the USMS Massachusetts Fugitive Task Force, the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section (VFAS), and the Quincy (Mass.) Police Department, arrested today a man who fled his September 2007 trial after being found guilty of kidnapping and raping a young woman in 2005.

Tuen Kit Lee was believed to have fled Massachusetts, but his location was unknown until investigators with the Massachusetts State Police VFAS developed information that Lee was possibly staying in Diablo, California.

Investigative leads were sent to the PSWRFTF in northern California to follow up on the leads and with the help of Danville Police Department, it was determined that Lee was in fact staying in the area. 

Investigators from Massachusetts traveled to California and earlier today, the PSWRFTF, Danville Police Department, and Massachusetts law enforcement officers took Lee into custody. The arrest brings closure to the victim and law enforcement officers who have worked tirelessly over the 16-plus years to find Lee.

“There are violent offenders out there who believe they can commit crimes and not be held accountable for their actions,” said Chief Inspector Sean LoPiccolo, acting PSWRFTF commander. “Tuen Lee was on the run for more than 16 years and the unwavering dedication by law enforcement to locate and arrest him hopefully brings peace of mind to the victim and her family.”

“I greatly appreciate the work of the Massachusetts State Police Fugitive Unit and the men and women of the U.S. Marshals Service who made this arrest possible,” said Quincy Police Department Chief Mark Kennedy.

Lee’s arrest was a coordinated effort by the U.S. Marshals Service PSWRFTF, USMS Massachusetts Fugitive Task Force, the USMS Cold and Complex Case team, Massachusetts State Police, Quincy Police Department, and Danville Police Department.

The PSWRFTF began operations in April 2002. With partnership agreements with over 53 federal, state, or local agencies, the PSWRFTF has been able to successfully apprehend over 105,900 fugitives since inception. The PSWRFTF has made an extraordinary impact on the apprehension of the region’s most dangerous and violent fugitives striving to make their communities and citizens safer.

Source: US Marshals Service