Category: US Marshals Service

Source: US Marshals Service

Philadelphia, PA – The U.S. Marshals Service Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force is asking for the public’s assistance in locating Geovanni Otero, 29. 

On November 27, a warrant murder and related charges was issued by the Philadelphia Police Department and Otero is also wanted for violation of his Pennsylvania State Parole. Otetro is charged with killing 29-year-old Melody Rivera in early November. Her body was found in a shallow grave in the 900 block of Tustin Road in Philadelphia’s Fox Chase section of the city. The U.S. Marshals Service Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force is the lead investigative agency tasked with apprehending Otero for the murder and state parole warrants.

The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to Otero’s arrest. The $5,000 reward will be processed immediately upon arrest and not upon conviction.

Otero stands 5 feet 10 inches and weighs approximately 175 pounds. He has black hair, brown eyes, and tattoos covering the top of both hands and a tattoo of a dagger behind his left ear. His last known address was in the 5800 block of N. Park avenue in Philadelphia.

“Geovanni Otero is officially charged with the homicide of Melody Rivera. We are hoping the public can provide information that will assit us in removing this lifelong criminal from society,” said Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert Clark.  

Tips can be called in to the U.S. Marshals Philadelphia Tipline at 1-866-865-TIPS(8477) or by using the USMS Tips App.

The Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force is a team of law enforcement officers led by U.S. Marshals in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties. The task force’s objective is to seek out and arrest violent crime fugitives. Membership agencies include the Philadelphia Police Department, Pennsylvania State Parole Officers, Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Attorney General Agents, Chester Police Department, and Bucks County Sheriff’s Office.

Source: US Marshals Service

Jackson, TN – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) in the Western District of Tennessee is offering a reward for information that leads to the arrest of one or both suspects for First Degree Murder in the homicide of a 2-year-old-child killed in Jackson, Tennessee.

The USMS will pay up to $2,500 each for information that leads to the capture of Deandre Perry, age 25, and Tarcus Wilkes, age 19.

“This is an opportunity for someone to not only do the right thing by helping get these dangerous individuals off the streets, but also receive up to $2,500 or $5,000 for your information”, said U.S. Marshal Tyreece Miller.

Tipsters can provide information and remain anonymous by calling the Jackson Police Department (JPD) at (731) 425-8400 or CrimeStoppers at (731) 424-8477(TIPS). Tips can also be submitting using the USMS Tips App.

On November 26, 2024, at approximately 3:55 p.m., Jackson police responded to reports of shots fired in the Wallace Road area. JPD discovered five individuals suffering from multiple gunshot wounds inside an SUV – four adults and a 2-year-old child. The victims were transported to a nearby hospital with some being airlifted to a Memphis hospital. The child later died from sustained injuries.

JPD investigators have charged one individual and have issued warrants for Perry and Wilkes in connection to this crime.

Source: US Marshals Service

Washington, DC – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Superior Court Unit, working with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Sexual Assault Cold Case Unit, as well as other law enforcement partners for the District of Columbia Superior Court, executed an arrest warrant Nov. 20 for a man connected to 12 sex offenses which occurred in the District of Columbia between 2021 and 2024.

Uwana Ubom, 33, was arraigned at DC Superior Court on 12 charges, including three counts of third-degree sex abuse, four counts of third-degree sexual abuse while armed, and first-degree sexual abuse while armed. Most of the crimes occurred in Northwest Washington, where Ubom resided. The first two sexual offenses took place in the summer of 2021. 

Evidence testing in six cases were used to build a DNA profile for the same unknown male. DNA, in addition to surveillance footage and the accounts of 12 survivors, were key pieces of evidence in this case, allowing MPD investigators to build the case against Ubom and the USMS Superior Court Unit to locate him and execute the arrest warrant.

Ubom’s is the second case within the last two months that the USMS Superior Court Unit has executed the arrest of a serial sexual abuser. In October the USMS Superior Court Unit arrested Ernesto Ramon Mercado, 54, a suspect linked to six home invasions between 2008 and 2012, in which victims were sexually assaulted, including an attack in College Park, Maryland. Mercado is believed to have targeted college women, with five of the six attacks taking place in the Georgetown area of Northwest Washington.

The USMS Superior Court Unit, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office were integral to completing the MPD investigations and arrests of Mercado and Ubom.

Source: US Marshals Service

Denver, CO – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are alerting the public of several nationwide imposter scams involving individuals claiming to be U.S. marshals, court officers, or other law enforcement officials. They are urging people to report the calls to their local law enforcement agency, to their local FBI office, and to file a consumer complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which has the ability to detect patterns of fraud from the information collected and share that data with law enforcement.

During these calls, scammers attempt to collect a fine in lieu of arrest due to a claim of identity theft, failing to report for jury duty, or other offenses. They then tell victims they can avoid arrest by withdrawing cash and transferring it to the government, purchasing a prepaid debit card such as a Green Dot card or gift card and read the card number over the phone to satisfy the fine, or by depositing cash into bitcoin ATMs.

Scammers use many tactics to sound and appear credible. They sometimes provide information like badge numbers, names of actual law enforcement officials and federal judges, and courthouse addresses. They may also spoof their phone numbers to appear on caller IDs as if they are calling from a government agency or the court.

Multiple scam attempts have been recently reported across the state of Colorado. The scam callers are utilizing the names of either U.S. Marshal Kirk Taylor or other Deputy U.S. Marshals who are employed locally by the USMS, telling victims they have a warrant for their arrest and then demanding money as the only way to prevent being arrested. They are utilizing software that makes it appear they are calling from the phone number of a U.S. Marshals office, and may even provide a legitimate callback number in the hopes victims will search the number and see it is real. 

There have been many victims with losses in the tens of thousands of dollars. The U.S. Marshals Service receives inquiries daily from victims and potential victims of this scam.

If you believe you have been targeted in a scam similar to this, here’s what you can do:

• Contact your local law enforcement agency to file a report.
• Report the incident at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.
• File a complaint with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, if applicable.

Things to remember:

• The U.S. Marshals Service WILL NEVER ask for credit/debit card/gift card numbers, wire transfers, or bank routing numbers, or to make bitcoin deposits for any purpose.
• NEVER divulge personal or financial information to unknown callers.
• Report scam phone calls to your local FBI offices and to the FTC.
• You can remain anonymous when you report.
• Authenticate the call by hanging up and then calling the clerk of the court’s office of the U.S. District Court in your area and verify the court order given by the caller.

You can follow the latest news and updates about the U.S. Marshals Service in Colorado on X (formerly Twitter) @USMSDenver.

Source: US Marshals Service

New Haven, CT – The U.S. Marshals (USMS) in Puerto Rico today arrested a Waterbury man wanted for murder following a violent dispute in Hartford Nov. 19.

Lance Benuet Morales, 23, is alleged to have shot and killed a 4-month-old baby and the child’s 20-year-old mother and injured a third person.

After the Hartford Police Department identified Morales as the prime suspect in the shooting, an arrest warrant was issued, charging him with two counts of murder, first-degree assault, criminal possession of a firearm, criminal attempt to commit first-degree assault, and murder with special circumstances.

In collaboration with the Hartford Police, after U.S. Marshals in Connecticut and Massachusetts developed information that Morales had fled to Puerto Rico, they sent a collateral lead to the USMS Puerto Rico Violent Fugitive Task Force, who found and arrested Morales today at a residence in the barrio of Fajardo.

Morales was transported to the Fajardo Police Department for processing and formally charged as a fugitive from justice. He is awaiting extradition to Connecticut, where he will face the charges against him.

“Since the commission of this senseless and heinous act of violence, investigators from the Hartford Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service Violent Fugitive Task Forces in Connecticut and Puerto Rico have tirelessly worked around the clock to bring the suspect to justice,” said acting U.S. Marshal for the District of Connecticut Lawrence Bobnick. “This arrest is a testament to the close collaboration between the U.S. Marshals Service and our valued law enforcement partners and it demonstrates the reach these partnerships bring to the pursuit of justice.”  

Since the inception of the U.S. Marshals – Connecticut Violent Fugitive Task Force in 1999, these partnerships have resulted in over 14,462 arrests (Updated as of 02/09/2024). The task force’s objective is to seek out and arrest violent fugitives and sexual predators. Membership agencies include Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Norwalk, Naugatuck, 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 U.S. 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

Ripley, TN – An Indiana murder fugitive, Ronald Watson, age 29, was captured today by the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) in Ripley, Tennessee.

On July 4, 2024, Joseph Bonds was found shot at a residence in the 7300 block of Whitcomb Street in Merrillville, Indiana resulting in Bonds’ July 9 death. Two days later, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Ronald Watson.

The case was adopted for investigation by the USMS Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force in Indiana. Investigators with the Great Lakes Task Force were able to develop information that Watson was in the West Tennessee area. The USMS Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force in Memphis was contacted to further investigate.

On November 21, 2024, the Two Rivers Task Force went to a residence in the 100 block of Willow Creek Cove in Ripley. Watson was located and taken into custody without incident. He is awaiting extradition back to Indiana.

The U.S. Marshals Service Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force (TRVFTF) 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

Las Vegas, NV – Today, members of the U.S. Marshals led Nevada Violent Offender Task Force arrested Daryl Patton, 29, who was wanted by the Cleveland Division of Police for aggravated murder.

According to the Cleveland Division of Police, on January 17, 2024, officers responded to East 95th Street and Pratt Avenue for a shooting. When officers arrived, they found Martin Johnson, 27, shot to death on his front lawn. Johnson was shot in the waist and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. Daryl Patton was later identified as a suspect in this fatal shooting and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

The U.S. Marshals – Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force developed information that indicated Patton had fled Ohio and was residing in Las Vegas, NV. Today, members of the Nevada Violent Offender Task Force arrested Patton at an apartment in the 3900 block of Cambridge St., Las Vegas, NV.

U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott stated, “This violent fugitive fled 2,000 miles across the country in an attempt to avoid arrest. This collaborative arrest is the ultimate example of the nationwide reach and teamwork amongst the United States Marshals Service.”

Anyone with information concerning any 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 

Source: US Marshals Service

Denver, CO – The U.S. Marshals Service’s Colorado Violent Offender Task Force (COVOTF) in Grand Junction assisted the Glenwood Springs Police Department with the capture of a wanted fugitive in Powhatan, Virginia.

Connor Dodgen, 31, was arrested Wednesday after COVOTF Task Force Officers (TFOs) from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation found a potential address for him in Virginia. Dodgen is facing multiple felony charges related to the sexual exploitation of a child in Garfield County, Colorado.

On August 27, an arrest warrant for Dodgen was issued by the Glenwood Springs Police Department and the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office. After determining Dodgen had likely fled the area, assistance was requested from the U.S. Marshals COVOTF in Grand Junction on November 13. TFOs from CBI (Colorado Bureau of Investigation) assigned to the task force developed information about a possible new address for Dodgen near Richmond, Virginia. This information was immediately sent to U.S. Marshals in the Eastern District of Virginia in Richmond. Upon receipt of the information developed in Colorado, Deputy U.S. Marshals in Richmond and Powhatan County Sheriff’s Deputies were able to locate and arrest Dodgen near the 4200 Block of Anderson Highway in Powhatan, Virginia.

“I’d like to thank all involved personnel from the Eastern District of Virginia for the quick and safe arrest of this fugitive,” said District of Colorado U.S. Marshal Kirk Taylor. “I would also like to thank and recognize the amazing work of our COVOTF Task Force Officers in Grand Junction from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation who discovered this fugitive’s location far from Colorado.”

The arrest of this fugitive represents a culmination of extensive cooperative efforts between the U.S. Marshals Colorado Violent Offender Task Force, Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Garfield County Sheriff’s Office, and Glenwood Springs Police Department.

The charges pending against Dodgen are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Please direct any follow up regarding pending criminal charges to the Glenwood Springs Police Department.

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, 85 local fugitive task forces, eight regional task forces, as well as a growing network of offices in foreign countries. Follow us on Twitter @USMSDenver.

Source: US Marshals Service

Albuquerque, NM – On November 12, 2024, the United States Marshals Service-District of Colorado/Grand Junction adopted a Montrose, Colorado warrant, charging Zachary Kyle Baca with Child Sex Assault, Child Prostitution and Indecent Exposure.

During the course of the fugitive investigation, multiple agencies collaborated and coordinated leads.  On November 12, 2024, investigators developed information that Baca was potentially in Arizona or New Mexico, with a known female associate and two small children.

On November 14, 2024, law enforcement developed information that Baca was travelling through New Mexico in a vehicle associated with Baca, along Interstate 40.  The United States Marshals Service-District of New Mexico-Southwest Investigative Fugitive Team (USMS-SWIFT) quickly deployed personnel to locate the vehicle.

At approximately 3:00 PM, Baca was positively identified operating the vehicle.  Due to public safety concerns, as well as the safety of the associated female and small children, USMS-SWIFT decided to follow the vehicle until it stopped.  When Baca stopped at fuel station, off Interstate 25 in Bernalillo, NM, USMS-SWIFT established surveillance in the immediate area and observed Baca entered the gas station.  As Baca exited the store, he was arrested by USMS-SWIFT, without incident.

“The Montrose Police Department is grateful for the collaboration and cooperation with the US Marshals Service, which resulted in the quick apprehension of Mr. Baca,” stated Montrose Police Chief Blaine Hall.  “Interagency collaboration, as in this example, greatly improves public safety and prevented further harm to the victims, or potential victims, in this investigation.”

Baca was subsequently transported and booked into the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center on an Out-of-State Fugitive complaint.  The female associate, who had no warrants, at that time, was released with the two small children, at the scene.

“This is another great example of the effectiveness of our fugitive task forces across the country. Working closely with our local, state and federal partners towards a common goal allowed us to rapidly take a violent sexual predator into custody who had crossed state lines,” said U.S. Marshal for the District of Colorado Kirk Taylor.  “I’d like to thank our teammates in New Mexico for their hard work, their efforts safely brought this fugitive into custody.”  

This investigation was the culmination of efforts by multiple local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the Montrose Police Department, The Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the New Mexico State Police, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

“This arrest is a prime example of the collaboration of U.S. Marshals task forces working smartly to share information to safely and quickly take into custody a dangerous fugitive,” said U.S. Marshal for the District of New Mexico David O. Barnett, Jr. “One of our Agency’s highest priorities is to ensure the safety of children in our communities.”

Anyone with information on wanted fugitives is urged to contact the nearest U.S. Marshals office, the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102 or submit information via the USMS Tips App. 

Source: US Marshals Service

Memphis, TN – An investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) led to the arrest of Demetrio Ceballos, 18, who was wanted for a murder in Memphis, Tennessee.

On March 25, 2024, Rozelle White was shot to death in the 4400 block of Millbranch in Memphis. On September 27, a warrant for first degree murder and aggravated assault was issued for the arrest of Demetrio Ceballos for this crime.

The Memphis Police Department Fugitive Apprehension Team began searching for Ceballos. The investigation led to Ceballos’ location in Atlanta, Georgia. With this development, MPD requested assistance from the USMS Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force (TRVFTF) in Memphis.

The TRVFTF adopted the case and provided investigative leads to the USMS Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force (SERFTF) in Georgia. On November 18, the SERFTF located Ceballos in Atlanta and took him into custody without incident. He awaits extradition back to Shelby County, 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, and Tipton 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.