Category: US Marshals Service

Source: US Marshals Service

Memphis, TN – Kode McNair, 25, was arrested in Memphis, Tennessee on November 6, 2024, after an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS). McNair was wanted in Mississippi for capital murder and tampering with/fabricating evidence.

On January 3, 2020, John Anthony “Jay” Tarvin was shot and killed at a home on Presley Drive in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. On October 19, 2022, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Kode McNair in connection to the crime. On September 24, 2024, the USMS Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force (GCRFTF) in Mississippi adopted the case.

The GCRFTF developed information that McNair was in Memphis and contacted the Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force (TRVFTF). Investigators with the TRVFTF began the search for McNair. On November 6, McNair was tracked to a residence in the 6200 block of Thistlebrook in Memphis. With the assistance of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Apprehension Team, the USMS surrounded the residence, and McNair was taken into custody without incident.

McNair is currently being housed at the Shelby County Detention Center awaiting extradition to Mississippi.

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 around 3,000 violent offenders and sexual predators.

Source: US Marshals Service

Austin, TX – Members of the U.S. Marshals-led Lone Star Fugitive Task Force (LSFTF), working on a collateral lead from the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force (GLRFTF) in Alabama, arrested a man sought for capital murder in Montgomery, Alabama.  

Bennie Humphrey, 32, of Montgomery, is a suspect wanted on two counts of capital murder issued Oct. 25 by the District Court of Montgomery County. 

After the GCRFTF developed information that indicated Humphrey had fled Alabama and was possibly headed toward Hutto, Texas, they requested immediate assistance from the LSFTF-Austin Division to locate and apprehend him.  

Members of the LSFTF continued the investigation and arrested Humphrey in the 6500 block of County Road 110 in Hutto without incident.  

Humphrey was transported and booked into the Williamson County Jail where he will await further judicial proceedings and extradition.

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

Source: US Marshals Service

Detroit, MI – The U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force is seeking information leading to the whereabouts of a man wanted in the Eastern District of Michigan for failure to appear on a charge stemming from distribution of a controlled substance causing death.

Hugh Lusk was scheduled to appear for trial starting in September but failed to show up and is now on the run.

Lusk was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and indicted after a victim was found dead due to a fentanyl overdose. Lusk is currently a fugitive from justice in U.S. federal court. 

Lusk is described as a Black male, standing approximately 6 feet and weighing approximately 200-225 pounds. He has brown eyes and is possibly bald or has short hair with a beard. 

Lusk is known to subscribe to sovereign citizen ideologies and is believed to be armed and dangerous. Lusk was last seen in the Lincoln Park area and is possibly driving an older model red Chevrolet Silverado with Michigan license plate DE22011.

“The U.S. Marshals Service is dedicated to bringing dangerous fugitives to justice,” said Owen Cypher, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Michigan. “Mr. Lusk represents a clear danger to the citizens of Detroit and the Eastern District of Michigan.  It is believed that his criminal activity has led to the death of a Detroit man.  And while Lusk has the presumption of innocence, he should be brought to justice to face these charges. Any assistance from the public in locating Lusk would be a great service to the community of Detroit.”  

If you have information on the whereabouts of Lusk, contact the U.S. Marshals Service tip line at (866) 865-TIPS (8477). Or USMS Detroit at (313) 202-6458.

You can also submit a tip online via the USMS Tips App or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak-Up.

Source: US Marshals Service

San Juan, PR – The U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, working a collateral lead from the Puerto Rico Violent Offender Task Force, Nov. 3 arrested a former Puerto Rico Police Bureau officer charged with fraud and illegal sale of two PRPB-owned guns after he sold the guns to a criminal organization and reported them stolen. 

Luis Daniel Cepeda-Davila, 46, was taken into custody without incident by the NY/NJRFTF Syracuse Division at an Aldi distribution center in Tully shortly before 9 a.m. and booked into the Onondaga County Jail as a fugitive from justice, awaiting extradition to Puerto Rico. 

“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 Wilmer Ocasio-Ibarra, U.S. Marshal for the District of Puerto Rico. “I commend the rapid response of our task force in Syracuse acting on information from our Puerto Rico task force. We will not allow criminals to act with impunity and try to evade justice.”

The U.S. Marshals Service (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) 766-6297, calling the U.S. Marshals Service Communication Center at 1 (800) 336-0102, or submitting tips using the USMS Tips App. You can also contact the case agents at (787) 306-9411 or (787) 412-1462.

The New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force (NY/NJ RFTF) begun operations in April of 2002 and was the first Regional Fugitive Task Force to become fully operational following the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000. The NY/NJ RFTF was the flagship that has allowed seven other Regional Fugitive Task Forces to be created across the country. With partnership agreements with over 98 federal, state, or local agencies and 13 fully operational offices, the NY/NJ RFTF has been able to successfully apprehend over 101,900 fugitives since inception. The New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force has made an extraordinary impact on the apprehension of the region’s most dangerous and violent fugitives striving to make their communities safer.

Source: US Marshals Service

Denver, CO – The U.S. Marshals Service Colorado Violent Offender Task Force (COVOTF) located and arrested an Omaha homicide suspect shortly after 8:00pm Monday night in Westminster. 

Dak Lam, of Omaha, Nebraska, is wanted by the Omaha Police Department (OPD) on a felony arrest warrant for first-degree murder in connection to the Oct. 12 shooting death of Keah Paljor, 21, of Omaha. According to an OPD media release from Oct. 13, officers responded to a 911 call of a shooting near 29th and T Streets. Upon arrival, Paljor was found in the street suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to Nebraska Medicine where he died. Lam, 22, was identified by investigators as a suspect in the shooting. A warrant for Lam’s arrest was issued on Oct. 15. 

On Oct. 17, Task Force Officers from OPD’s fugitive unit who are assigned to the U.S. Marshals Service’s Metro Fugitive Task Force in Omaha developed information indicating Lam may have fled to and be hiding in the Denver metro area. That information was relayed to the U.S. Marshals Service’s Colorado Violent Offender Task Force who picked up the investigation here in Colorado. After multiple weeks of surveillance and investigation, COVOTF members observed a rental black Ford Taurus sedan with Nebraska license plates pull up to a residence of a known family member of Lam. A person matching Lam’s description was observed exiting the vehicle and going inside, but had their face completely masked with a balaclava. COVOTF investigators were able to identify the renter of the vehicle and connect them to Lam in order to obtain a search warrant for the residence.

Due to the violent nature of the case and the potential of the suspect still being in possession of the firearm used in the homicide, COVOTF investigators requested assistance from the Westminster Police Department’s (WPD) SWAT team in contacting the residence, located near W 136th Ave and Huron Street. WPD SWAT executed the search warrant at the residence where Lam was safely taken into custody. The firearm utilized in the homicide was not located during the course of the arrest.

Lam was transported by Westminster P.D. patrol units to the Adams County Jail where he was booked on the outstanding homicide warrant from Nebraska. He is currently awaiting extradition.

The success of this arrest represents a culmination of extensive cooperative investigative efforts between the U.S. Marshals Metro Fugitive Task Force, U.S. Marshals Colorado Violent Offender Task Force, Omaha Police Department, Westminster Police Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Lakewood Police Department, Boulder Police Department, Douglas County (CO) Sheriff’s Office, and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. 

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.          

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 Facebook and X (formerly Twitter); @USMarshalsHQ or @USMSDenver.

Source: US Marshals Service

Dallas, TX – The United States Marshals Service – North Texas Fugitive Task Force (NTFTF) is seeking the public’s assistance in locating Joe Tarin, a fugitive who has been on the run since 2021 in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

Tarin, 30, is wanted by the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office for Sexual Assault of a Child and the United States Marshals Service for Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution.

Do not attempt to apprehend this fugitive as he should be considered dangerous. If you see him, you are urged to call 911 for immediate assistance.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Tarin is urged to contact the U.S. Marshals Service at (202) 307-9700. The identities of tipsters will remain confidential and anonymous. Tips may also be submitted via the U.S. Marshals Tip App.

Source: US Marshals Service

Columbus, OH – The U.S. Marshals Service Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST) arrested 53 violent Felony Domestic Violence and Felony Family Violence fugitives during a fugitive apprehension initiative called Operation Safe Haven.

Enforcement activities covered 31 operational days, from Oct 1 to Oct 31, and targeted fugitives with Felony Domestic Violence and Felony Family Violence arrest warrants, prioritizing those who used firearms in the commission of crimes or signaled high-risk factors for violence. Operation Safe Haven resulted in the arrest of fugitives on charges to include homicide, forcible sexual assault, domestic violence, aggravated assault, and child abuse.

Notable arrests included: On 10/17/2024, Columbus SOFAST arrested Justin Woolum. Woolum was wanted by the Kenova Police Department (WV) for Rape of a Minor. Columbus SOFAST arrested Woolum in Lancaster, OH.

On 10/30/2024, Dayton SOFAST arrested James Wilson. Wilson was wanted by Dayton Police Department for Felony Domestic Violence and Strangulation. The United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio also issued an arrest warrant for Wilson charging him with a Supervised Release Violation.

On 10/01/2024, Columbus SOFAST and FCSO (Franklin County Sheriff’s Office) SWAT arrested Aaron Rice. Rice was wanted by the Springfield Police Division for Felonious Assault and Weapons Offenses. Rice was indicted for Abduction and Kidnapping. An investigation indicated that, while Rice was a fugitive for the Felonious Assault case, he kidnapped the victim and a small child. Rice drove the victims from Ohio to Tennessee where they escaped. Rice was also facing Felony Domestic Violence charges in the State of Tennessee at the time of his arrest.

On 10/18/2024, Cincinnati SOFAST arrested Timothy Cromwell. Cromwell was wanted by the Colerain Township Police Department for the Abduction and Kidnapping of the victim at gun point.

On 10/25/2024, Cincinnati SOFAST arrested Jurabek Sherov. Sherov was wanted by the Warren County Sheriff’s Office for kidnapping the victim and holding her hostage for several days at gun point. Sherov was also charged with Rape, and Strangulation.

“Every day our Deputy U.S. Marshals and Task Force officers are out locating and apprehending our most violent offenders. As part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the U.S. Marshals and our law enforcement partners focused on locating those suspects accused of violent crimes relating to domestic violence. Removing these dangerous fugitives from our community can hopefully bring some peace to the victims and serve as a deterrent to others to not commit these sorts of crimes”. – Michael D. Black, U.S. Marshal, Southern District of Ohio.

Columbus SOFAST is a fugitive-focused, U.S. Marshals Service-led task force consisting of local, state and federal authorities including the Columbus Division of Police, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Bexley Police Department, Capital University Police Department, Delaware County Probation Office, Groveport Police Department, Hocking County Sheriff’s Office, Lancaster Police Department, Ohio Attorney General Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Ohio Division of State Fire Marshal, Office of Inspector General Social Security Administration, United States Attorney’s Office, Utica Police Department, Whitehall Police Department, and Zanesville Police Department.

Dayton SOFAST is a multi-jurisdictional, U.S. Marshals Service- led task force comprised of the Dayton Police Department, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Springfield Division of Police, Greene County Prosecutor’s Office, Miami County Sheriff’s Office, Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office, Perry Township Police Department, Greenville Police Department, Springboro Police Department, Franklin Police Department, United States Secret Service, Warren County Sheriff’s Office, West Carrollton Police Department, and the Xenia Police Department.

Cincinnati 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

Jackson, TN – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force and the Jackson Police Department conducted “Operation Trick or Treat 2” from October 8 to October 28, 2024, to ensure registered sex offenders in the city of Jackson were following the requirements of the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry.

Of the 126 offenders checked, 122 were found in compliance. Four arrest warrants were issued for those not in compliance, and three of those warrants have been served.

“We want everyone in the community to have a safe Halloween,” said U.S. Marshal Tyreece Miller. “One of the ways the U.S. Marshals Service can accomplish this it to make sure sex offenders are obeying the law and the rules of the registry.”

Operation Trick or Treat 2 was part of a nationwide operation conducted by the United States Marshals Service.

The U.S. Marshals 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, 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 approximately 3,000 violent offenders and sexual predators.

Source: US Marshals Service

Arlington, VA – From October 1-28, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) partnered with 112 law enforcement agencies in 22 states to conduct Operation Trick or Treat 2, an enforcement initiative during the Halloween season to investigate and arrest non-compliant and fugitive sex offenders.

Operation Trick or Treat 2 resulted in 331 total arrests, including 129 for failure to register as a sex offender, 74 sex offenders for other offenses, as well as 128 others for various criminal activities. During the operation, law enforcement personnel also conducted 3,334 sex offender compliance checks and seized 40 illegally possessed firearms.

“Operation Trick or Treat 2 reaffirms one of our Agency’s highest priorities to ensure safety of children in our communities,” said Director Ronald L. Davis of the U.S. Marshals Service. “I applaud the women and men of the Marshals Service and all of the agencies who participated in this operation.”

Operation Trick or Treat 2 investigators initiated federal criminal cases for failure to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act; apprehended sex offenders in violation of registration requirements or wanted on active warrants; and utilized sex offender compliance checks to increase police presence and identify non-compliant sex offenders for further investigation.

Law enforcement personnel in select counties and tribal nations from the following federal judicial districts participated in Operation Trick or Treat 2: District of Arizona, Eastern District of Arkansas, Western District of Arkansas, Central District of California, Eastern District of California, District of Colorado, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Illinois, Northern District of Indiana, Northern District of Iowa, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Missouri, District of Montana, District of Nebraska, District of Nevada, District of New Hampshire, Northern District of New York, District of Oregon, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Eastern District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Western District of Washington, and Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Significant arrests:

• On October 11, U.S. Marshals arrested Antonio D. Cooke in the Northern District of Illinois who was a Wisconsin Department of Corrections most wanted sex offender and had been on the run for more than four years. He was wanted on warrants for failure to register as a sex offender and probation violation with an underlying conviction for sexual abuse of a child.  Operation personnel located and arrested the fugitive sex offender at a Chicago hospital.
• On October 16, U.S. Marshals arrested Ryan Kirkham in the Western District of Washington for failing to register as a sex offender. The subject had prior convictions for child molestation, immoral communication with a child, and possession of child pornography. Operation personnel located and arrested the individual at a residence in Everett, Wash. 
• On October 17, U.S. Marshals arrested Isaiah Navarro in the District of Arizona for allegedly attempting to sexually exploit a minor and committing a dangerous crime against children. Operation personnel arrested the subject in Glendale, Ariz.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

As the federal government’s primary agency for sex offender and fugitive investigations, the United States Marshals Service use its resources and investigative expertise to make neighborhoods safer. The agency has a key mission to help keep non-compliant sex offenders accountable.

Sex offenders are required to comply with federal, state, and local requirements to register as a sex offender. The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act (AWA) authorizes USMS to assist state, local, tribal, and territorial authorities in the location and apprehension of non-compliant and fugitive sex offenders; investigate violations of the AWA for federal prosecution; and assist in the identification and location of sex offenders relocated because of a major disaster.

Source: US Marshals Service