Category: US Marshals Service

Columbus, OH – The U.S. Marshals Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST) arrested fugitive Charles Fleming on September 27, 2023, on an outstanding arrest warrant from Columbus.

Charles Fleming was wanted by the Columbus Division of Police for Murder. On August 5, 2023, after an investigation by the Columbus Division of Police, Fleming was charged by a Franklin County Municipal Court for allegedly shooting and killing Chrishon Fisher in the 2000 Block of Marcia Drive in the City of Columbus. The Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST) adopted the fugitive case, and their investigation led them to the 3000 Block of Rotunda Court South, Columbus, Ohio early this morning. Fleming was located and safely arrested by U.S. Marshals and Task Force Officers. Fleming is now in custody at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Jail.

“The U.S. Marshals Service and our task force partners are committed to removing those suspected of violent crimes from our community. Our deputies and task force officers work daily to safely bring the worst of the worst to justice.” – Michael D. Black, United States Marshal.

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, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Bexley Police Department, Cambridge Police Department, Capital University Police Department, Delaware County Probation Office, Groveport Police Department, Hocking County Sheriff’s Office, Lancaster Police Department, Mount Vernon 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, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Whitehall Police Department, and Zanesville Police Department.

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

New York – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force (NY/NJ RFTF), with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, apprehended Java Melvin in Reading, Pennsylvania.

The suspect, wanted for the “execution-style” shooting murder of his own stepfather, 80-year-old Marcelino Valerio, in the Bronx on Sept. 17, is alleged to have planned the assassination, donning a ski mask and lying in wait for him as he returned from a Sweet 16 party with his spouse. 

Surveillance footage shows the suspect shooting his stepfather before leaving the scene on a bicycle. He later appeared at the family home and mourned the loss of his stepfather with family members. 

After the heinous crime was reported, the case was quickly adopted by the USMS NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force.  Following an extensive investigation, Java was tracked to Reading, where he was arrested without incident with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He awaits extradition to New York to face charges.

Ralph Sozio, the U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of New York, praised the effort, and said, “The  superb police work of the NY/NJ RFTF along with the joint effort of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania further demonstrates our commitment to excellence when it comes to tracking and apprehending fugitives. It is especially satisfying when we can bring closure to Marcelino Valerio’s family by bringing this fugitive back to NYC to face justice. I want to thank the men and women of the NY/NJ RFTF and the USMS in the Eastern District of PA for their dedicated coordination in executing this mission quickly and without incident.”

The New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force began operations in April 2002 and was the first regional fugitive task force to become fully operational following the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000. The NY/NJRFTF was the flagship that has allowed seven other regional fugitive task forces to be created across the country. With partnership agreements with over 90 federal, state, or local agencies and 13 fully operational offices, the NY/NJRFTF has successfully apprehended over 95,000 fugitives since inception. 

New Haven, CT – The Connecticut U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force, Hartford Police Department, U.S. Marshals New York New/Jersey Task Force, and Connecticut State Police arrested a man wanted for attempted second-degree murder.

Christian Anderson, 19, along with a co-defendant, is alleged to have displayed firearms and fired numerous rounds at a victim in New York March 25.

Anderson was apprehended at a residence on Lisbon Street in Hartford, CT and transported to the Hartford Police Department pending extradition to New York where he will face the charges against him.

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.

Albuquerque, NM – On Wednesday, September 27, 2023, the United States Marshals Service (USMS) Southwest Investigative Fugitive Team (SWIFT) located and arrested Clayton Allen Starr, 52, who was wanted out of Texas for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender, Assault of a Pregnant Person and Assault Causing Injury to a Child/Elderly/Disabled Person.

Working off information developed by the Texas Department of Public Safety and the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force, USMS-SWIFT located and arrested Starr in Northwest Albuquerque, near Lomas Blvd NE and Hotel Circle NE, without incident, nor any use of force.

“This arrest is an example of how the U.S. Marshals Service, working with our local, state and federal partner-agencies, can locate and apprehend a repeat violent fugitive, especially across multi-jurisdictional boundaries,” said Assistant Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Vincent Gambone. “The U.S. Marshals District of New Mexico Southwest Investigative Fugitive Team prioritizes such cases, especially when the offender is not from New Mexico,” he continued.

The U.S. Marshals Service District of New Mexico – Southwest Investigative Fugitive Team for this arrest was composed of officers/agents from t the Albuquerque Police Department, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Marshals Service.

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 the USMS Tips App.

Humboldt, TN – On September 27, 2023, a man wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service, Humboldt Police Department (HPD), and the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) was captured by law enforcement inside a college dormitory room. Daniel Crawford, 22, of Humboldt, was taken into custody after the U.S. Marshals tracked him to Clarksville, TN.

On September 8th, it is alleged that Crawford approached a man on North 20th Avenue in Humboldt and shot at him due to a prior incident between the man and Crawford. Humboldt police detectives signed a warrant for Crawford’s arrest for Attempted First Degree Murder, Reckless Endangerment, and weapons charges. HPD requested the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force in Jackson to find and apprehend Crawford. He was also wanted by TDOC for violation of probation. Crawford was placed on probation in 2022 after being convicted of two counts of Aggravated Assault in Gibson County, TN.

U.S. Marshals developed information that Crawford was with a Humboldt woman who was a student at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville. Marshals shared information with Austin Peay State University (APSU) Campus Police and the Clarksville Police Department (CPD). On September 27th around 3:00pm, APSU Campus Police, CPD, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) took Crawford into custody without incident in the student’s dorm room. He was transported to the Montgomery County Jail.

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 County Sheriff’s Deputies, Memphis Police Officers, Fayette County Sheriff’s Deputies, Jackson Police Officers, and the Tennessee Department of Correction Special Agents. The primary mission of the Task Force is to arrest violent offenders and sexual predators.

New York – On Sept. 26 Mexican authorities, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force (NY/NJ RFTF) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), located and captured Felix Herrera Garcia, the spouse of the owner and operator of a Bronx daycare facility where a 1-year-old boy died of poisoning from exposure to fentanyl on Sept. 15.

Within days of the tragic death, a federal warrant was issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for Garcia’s arrest for narcotics conspiracy resulting in death.

Immediately, the USMS NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force initiated a full manhunt in close collaboration with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the DEA who developed information that Garcia had fled to Texas and later into Mexico.  Acting on this critical information, the USMS NY/NJ Regional Task Force working with the DEA assisted the Mexican authorities, who located the suspect on a bus in the city of Sinaloa. He was apprehended without further incident by Policia Municipal de Barandilla, Sinaloa. U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Mexico City and Mexican authorities provided significant assistance. The U.S. Department of Justice Office of International Affairs also provided assistance.

“This is an exemplary case of what domestic and international coordination between the U.S. Marshals Service and other law enforcement agencies can achieve in apprehending fugitives,” said Ralph Sozio, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of New York. “It’s a true testament that borders do not stop the USMS NY/NJ RFTF.  Our network of law enforcement agencies worldwide is robust and stronger than ever.”

The USMS Office of International Operations is responsible for processing, reviewing, and forwarding information concerning the pursuit and apprehension of international fugitives. Interaction with numerous law enforcement agencies and representatives of foreign governments is a daily occurrence. The Office of International Operations leverages a network of investigative teams and agencies across the globe to prioritize the location, apprehension and removal of violent transnational fugitives.

The New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force began operations in April 2002 and was the first regional fugitive task force to become fully operational following the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000. The NY/NJRFTF was the flagship that has allowed seven other regional fugitive task forces to be created across the country. With partnership agreements with over 90 federal, state, or local agencies and 13 fully operational offices, the NY/NJRFTF has successfully apprehended over 95,000 fugitives since inception. 

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Marshals are seeking the public’s help in locating a man who escaped the Virginia Department of Corrections in August and is suspected of a Sept. 1 carjacking in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Naseem Roulack, 21, has been on the run from the U.S. Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force since Aug. 12. He is facing kidnapping, armed robbery, armed carjacking, first-degree assault and vehicle theft charges for the Gaithersburg incident.

Roulack was serving a 13-year sentence for charges of aggravated malicious wounding, grand larceny and hit-and-run when he escaped custody while getting medical help at St. Mary’s Hospital in Henrico, Virginia.

Roulack is a Black man, standing 5 feet 8 inches and weighing approximately 177 pounds. He has a tattoo on his right cheek that says “Cut Throat,” a tattoo that says “RIP ish” on his left arm and a tattoo saying “Faith is Seeing with Your Heart When All Your Eyes See is Darkness” on his right arm.

The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a cash reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to Roulack’s arrest. Crime Solvers of Maryland is offering up $10,000. Anyone with information about Roulack’s location is urged to contact the U.S. Marshals at 1-877-WANTED2, or tips can be submitted via the U.S. Marshals Tips App.

The mission of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Force (CARFTF) is to locate and apprehend the most violent and dangerous fugitives throughout the Washington metropolitan area. With offices in Washington, Virginia, and Maryland, the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Force has developed, and will continue to develop, relationships with numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in order to help ensure the safety of the citizens of our nation’s capital and surrounding areas.