Miami, FL – Scores of fugitives – from
the Panhandle to the Keys – are now behind bars courtesy of a U.S.
Marshals-led sweep targeting the “worst-of-the-worst” offenders statewide.
The U.S. Marshals Service, assisted by federal, state and local law
enforcement across Florida, arrested 2,497 fugitives and cleared 2,943
warrants statewide as part of Operation Orange Crush. The results of this
ten-week operation were announced here today by Deputy Attorney General Mark
Filip, U.S. Marshals Service Director John F. Clark and U.S. Marshal
Christina Pharo of the Southern District of Florida.
A number of sites were chosen for the operation. In the Northern District of
Florida, operations were conducted in Gainesville, Panama City, Pensacola
and Tallahassee. In the Middle District of Florida, operations took place in
Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa. In the Southern District of Florida, Fort
Lauderdale, Fort Pierce, Miami, Monroe County and West Palm Beach all took
part in the operation. During the course of the operation, the U.S. Marshal
provided extra personnel and equipment to support the statewide fugitive
apprehension efforts.
"All of our efforts in this area serve as a continued warning to fugitives
from justice that wherever they are hiding, we will work together to find
them," said Deputy Attorney General Filip. "Equally important, these efforts
assure our citizens that we are going after violent gangs, child predators,
and others hiding from the law."
Operation Orange Crush is the first-ever major fugitive apprehension effort
led by the U.S. Marshals Service that was completely coordinated and
executed on behalf of a single state.
During Operation Orange Crush, an emphasis was placed on the capture of
violent gang members and sex offenders. Statewide, the operation arrested 55
gang members and 255 sex offenders. Among those brought in:
- Tony Hayward – a gang member involved in
a homicide
- Freddie Chavers – a gang member involved
in an abduction and a homicide
- Torrance Bell – a gang member involved
in an abduction and a homicide
- Aristeo Ramirez-Linares – suspected of
sexually molesting his step daughter since she was five years old
- Sherard Henderson – a previously
convicted sex offender arrested for Lewd and Lascivious Molestation of
the Elderly
- Jorge Perez-Gonzalez – a previously
convicted sex offender arrested for burglarizing a residence and
brutally assaulting its female occupant in an attempt to rape her
Director Clark has overseen a number of
large-scale apprehension efforts – including four FALCON operations – since
becoming head of the agency in March, 2006. “When we were planning Operation
Orange Crush we had hoped for several outcomes, to include the arrest of a
significant number of fugitives and to continue developing the working
relationships between the Marshals and our state and local counterparts,”
said Director Clark. “We succeeded on all counts, but I know everyone
associated with this operation sees this as only the beginning - there is
more we should and can do to combat crime in Florida.”
The Southern District of Florida, led by U.S. Marshal Christina Pharo,
participated in three FALCON operations. “Operation Orange Crush was an
example of the extraordinary investigative capabilities that arise when
multiple law enforcement agencies join forces. With our partners from state,
local and other federal agencies, we apprehended some of the most violent
criminals and sex offenders preying on the citizens of South Florida,” said
Marshal Pharo. “This operation may have ended, but our efforts to locate and
apprehend these wanted criminals will not. We will continue to offer our
assistance to our friends in law enforcement and make every effort to rid
our streets of these criminals.”
In addition to the numerous gang members and sex offenders apprehended
during Operation Orange Crush, 113 homicide arrests were made and 76 weapons
were seized.
The concept behind broad, interagency law enforcement operations such as
Operation Orange Crush evolved largely from smaller, local/regional task
forces. Groups such as these have historically combined local, state and
federal agencies to find and apprehend area fugitives. The U.S. Marshals
adopted such interagency teamwork in the early 1980s, when they combined
their resources and expertise in fugitive apprehension with the local
knowledge and unique insight of officers on the street level.
In order to provide participating agencies with broader jurisdictional
authority, all state and local law enforcement officers were sworn in as
Special Deputy U.S. Marshals immediately prior to the start of the
operation. Throughout the course of Operation Orange Crush, this special
authority from the U.S. Marshals Service empowered all local and state law
enforcement officers to cross traditional lines of jurisdiction to track
down and arrest targeted fugitives.
Director Clark emphasized that these operations work because local law
enforcement officers strive to make a difference in their own communities.
“The Marshals Deputies that work these operations live in the communities
they serve,” said Director Clark. “Their children go to school here, they
attend community events, ballgames and they shop and go to church here. For
both personal and professional reasons, they have a stake in ridding their
communities of crime. They want their neighbors and their families to be
safe and they are doing something about it.”
Those involved in Operation Orange Crush in South Florida include:
DOJ/United States Marshals Service, DOJ/United States Attorneys Office,
DOJ/Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, DHS/Immigration & Customs
Enforcement, U.S. Department of State, Division of Diplomatic Security, U.S.
Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Florida
Attorney Generals Office, Florida Department of Corrections, Probation &
Parole, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Broward County Sheriff’s
Office, Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, Martin County Sheriff’s
Office, Miami-Dade County Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office,
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, City
of Hialeah Police Department, City of Miami Beach Police Department, City of
Miami Police Department, City of Miramar Police Department, Coral Gables
Police Department, Coral Springs Police Department, Davie Police Department,
Delray Beach Police Department, Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Fort
Pierce Police Department, Lake Worth Police Department, Lantana Police
Department, Miami Gardens Police Department, Palm Beach Gardens Police
Department, Pembroke Pines Police Department, Plantation Police Department,
Port St. Lucie Police Department, and the West Palm Beach Police Department.
For more information about the U.S. Marshals Service, visit
http://www.usmarshals.gov.
Read Remarks by Director
John Clark at the Operation Orange Crush Press Conference.
B-Roll operational footage
of Operation Orange Crush will be available for satellite uplink today from
Noon to 1 p.m. EST. Coordinates below:
Horizons2-09K
U/L Freq: 14340V
D/L Freq: 12040H
Horizons 2 is located at 74.05* West
###
America’s Oldest Federal Law Enforcement Agency |