News Releases

'America's Most Wanted' fugitive arrested

TAMPA, Fla. — Eric Antwan Bell, a federal fugitive in a Clearwater Area Human Trafficking Task Force (CAHTTF) investigation, was arrested on Wednesday by special agents of the FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Parsippany, N.J.

He had been living in Jersey City, N.J.

On June 11, Bell was featured on the television program "America's Most Wanted" with John Walsh during the show's "Be On the Look Out" (BOLO) segment.

Bell was also featured on a digital billboard throughout the Tampa Bay-area and on ICE's website as one of the agency's most wanted criminals.

On Jan. 3, a federal criminal complaint was filed in the Middle District of Florida which alleged that Bell was involved in the production of child pornography, had unlawfully possessed a firearm and had engaged in sex trafficking of a minor.

Agencies included in the task force were the Clearwater Police Department, Tampa Police Department, St. Petersburg Police Department, Largo Police Department, Pinellas Park Police Department, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Pasco County Sheriff's Office, Regional Community Policing Institute, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida, Office of the State Attorney for the Sixth Judicial Circuit, FBI and ICE HSI.

Non-government partners included the Florida Department of Health, Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, World Relief, the Haven Spouse Abuse Shelter, Gulf Coast Legal Services, Inc., Salvation Army and Clearwater Hispanic Outreach Center.