U.S. Marshals Arrest State Parole Violator After 8 Years on the Run

Scranton, PA – United States Marshal Martin J. Pane announced today that the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Thomas McCarty in a remote section of Wyoming County, near Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania. McCarty, a 48-year old man, was being sought by the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole for violating the conditions of his state parole.

McCarty has an extensive criminal history dating back almost 30 years.

In 1985, McCarty was arrested in Lycoming County for statutory rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and other sex-related offenses. He pled guilty to charges of statutory rape and corruption of minors, and was sentenced to state prison for a term of 1 ½ to 4 years. McCarty was released on state parole supervision in 1988.

In 1997, McCarty was convicted on charges of Indecent Assault of a Minor, Corruption of a Minor, Forgery, and Theft in Lycoming County and Northumberland County. He was committed to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections to serve a 3 to 13 year prison sentence. McCarty was released on state parole supervision in 2000.

In March 2005, McCarty stopped reporting to state parole authorities and disappeared. In May 2005, an arrest warrant was issued by the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole charging McCarty with violating the terms of his state parole. He remained a fugitive-from-justice for the past 8 years.

In June 2011, state parole authorities requested the assistance of the United States Marshals Service and its Fugitive Task Force to locate and arrest McCarty.

On July 24, Deputy U.S. Marshals from Scranton and Williamsport, along with task force personnel, located McCarty at a rugged, remote, wooded location off of Rockledge Road, near Tunkhannock in Wyoming County. The fugitive was arrested and offered no resistance. McCarty was turned over to authorities from the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, and lodged at the State Correctional Institution in Waymart.

United States Marshal Martin J. Pane stated, “This case exemplifies the dedication the Fugitive Task Force has towards cold cases. I am proud of the hard work displayed by the case investigators and, while not an easy case, justice prevailed.”

Michael C. Potteiger, Chairman of the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole said, “This capture demonstrates the cooperation and partnership between the U.S. Marshals Service and all levels of law enforcement. This case has been outstanding since 2005. Its closure represents how we continue to work together as a team to pursue all fugitives, regardless of their time on the run.”

U.S. Marshals were assisted by officers from the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, Lackawanna County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania State Police, Scranton Police Department, and Penn College Police Department. These agencies are participating members of the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

The concept of all USMS-led fugitive task forces is to seek out and arrest the nation’s most dangerous offenders.

Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Federal Racketeering Charges

A member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) gang pleaded guilty today to racketeering charges related to his membership in the ABT’s criminal enterprise, announced Acting Assistant Attorney Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson of the Southern District of Texas.

Billy Frank Weatherred, aka “Billy The Kid,” 28, of Dallas, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Sim Lake in the Southern District of Texas to one count of conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity.

According to court documents, Weatherred and other ABT gang members and associates agreed to commit multiple acts of murder, robbery, arson, kidnapping and narcotics trafficking on behalf of the ABT gang.  Weatherred and numerous ABT gang members met on a regular basis at various locations throughout Texas to report on gang-related business, collect dues, commit disciplinary assaults against fellow gang members and discuss acts of violence against rival gang members, among other things. 
By pleading guilty to racketeering charges, Weatherred has admitted to being a member of the ABT criminal enterprise.

According to the superseding indictment, the ABT was established in the early 1980s within the Texas prison system.  The gang modeled itself after and adopted many of the precepts and writings of the Aryan Brotherhood, a California-based prison gang that was formed in the California prison system during the 1960s.  According to the superseding indictment, previously, the ABT was primarily concerned with the protection of white inmates and the promotion of white supremacy/separatism.  Over time, the ABT expanded its criminal enterprise to include illegal activities for profit.

Court documents allege that the ABT enforced its rules and promoted discipline among its members, prospects and associates through murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to murder, arson, assault, robbery and threats against those who violated the rules or posed a threat to the enterprise.  Members, and oftentimes associates, were required to follow the orders of higher-ranking members, often referred to as “direct orders.”

According to the superseding indictment, in order to be considered for ABT membership, a person must be sponsored by another gang member.  Once sponsored, a prospective member must serve an unspecified term, during which he is referred to as a prospect while his conduct is observed by the members of the ABT.

Judge Lake has set sentencing for Oct. 24, 2013, at which time Weatherred faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Weatherred is one of 36 defendants charged with, among other things, conducting racketeering activity through the ABT criminal enterprise.  He is the ninth defendant charged in the indictment to plead guilty. 

This case is being investigated by a multi-agency task force consisting of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; FBI; U.S. Marshals Service; Federal Bureau of Prisons; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement -Homeland Security Investigations; Texas Rangers; Texas Department of Public Safety; Montgomery County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; Houston Police Department-Gang Division; Texas Department of Criminal Justice – Office of Inspector General; Harris County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; Tarrant County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; Atascosa County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; Orange County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; Waller County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; Alvin, Texas, Police Department; Carrollton, Texas, Police Department; Mesquite Texas, Police Department; Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office;  and the Atascosa County District Attorney’s Office. 

The case is being prosecuted by the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.

2013 WHS BBQ Cook-Off to Benefit the Border Patrol Foundation!

The 2013 Women in Homeland Security Barbecue Cook Off to benefit the Border Patrol Foundation is Saturday, September 21, 2013 from 12:00 PM to 7:30 PM (EDT) Washington, DC

Current Participants

Fairfax County International Search & Rescue - back to defend their title!!

Border Patrol Foundation

Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers Association DC

Coast Guard Enlisted Association

Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) Foundation

InfraGard National Capital Region Members Alliance

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund

Team: 2CrazzyStepKuzins

Registration

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/7323088555

About Women in Homeland Security

WHS is a non-profit, non-partisan organization founded in March 2009. The group has grown to nearly 2000 public and private sector members.

The Mission of Women in Homeland Security is to build the homeland security community. WHS provides a professional organization for women working in the field of homeland security who are committed both to their jobs and to combating the threat of terrorism.  “Homeland security” is a relatively new field and the organization strives to provide women and men with a forum to learn about the many facets of the discipline and to build the connections necessary for a better understanding of the different roles of Federal, State and Local professionals in the prevention, protection and response to any type of incident. Through monthly meetings, book club, WHS University and the group’s charity work, Women in Homeland Security fosters a collaborative environment for homeland security professionals to improve our nation’s security and intelligence on critical homeland security topics confronting the nation.

Women in Homeland Security is committed to assuring that we never forget the threat of terrorism and the need for our nation to maintain its vigilance — despite the absence of a terrorist attack since September 11, 2001.

Six Colombian Nationals Charged with Murder of DEA Agent

JULY 19 - (Washington, D.C.) -Six Colombian nationals were indicted today by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia for the kidnapping and murder of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent James Terry Watson.

“Special Agent Watson was a brave public servant who dedicated his life to protecting the country he loved.  He was a hero, in every sense of the word, who was taken from us far too suddenly and far too soon," said Attorney General Eric Holder.  “With today's arrests, we take an important step towards ensuring that those allegedly responsible for his senseless murder are brought to justice.  We also send an unmistakable message to all who commit acts of violence against America's law enforcement professionals:  no matter who you are or where you live, we will do everything in our power to hold you accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

Gerardo Figueroa Sepulveda, 38; Omar Fabian Valdes Gualtero, 27; Edgar Javier Bello Murillo, 26; Hector Leonardo Lopez, 23; Julio Estiven Gracia Ramierez, 30; and Andrés Alvaro Oviedo-Garcia, 21, were each charged with two counts of second degree murder, one count of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to kidnap.  Oviedo-Garcia was also charged with two counts of assault.

Additionally, the grand jury indicted Wilson Daniel Peralta-Bocachica, 30, also a Colombian national, for his alleged efforts to destroy evidence associated with the murder of Special Agent Watson.

According to the indictment, Figueroa, Valdes, Bello, Lopez, Gracia and Oviedo-Garcia were part of a kidnapping and robbery conspiracy that utilized taxi cabs in Bogota, Colombia, to lure victims into a position where they could be attacked and robbed.  Once an intended victim entered a taxi cab, the driver of the taxi cab would signal other conspirators to commence the robbery and kidnapping operation. 

The indictment alleges that on June 20, 2013, while he was working for the U.S. Mission in Colombia, Special Agent Watson entered a taxi cab operated by one of the defendants.  Special Agent Watson was then allegedly attacked by two other defendants – one who stunned Special Agent Watson with a stun gun and another who stabbed Special Agent Watson with a knife, resulting in his death.

The charges were announced by Attorney General Holder; DEA Administrator Michele L. Leonhart; Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride of the Eastern District of Virginia; Assistant Director in Charge Valerie Parlave of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Director Gregory B. Starr of the Diplomatic Security Service for the U.S. Department of State.

This case is being investigated by the FBI, DEA and Diplomatic Security Service, in close cooperation with Colombian authorities, and with assistance from INTERPOL and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Ben’Ary from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and Special Counsel Stacey Luck and Trial Attorney Christine Duey from the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.  The Department of Justice gratefully acknowledges the Colombian Attorney General’s Office, Colombian National Police, Colombian Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DIJIN), DIJIN Special Investigative Unit, Bogota Metropolitan Police and Colombian Technical Investigation Team for their extraordinary efforts, support and professionalism in responding to this incident.

Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Violent Homicide Suspect Arrested by Task Force

Salisbury, NC – This morning at 9:30 AM, Waylon Vernon Russell, a 42 year old, White Male, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Joint Fugitive Task Force (JFTF). Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia issued an arrest warrant for Russell for Homicide on July 2, 2013. It is alleged that on October 26, 2002 Russell murdered the victim by causing penetrating trauma to the victim’s neck with an unknown weapon and setting the victim on fire.

At the request of the U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force (SERFTF), Russell was taken into custody without incident at 386 E. Liberty Street. Russell was transported and booked into the Davidson County Jail awaiting extradition to Wayne County, Georgia.

The U.S. Marshals Joint Fugitive Task Force for the Middle District of North Carolina is comprised of investigators from the U.S. Marshals Service, Chapel Hill Police Department, Durham Police Department, Greensboro Police Department, High Point Police Department, Winston Salem Police Department, Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety Probation and Parole Division and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

Fugitive Wanted for Alleged Rape Arrested in Reno

RENO, NEVADA – Robert Franklin Murray, 28, a fugitive wanted in Contra Costa County was arrested July 11 by the local U.S. Marshals led Fugitive Task Force and the Regional Sex Offender Notification Unit (RSONU). Murray was wanted on charges of rape and other sex related crimes. Information was developed that Murray had come to Reno from the Bay area and was living in the vicinity of Kietzke Lane and East Plumb Lane. Murray was booked into the Washoe County Detention Center pending his extradition to California. District of Nevada U.S. Marshal Christopher Hoye stated, “This is yet another example of how our joint agency efforts are apprehending fugitives who think they can hide in the Reno community.” The Reno U.S. Marshals Service led task force is a partnership comprised of law enforcement investigators from the United States Marshals Service, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Nevada Department of Public Safety (Probation & Parole), and Sparks Police Department. The Task Force combines the resources and expertise of local, state, and federal law enforcement in a coordinated effort to arrest dangerous fugitives and pursue sexual offenders wherever they are located. As the result of the Adam Walsh Protection and Safety Act of 2006, the United States Marshals Service is the primary federal agency responsible for investigating sex offenders, convicted in federal or state court, who have failed to register or update their registration and travel in interstate or foreign commerce.

The Zimmerman Case: When Will It Be Over?

 Commentary by Lieutenant Colonel John Lewis Cook, USA (ret.)

Here’s a trivia question for you.  Who is George Howard?  Ever heard of him?  I didn’t think so.  He was a young black boy, 15 years old, gunned down on the streets of Chicago by another young  black, on February 27th, 2012.  This is the same day Trayvon Martin was killed.  That date, and the fact that both were black, is all they have in common.  Since that fateful day in February last year until today, 838 people have met a violent end on the mean streets of  Chicago.  Over 80% of the victims were black and most were young.  Here’s one more fact.  Most of the killers were also black.  This is the key to understanding the phony outrage caused by the Zimmerman verdict.  

So why didn’t you hear a single word about George Howard but couldn’t stop hearing about Trayvon Martin?  The answer, unfortunately, is all too easy.  George Howard was killed by another black so there was nothing there for professional race hustlers such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to exploit.  Trayvon, on the other hand, fit the script perfectly.  It was a dream come true for the Al & Jesse Show. He was killed by George Zimmerman,  who at first was identified as white.  That was enough for the professional blacks to swing into action.  Never mind that the local police department saw no reason to hold Zimmerman because the case, on its face, was self defense.  Very quickly pressure was applied to the Florida Attorney General and a “Special Prosecutor” was appointed.  When it was determined that Zimmerman was actually half Hispanic, it was too late for Jesse and Al to back out.  The narrative was simply changed from “white” to “white Hispanic,” and a new ethnic classification was born.  

The media, of course, ran with the story because it had one element the media loves to exploit, and that’s racism.  Finally, after festering for months, the case went to trial and Zimmerman was found not guilty.  That should have been the end of it, but it wasn’t.  Now, after listening to the liberal media for the past few days, it appears that there has been no trial and no verdict has been rendered.  The race hustlers have been busy waving the bloody shirt in Sanford, Florida, telling anyone one who listen that this shooting down of young black men has to stop!  And it must stop now!  This is outrageous and unacceptable!  

Seriously?  Are you telling me these professional race hustlers care about young black men gunned down in America?  Over 800 people murdered in Chicago since Trayvon was killed and none of these race baiters open their mouth about that.  Certainly not Jesse Jackson, who actually lives there, who should be outraged by the slaughter taking place in his home town.  Yet, if a white, or white Hispanic,  shoots a black a 1,000 miles away, Jesse is Johnnie on the spot.  So the question to ask is this.  Who is the racist here?    Do these people actually care about blacks getting killed?  Sadly, their outrage rings hollow.  Was Trayvon Martin really that much more valuable than George Howard?  Some 800 times as valuable?  Seriously?  Apparently he was because Trayvon, even in death, can be used by those who make a living by stoking the flames of racism.  For people like Al and Jessie, it’s simply business and this summer, business has been good.  

If the mainstream media had any integrity, they would point this out to the public.  Unfortunately, they have their own agenda as well, which reduces them to little more than hypocrites.   Meanwhile, back in Chicago, the George Howards, who really don’t matter to the professional racists,  keep getting gunned down night after night by blacks and there are no marches or demonstrations for them.   

And the President?  Where is he on this issue?  He’s on record for saying that “if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon.”  Well, why not George Howard, who was gunned down the same day Trayvon died?  After all, George Howard is from the President’s home town, Chicago, the same town Obama made his bones as a “community organizer.”    Why not pick him?  Could it be that no one in this whole sorry episode even knew George Howard ever lived, much less died?  Sadly, we will never know his story because the Zimmerman/Trayvon episode sucked all the oxygen out of the media.  As for Al and Jessie, they are not interested in George Howard because there’s nothing to spin or exploit there.  Just another black killed by another black.   And, in the end, that is the real tragedy here.    

About the Author

Lieutenant Colonel John Lewis Cook, United States Army (Retired), “served as the Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Interior in Kabul, Afghanistan, with responsibility for developing the force structure for the entire Afghan National Police.  As of 2012, this force totals 157,000.  From March 2008 until August 2012, his access and intimate associations with all levels of the Afghan government and coalition forces have provided him with an unprecedented insight into the policies which will determine the outcome of the war.  It is this insight, coupled with his contacts and associations throughout Afghanistan that form the basis of Afghanistan: The Perfect Failure.

Click to read more about Lt. Colonel John Lewis Cook