CLEVELAND — A two-week federal enforcement operation in the Cleveland area netted more than 70 wanted fugitives, U.S. Marshals Service officials announced this week.
“Operation Clean House” ran from September 14 through September 25. Members of the U.S. Marshals-led Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force worked with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General to track down wanted fugitives living in HUD-assisted housing in the Cleveland area.
During the operation, 68 fugitives who were using HUD housing assistance were arrested. Seven other people encountered by the task force during the sweeps were also arrested on outstanding felony warrants, bringing the total to 75.
United States Marshal Peter Elliott and HUD-OIG Special Agent in Charge Shawn Rice announced the results jointly, calling the operation a success in removing wanted offenders from federally subsidized housing.
Similar operations were conducted this year in cities including Columbus, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, New York, Memphis, New Orleans, Kansas City and Minneapolis, as well as in New Jersey and North Carolina, as part of a national push targeting fugitives living in public housing.
Officials did not release the names of those arrested or the specific offenses behind their warrants. The task force said the operation focused on violent offenders and people wanted on felony warrants.
The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force brings together federal, state and local officers to pursue wanted fugitives across the region. Officials said the arrests make both the housing communities and the surrounding neighborhoods safer.