Pittsburg Fugitive on the Run Tracked Down in San Antonio

Suspect Facing 163 Counts of Fraud Captured

San Antonio, TX - Shantel Johnson, 27, was arrested this afternoon by members of the United States Marshals Service Lone Star Fugitive Task Force (LSFTF) and San Antonio Police Department’s (SAPD) Repeat Offender Program (ROP) Unit in San Antonio, TX. An arrest warrant was issued pursuant to an investigation by the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office in Pittsburg, PA, where it is alleged that Johnson committed 163 counts of fraud.

In June of this year, members of the LSFTF initiated an investigation in locating and apprehending Johnson. Today, through investigative efforts, extensive surveillance, and critical assistance from the SAPD ROP Unit, it was determined that Johnson was hiding out at a residence located in the 3600 block of Invicta Drive, on the northeast side of San Antonio. Task force and ROP Unit officers entered the residence, identified themselves, made contact with Johnson, and took her into custody without incident.

On September 4, 2014, an Allegheny County district judge in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania issued a warrant for Johnson’s arrest on allegations involving 54 counts of forgery, 54 counts of identity theft, 53 counts of access device fraud, and 2 counts of theft by deception. Johnson immediately fled the state of Pennsylvania and went into hiding to avoid prosecution. She remained a fugitive at large until she was arrested today in San Antonio.

Robert R. Almonte, United States Marshal for the Western District of Texas, states, “Fugitives go on the run with the hopes of never being captured or being held accountable for their crimes. Part of our mission is to ensure that every fugitive is arrested and sees their day in court and we will continue to fulfill that mission no matter where fugitives may run.”

Members of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force:

    New Braunfels Police Department

    San Antonio PoliceDepartment

    San Antonio Independent School District Police Department

    Bexar County Sheriff’s Office

    Comal County Sheriff’s Office

    Bexar County Fire Marshal’s Office

    Bexar County District Attorney’s Office

    Texas Office of The Attorney General

    Texas Department of Public Safety

    Texas Department of Criminal Justice – Office of the Inspector General

    Immigration & Customs Enforcement – Office of Detention & Removal

    U.S. Marshals Service

Gangster Gunman Grabbed

Gang Member Arrested On Allegations of First Degree Murder

San Antonio, TX – Latray Whitley, 23, was arrested yesterday evening by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force in San Antonio without incident. An arrest warrant was issued by the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) Homicide Division, where it is alleged that Whitley committed first degree murder.

With the assistance of the SAPD Repeat Offenders Program (ROPE) unit and the San Antonio Fear Free Environment (SAFFE) unit, task force officers determined that Whitley was living in an apartment located in the 9500 block of Lorene Lane. Task force officers entered the residence and Whitley was immediately arrested.

Whitely is currently being held in Bexar County Jail on a $250,000 bond.

In November 2009, Whitley and his brother Hollis Nealy, both members of the Wheatley Court Gangsters, allegedly went to the Studio Night Club armed with handguns to retaliate against a member of a rival gang, the East Terrorist Gangsters. As the member from the East Terrorist Gangsters exited the night club’s parking lot in his vehicle, Whitley and Nealy followed. At a traffic light located at IH-35 and Eisenhauer Road, Whitley and Nealy pulled up next to the vehicle and fired shots killing the driver. In June of this year, the arrest warrant was issued for both Whitley and Nealy. Nealy was immediately arrested, but Whitley was a fugitive until yesterday evening.

Robert R. Almonte, United States Marshal for the Western District of Texas, states, “Once again The Lone Star Fugitive Task Force was able to arrest an alleged violent offender with the assistance of local law enforcement. As we continue to work together, more arrests will be made and more lives will hopefully be saved.”

Members of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force:

San Antonio Police Department

San Antonio Independent School District Police Department

Bexar County Sheriff’s Office

Comal County Sheriff’s Office

Bexar County Fire Marshal’s Office

Bexar County District Attorney’s Office

Texas Office of The Attorney General

Texas Department of Public Safety

Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Office of the Inspector General

U.S. Marshals Service

Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.

Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced To Life

Oklahoma Fugitive Captured By Task Force in 2011, Sentenced in 2012

San Antonio, TX – Matthew Mallory, 36, convicted sex offender, entered a plea of guilty earlier this week to 4 counts of child abuse by intentional infliction of mental injury, before an Oklahoma District Court Judge in Kingfisher County. In April 2011, authorities in Oklahoma issued an arrest warrant for Mallory who was captured by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force in San Antonio.

Last year, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations contacted the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force to assist in the search for Mallory, who went on the run accompanied by his 14-year old niece, Ariel. It was determined that the two were in San Antonio after they were seen by witnesses at a local drug store. Mallory had a prior conviction for second-degree rape and while on the run was considered to be armed and dangerous. After a 2-day manhunt, task force officers located Mallory and Ariel near a south side ranch in San Antonio. Mallory was taken into custody without incident and Ariel was reunited with her family.

District Judge Paul Woodward accepted Mallory’s plea of guilty to the charges and sentenced him to 4 consecutive life sentences in a state prison. The District Attorney’s Office learned that Mallory had been sexually assaulting Ariel since the age of 9 and had sexually assaulted 3 other young girls as well.

Robert Almonte, United States Marshal for the Western District of Texas, states, “It’s sad when anyone is the victim of sexual assault, especially a child. I sincerely hope that Mallory’s conviction will help these children to one day find closure and peace. Thanks to the men and women who worked so diligently and tirelessly to ensure that justice was served.”

Members of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force:

San Antonio Police Department

San Antonio Independent School District Police Department

Bexar County Sheriff’s Office

Comal County Sheriff’s Office

Bexar County Fire Marshal's Office

Bexar County District Attorney’s Office

Texas Office of The Attorney General

Texas Department of Public Safety

Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Office of the Inspector General

U.S. Marshals Service

Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.

Twenty-Three Arrested on Federal Charges as a Result of San Antonio Eastside Gang Violence Initiative

Six-Month-Long Operation Triple Beam Results in Approximately 700 Additional Arrests Based on State Charges

Twenty-three San Antonio gang members face federal charges in connection with a federal, state, and local law enforcement operation targeting Eastside gang violence.

That announcement was made jointly today by United States Attorney Robert Pitman, Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus, Bexar County Sheriff Amadeo Ortiz, United States Marshal Robert Almonte, ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Crisanto Perez, DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Manuel Fernandez, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Armando Fernandez.

The operation, initiated in response to community outcry, focused on narcotics trafficking and violent acts committed by members of rival gangs including the East Terrace Gangster Crips, Crockett Blocc Crips, Wheatly Courts Bloods, Blood Stixx, Denver Heights Bloods, as well as other San Antonio area gangs operating on the city’s Eastside. During this operation, authorities have seized more than 70 firearms, approximately 38 kilograms of narcotics, and an estimated $85,500 in U.S. currency.

The 23 defendants, all listed below, are charged by either a federal grand jury indictment or criminal complaint filed since March 7, 2012. Federal charges include felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, possession with intent to distribute “crack” cocaine, and maintaining a residence for the distribution of a controlled substance. State charges filed in connection with this investigation include: narcotics-related offenses, unlawful carrying of a firearm, and gang injunction violations.

This investigation was conducted by the San Antonio Police Department Gang Unit; Bexar County District Attorney’s Office; Bexar County Sheriff’s Office; Bexar County Adult Probation Office; United States Marshals Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; together with the Drug Enforcement Administration; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Texas Department of Public Safety-Narcotics Division; and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

It is important to note that an indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Operation Triple Beam arrests release:

Defendant—Age

Bal, Raja—27

Brock, Demetrius—35

Butler, Alvin—33

Farris, Robert—25

Fields, Tyronn—30

Fisher, Devonshae—18

Foster, Brian—27

Girela, Joshua—24

Hemphill, Emmanuel—26

Hemphill, Katherine—58

Johnson, Rodney—23

Johnson, Samuel—27

Losoya, Juan—28

Mackey, Antoine—29

Martinez, Michael—19

McHenry, Dominick—21

Miller, Glen—32

Minor, Milton—34

Molden, Travis—22

Phillips, Marcus—24

Robinson, Chris—34

Robinson-McClellan, Devon—22

Robinson-Tynes, Marcus—24

New Mexico Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Kidnapping That Resulted in the Death of 16-Year-Old Victim

Teenaged Victim was Kidnapped, Tortured, Murdered, and Left in Irrigation Ditch for Failing to Pay $600 “Drug Tax”

WASHINGTON—Larry Lujan, 33, was sentenced today to life in prison for a kidnapping that resulted in the death of a 16-year-old, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales for the District of New Mexico and Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Lujan, originally from Chamberino, New Mexico, was found guilty on August 9, 2011 of kidnapping and fatally stabbing Dana Joseph “Joe” Grauke, Jr. The jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on whether Lujan should be sentenced to death, and thus he was sentenced to life in prison by U.S. District Judge Robert C. Brack.

According to the evidence and testimony presented at trial, Lujan targeted 16-year-old Grauke for attack because he failed to pay a $600 “tax” to Lujan for selling marijuana in a neighborhood in San Antonio that Lujan considered his “turf.” The evidence established that on March 7, 2005, Lujan led a group of teenagers in breaking into Grauke’s home in San Antonio, where they ransacked the residence; beat and tortured Grauke for several hours; and then transported Grauke, who was bound, gagged, and blindfolded, in the luggage compartment of a sport utility vehicle to Anthony, New Mexico. Approximately 36 hours after kidnapping Grauke, Lujan stabbed the teenager nine times in the back and cut his throat so deeply that his head was almost severed from his body. Grauke’s body was found on March 20, 2005 in an irrigation ditch.

During the penalty phase of the trial, the jury heard testimony about Lujan’s role in the stabbing deaths of a Chamberino couple in 1998. The double homicides also were related to a drug dealing dispute. Lujan pleaded “no contest” in December 2011 to first-degree murder charges for that double homicide in a separate state case and was sentenced to two consecutive life prison terms.

The case was investigated by the FBI; the Dona Ana County, New Mexico Sheriff’s Office; and the San Antonio Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria Y. Armijo and Mark A. Saltman for the District of New Mexico and Trial Attorney Michael S. Warbel of the Criminal Division’s Capital Case Unit.