U.S. Attorney’s Office and U.S. Marshals Service Announce Crackdown on Non-Compliant Sex Offenders

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, in partnership with the United States Marshals Service, has launched a city-wide operation to ensure that sex offenders who live in the District remain compliant with the law, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Director Gadyaces S. Serralta of the United States Marshals Service (USMS).

Federal agents have conducted compliance checks on 883 sex offenders and identified, arrested, and prosecuted 25 sex offenders for failing to register. Nine of the 25 are "Class A" offenders who were convicted of either extremely serious sexual assaults or having victimized multiple individuals.

"This effort is an essential part of ensuring public safety in D.C.," said U.S. Attorney Pirro. "The sex offender registry is a vital tool that protects communities, ensures accountability and prevents further victimization. Once convicted, sex offenders who fail to register or fail to update their information, put vulnerable populations at risk. My office, along with the U.S. Marshals Service, will continue to root out, arrest, and prosecute all sex offenders who fail to register in the District."

The Supreme Court recognized decades ago that the "risk of recidivism posed by sex offenders is frightening and high." Smith v. Doe, 538 U.S. 84, 103 (2003).

The United States Marshals Service and The Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) have been aggressively pursuing non-compliant offenders since August 24. The offenders are now being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Sex Offense and Domestic Violence and the Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Sections.

The operation identifies the sex offenders in the District who are required to register with CSOSA, uncovers and investigates offenders who are out of compliance, and arrests and aggressively prosecutes absconders.

The operation is a high-priority project. The U.S. Attorney's Office has devoted substantial prosecutorial resources to the operation, USMS has committed 28 Deputy U.S. Marshals from across the country, and CSOSA has likewise participated fully.

As of October 15, the operation has:

• Obtained 30 Superior Court Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA) arrest warrants (27 misdemeanor warrants and 3 felony warrants)
• Arrested and charged 24 sex offenders for SORA violations (22 on misdemeanor charges and 2 on felony charges)
• Indicted one sex offender for a felony violation of Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA)
• Conducted compliance checks on 883 D.C. sex offenders
• Brought on 28 Deputy U.S. Marshals from across the nation to support the compliance check operation and subsequent investigations
• Forged a collaboration with CSOSA and the USMS on compliance check efforts and committed 16 Community Supervision Officers and 2 Sex Offender Registry Specialists to the effort; and
• Dedicated two supervisors from the U.S. Attorney's Office, a senior warrant reviewer, and numerous Superior Court and Criminal Division Assistant U.S. Attorney's to power this operation.

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