U.S. Marshals Arrest Fugitive Wanted For Adam Walsh Act Violations

Washington, D.C. - A convicted sex offender and fugitive wanted in Arizona for failing to register as a sex offender was arrested by United States Marshals in Phoenix, AZ. Evaristo Saucedo is a Mexican National and was arrested after trying to flee Deputy Marshals by riding his bike down a city street. He is currently in custody awaiting trial. Saucedo was wanted for failing to register as a sex offender. He was convicted in 1998 of sexual assault and kidnaping, stemming from an incident in which Saucedo tied up his girlfriend in her vehicle and sexually assaulted her. He has been deported on two occasions as an aggravated felon after being convicted of assault several other times, but managed to return to the U.S. The arrest of Saucedo comes as the United States Marshals Service was featured at the first-ever Project Safe Childhood Conference at a Washington, D.C. hotel. The conference, sponsored by the Department of Justice, focused extensively on the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, which was signed into law by President Bush in July. Under the law, the United States Marshals Service is designated as the primary federal law enforcement agency responsible for arresting those who fail to register as a sex offender, as required by the law. "Our job is to be the voice of the victim," Marshals Service Director John Clark told an audience of prosecutors and guests at the conference. "Our goal is to arrest unregistered sex offenders and bring them to justice. The Marshals Service also hosted several panels discussing the ways in which Deputy Marshals track down and arrest fugitives. The efforts of Deputy Marshals teaming up with their law enforcement partners have already produced results, according to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Gonzales addressed the conference and discussed the first case ever charged under the Adam Walsh Act, the arrest of a man who tried to use a false Social Security number to avoid having to register. The United States Marshals Service is the nation's oldest and most versatile law enforcement agency. Last year, Deputy U.S. Marshals and their law enforcement partners arrested more than 35,500 federal fugitives, clearing 38,500 federal felony warrants, more than all other federal law enforcement agencies combined. Working with authorities at federal, state and local levels, Marshals Service-led fugitive task forces arrested an additional 44,000 state and local fugitives, clearing 51,200 state and local felony warrants.