The FBI released the below information:

Preliminary statistics show overall declines in both violent and property crime in the first half of 2019 compared to the same time frame the previous year, according to FBI crime statistics released today.

The Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report covers January through June 2019. It contains data from more than 14,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide that voluntarily submitted information to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program.

According to the report, all categories of violent crime offenses decreased between the first half of 2018 and the first half of 2019, including:

• Robbery (-7.4 percent)
• Rape (-7.3 percent)
• Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (-3.9 percent)
• Aggravated assault (-0.3 percent)

Property crime also declined during the same period, specifically:

• Burglary (-11.1 percent)
• Motor vehicle theft (-6.7 percent)
• Larceny-theft (-4.2 percent)

The full Crime in the United States, 2019 report will be released later this year.

Full Report 

https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2019/preliminary-report/home 

Denver Fugitive Placed On The FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List

The FBI released the above wanted poster and below information:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation today announced the addition of Myloh Jaqory Mason, an alleged violent bank robber, to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

Mason is believed to have robbed at least two banks this fall. The first was in Lakewood, Colorado, on September 30, 2015. The FBI’s Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force says Mason and two others wearing costumes and masks from the movie Scream allegedly shoved guns in the faces of bank tellers and told them they would die unless they opened the vault.

The most recent bank robbery happened on November 18, 2015, also in Lakewood, Colorado. Agents say Mason and two others wore bright green and white skeleton masks when they took over the bank, allegedly brutalized tellers and got into the vault. After fleeing the bank, Mason and his partners allegedly broke into a man’s house, pointed their weapons at him, and demanded he drive them somewhere in his minivan. Instead, the victim ran and the robbers allegedly shot him four times.

After the robbers crashed the minivan, they attempted to carjack a woman and allegedly shot her, too.

“Mason and his gang have committed some of the most violent bank robberies we’ve seen in Colorado,” said Thomas Ravenelle, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Denver Division. “We believe he’s not going to stop and is a real danger to the community. But he can’t run forever. We will get him off the streets with the assistance of the public.”

On November 21, 2015, Jefferson County, Colorado, issued an arrest warrant charging Mason with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, attempted second-degree kidnapping, first-degree assault, and second-degree assault. Mason also faces a federal charge of convicted felon in possession of a ballistic vest. The federal arrest warrant was issued by the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, on December 3, 2015.

Both of Mason’s alleged partners, Tyrone Richardson and Miguel David Sanders, have been arrested.
“We appreciate the work of our FBI partners, and together we will locate and arrest this dangerous criminal,” said First Judicial District Attorney Pete Weir, “Mason presents a serious threat to our community. He is wanted in Jefferson County on 29 felony counts, including the attempted murder, kidnapping, and aggravated robbery of 10 innocent people during a violent crime spree in November.”

Mason was born on June 28, 1990. He is a black male, 6’2” tall, 155 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He has tattoos on his chest and both hands and arms. He is considered armed and dangerous.

“Mason is an extremely dangerous individual whose violent actions show that he is a threat to anyone who comes into contact with him. This includes family, friends, the public, and law enforcement officers. Getting him into custody is our highest priority,” Lakewood Police Chief Kevin Paletta said.
Mason is the 505th person to be placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, which was established in 1950. Since then, 473 fugitives have been apprehended or located, 156 of them as a result of citizen cooperation.

A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for any information leading directly to his arrest. People with information about Mason should take no action themselves but instead immediately contact the nearest FBI office or local law enforcement agency. For any possible sighting outside the United States, contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

Please call in tips to 1-800-CALL FBI. Tips may also be submitted online at https://tips.fbi.gov.
Additional information regarding Mason, including his wanted poster, is available on the FBI’s Internet website at www.fbi.gov.

Philadelphia Ironworkers Business Manager Sentenced To 230 Months For Racketeering Conspiracy

The U.S. Justice Department released the below information:

PHILADELPHIA—Joseph Dougherty, 73, of Philadelphia, former Business Manager/Financial Secretary/Treasurer of Ironworkers Local 401, was sentenced today to 230 months in prison for his role in a racketeering conspiracy involving a dozen members of Ironworkers Local 401, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. Dougherty was found guilty, on January 20, 2015, of RICO conspiracy, malicious damage to property by means of fire, use of fire to commit a felony, attempted malicious damage to property by means of fire, and conspiracy to damage to property by means of fire. His 11 co-defendants in the case pleaded guilty. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Michael Baylson ordered three years of supervised release, $558,041.66 in restitution, and a $600 special assessment.

Dougherty and his co-defendants engaged in a systemic pattern of extortions, arsons, and assaults in an attempt to force non-union companies to hire union ironworkers. The union’s business agents would approach construction foremen at those work sites and imply or explicitly threaten violence, destruction of property, or other criminal acts unless union members were hired. The defendants relied on a reputation for violence and sabotage, which had been built up in the community over many years, in order to force contractors to hire union members. The defendants created “goon” squads, composed of union members and associates, to commit assaults, arsons, and destruction of property. One such squad referred to itself as the “The Helpful Union Guys,” “T.H.U.G’s.”

The jury convicted Dougherty for his participation in the 25 charged acts of arson and extortion in the racketeering conspiracy. Among the charged incidents included an arson at the Quaker Meetinghouse in Philadelphia, an arson at a warehouse under construction on Grays Avenue in Philadelphia, and an attempted arson of a commercial complex under construction in Malvern. Dougherty personally handed co-defendant James Walsh an acetylene torch to commit the Grays Avenue arson. On October 12, 2012, when co-defendants James Walsh and William Gillin arrived at the Malvern construction site with an acetylene torch which they intended to use to damage the site, FBI and local law enforcement officers arrested Walsh and Gillin before they could light the torch. Prior to their arrest, on October 9, 2012, Dougherty gave the greenlight for Walsh and Gillin to proceed with the arson by stating “that’s good. Alright. He [Walsh] just got to be careful.”

“The sentence in this case serves as a reminder that corrupt union practices and bullying tactics, like those employed in this case, will be met with severe consequences,” said Memeger. “Fear, intimidation and violence should not be a part of any union’s operational handbook and will not be tolerated in this district.”

During the extortion of a contractor working on an apartment building near the intersection of 31st and Spring Garden in Philadelphia, Dougherty told union business agent Edward Sweeeny that if the non-union contractor erected the building “and gets away with it, we’re tearing it the [expletive] down in broad, in broad daylight, broad [expletive] daylight. I’ll rent the [expletive] crane from work reservations. So, we’re not losing in center city, man. . . . We’ll take it right the [expletive] back down again. And then we’ll load it out, rent the truck, and we’ll steal the iron.”

During a July 8, 2013 phone call, Dougherty summarized his motivation for committing these crimes by describing the financial condition of the union: “I look at the general fund, ah the health fund. It’s (expletive) hurting. And we’re hurting it every hour that the carpenter steals from us hurts. Every hour non-union steals from us hurts it, and we keep pumping more money into it, and that keeps us from getting jobs.”

The case was investigated jointly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, with assistance provided by the Philadelphia Police Department Corruption Task Force, East Whiteland Township Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Employee Benefit Security Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert Livermore with legal assistance from Gerald Toner, Acting Deputy Chief for Labor-Management Racketeering, Organized Crime and Gang Section at the Department of Justice.

U.S. Marshals Coordinate the Arrest of 307 Fugitives to Honor Victims of Crime

The U.S. Marshals Service released the below information:

Phoenix, AZ – Beginning March 2nd, the U.S. Marshals Service in the District of Arizona coordinated a state wide fugitive operation involving law enforcement agencies from Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties. This operation targeted over a thousand fugitives wanted for higher level felony crimes, including homicide, robbery, rape, dangerous drugs, and assault.

During this time period, Task Force members made a concentrated effort to go after the most violent career criminals and gang members across the state of Arizona in line with a National strategy. This strategy was not about increasing arrest numbers, but rather an effort to further protect communities by targeting the most dangerous felony fugitives. The approach was quality versus quantity and was strengthened by working with our law enforcement partners to get the worst of the worst fugitives off the streets.

This apprehension effort was designed to coincide with National Crime Victim’s Rights Week. Since 1981, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime has observed an annual week of remembrance for victims of crimes. Since 2008, the U.S. Marshals Service in Arizona has coordinated targeted law enforcement partnerships to seek out and arrest fugitives, thereby ensuring the justice process continues unabated in an effort to bring closure to the victims of crime. While the U.S. Marshals Service targets and prioritizes the worst of the worst every day, operations such as this allows valley law enforcement agencies to come together in a focused initiative netting hundreds of arrests which diminishing resources does not allow to take place on a daily basis.

"In the last 7 years that the U.S. Marshals Service in Arizona has been conducting these interagency fugitive apprehension programs, more than 35,000 felons have been arrested,” said U.S. Marshal David Gonzales. “By taking these criminals off the street we have made our communities safer. Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies will continue to combine resources to deal with the problem of violent and career criminals".

This initiative proved effective here in Arizona with arrests totaling 307 throughout the state. Of that 307, arrests included 44 for Murder/Aggravated Assault, 23 for Child Abuse/Molestation, 21 for Sex Offenses/Sex Assaults, and 17 for firearms related offenses. This was a strategically focused approach through the use of the U.S. Marshals multi-jurisdictional investigative authority and its fugitive task force networks at the local level. The following arrests are examples of the type of career criminals and predators focused on during this operation:

 - David Ponce, 39, was wanted by the Peoria Police Department on nineteen counts of Sexual Conduct with a Minor, Child Molestation, Aggravated Assault, Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Furnishing Harmful Items to Minors, Kidnapping and Surreptitious Videotaping. Ponce had been on the run for approximately ten months and it was believed that Ponce had fled either to Mexico or California. On April 13, 2015, information was developed indicating Ponce was in the Southern California area. On April 14, 2015 Ponce was taken into custody in Los Angeles.

 - Jose Araujo Flores, 18, was arrested in Phoenix on April 13th. Flores was wanted by Phoenix Police Department for his possible involvement in the shooting death of a rival gang member. It is alleged that Flores, a documented member of a criminal street gang, and four associates got into an altercation with three members of another rival street gang. Flores was seen leaving an apartment complex in Phoenix in a vehicle. Flores was taken into custody without incident.

 - Christopher Handy, 28, was located and apprehended in the area of 19th avenue and Northern. Handy was wanted by Mesa Police Department on Probable Cause for Home Invasion, Aggravated Assault and Kidnapping. Handy was observed walking on the sidewalk and ignored commands made by law enforcement, continuing to drop his hand towards his waist. Once Handy was placed in restraints it was discovered Handy had a hand gun in his waistband.

- Alex Mundo Lara, 28, was arrested in North Carolina on information provided by U.S. Marshals in Tucson, AZ. Lara was wanted on a warrant issued by Pima County Superior Court charging Lara with Murder in the First Degree and Attempted Murder in the First Degree stemming from a drug related shooting that occurred in Tucson, AZ. During a drug transaction with the victim(s) an argument occurred and Lara produced a handgun. Lara shot the victims several times before fleeing the area.

“The Arizona Department of Public Safety is very proud to have been a part of this combined federal, state and local effort to make communities safer by helping to dismantle illegal business operations conducted by criminal gang members,” said Frank Milstead, Arizona Department of Public Safety Director.

"This multi-agency approach to apprehending violent offenders in our community has proven to be a successful method of focusing resources from various agencies towards one common goal,” said Chief Sean Duggan of the Chandler Police Department. “With every apprehension the victims of crimes in our communities can be reassured that the offenders are off the streets making our City a safer place for people to live, work and thrive.”

“This operation is a clear illustration of how effective Law Enforcement can be when they work together towards a common goal,” said Chief Larry Hall of the Buckeye Police Department. “Criminals know no boundaries and Law Enforcement must constantly adapt to the criminal element in order to be successful and better protect our citizens. This partnership shows that we did just that.”

The United States Marshals Service is the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency. Annually, U.S. Marshals arrest more than 50 percent of all federal fugitives and serve more federal warrants than all other federal agencies combined.