U.S. Marshals in Connecticut Capture Puerto Rico Man Wanted on Charges in Massachusetts

Hartford, CT – The Connecticut U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force, Willimantic SWAT team and detectives’ division today arrested a man wanted in Massachusetts on multiple charges following a December 2023 shooting incident left one man dead.

Lee George-Maldonado, 28, of Puerto Rico, is charged in Massachusetts with murder, carrying a firearm without a license, attempt to commit a crime, kidnapping with a firearm, and two counts of attempted assault and battery with a firearm. Maldonado is also facing domestic violence charges out of Puerto Rico.

Following their investigation into the shooting that left Juan Castro, 44, dead outside his home on Bank Street Dec. 23, 2023, the Fall River, Massachusetts, Police Department obtained an arrest warrant for Maldonado May 17 and requested the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service to locate and apprehend him.  

The U.S Marshals investigation led them to a residence in the 20 block of Taylor Court in Willimantic, where Maldonado was hiding out.

Maldonado was taken into custody charged as a fugitive from justice and is being held pending extradition to Massachusetts to face the charges against him.

Since the inception of the U.S. Marshals – Connecticut Violent Fugitive Task Force in 1999, these partnerships have resulted in over 11,046 arrests (Updated as of 9/08/2022). The task force’s objective is to seek out and arrest violent fugitives and sexual predators. Membership agencies include Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Norwalk, Waterbury Police Departments and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. These arrests have ranged in seriousness from murder, assault, unregistered sex offenders, probation and parole violations and numerous other serious offenses. Nationally the United States Marshals Service fugitive programs are carried out with local law enforcement in 94 district offices, 85 local fugitive task forces, eight regional task forces, as well as a growing network of offices in foreign countries.