U.S. Marshals New Orleans Task Force, Law Enforcement Partners Conclude Summertime Operations ‘N.O. Saints and Sinners’ and ‘Safe Harbor NOLA’ With 80 Felony Arrests and 16 Missing/Endangered Children Cases Closed

New Orleans, LA – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) New Orleans Task Force sponsored its annual Operation N.O. Saints and Sinners sex offender operation from April 6 to Sept. 9 and a Missing Child Unit Operation Safe Harbor NOLA from May 5 to Aug.15.

Sex Offender Operation N.O. Saints and Sinners resulted in 80 felony arrests, 49 of which were for open sex-based felony offense charges with several of the cases involving child victims, and 31 of the arrests were related to absconding sex offenders who were in violation of their registration duties. One of the arrests was related to murder or attempted murder charges. Two of the arrests were for human trafficking.

Missing Child Operation Safe Harbor NOLA resulted in nine missing/endangered children being recovered or located.

The USMS Sex Offender Investigations Branch and USMS Missing Child Unit (MCU) provided the USMS New Orleans Task Force additional resources and funds for both operations.  

During the same time frame the USMS New Orleans Task Force also continued to arrest other violent felony offenders across the Eastern District of Louisiana on warrants from partner Louisiana law enforcement agencies and other USMS districts across the country.  

The two operations were a partnership between the USMS New Orleans Task Force, New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office (SO), Louisiana Probation and Parole, Homeland Security Investigations, Louisiana State Police, Louisiana Bureau of Investigations, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Crimestoppers Greater New Orleans provided support via tips leading to the arrests of several offenders.  

Highlights of Operations NO Saints and Sinners and Safe Harbor NOLA include:

On May 29 Charles Mangrum was arrested in Baton Rouge after fleeing from law enforcement, causing a 25-minute, high-risk vehicle pursuit.  He was wanted by the Saint Tammany SO and LA P&P for violating his sex offender registration requirements and conditions of parole.  Mangrum is a Tier 3 sex offender in Louisiana who was convicted of Child Sexual Abuse Material and carnal knowledge of a juvenile.

On June 2 James Martin was arrested in Marrero for violating his sex offender registration.  He was wanted by the Jefferson Parish SO.  Martin is a Tier 3 sex offender in Louisiana who was convicted of forcible rape.

On July 27 Emmit Charles was arrested in New Orleans after avoiding his sex offender registration for several years in and out of the U.S.  At the time of the arrest, he had been evading his registration requirements since 2020.  He was wanted by NOPD for violating his sex offender registration along with a joint federal investigation from the Homeland Security Task Force, USMS, and the Gretna Major Crimes TF which resulted in his being charged with 11 counts of felon with a firearm and three counts of unlawful use of body armor.

On Aug. 19 Johnathan Ruffin was arrested in New Orleans for third-degree rape, attempted human trafficking, sexual battery, and for violating his sex offender registration.  He was wanted by NOPD and LSP.  Ruffin is a Tier 3 sex offender convicted in Texas for indecency with a child by exposure.

On Aug. 25 Udraka Roberts-Bey was arrested in Metairie for the unlawful use of a social networking website, which is in violation of his sex offender registration and is linked to a federal human trafficking investigation. He was wanted by NOPD.  Roberts-Bey is a Tier 3 sex offender in Louisiana who was convicted of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor.

A juvenile was reported missing out of New Orleans. USMS received information from a CyberTip line from NCMEC (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children). The anonymous reporter was concerned the juvenile was being sex trafficked after being admitted to a hospital in Mississippi and was believed to be escorting herself in the Mississippi area. A collateral lead was sent to the Southern District of Mississippi where deputy U.S. marshals and members of the Homeland Security Taskforce (HSTF) conducted an undercover operation in attempts to locate the juvenile. The juvenile was located in a motel outside of Jackson, Mississippi.

Marcus Davis was issued an arrest warrant by NOPD on Aug. 11 for human sex trafficking, rape, kidnapping, and multiple counts of felony domestic abuse battery. Davis has a previous criminal history of battery, domestic, resisting an officer and criminal damage to property. Davis was also a person of interest as a suspected human trafficker during several previous MCU recoveries, one of whom was pregnant at the time. It was later learned that Davis was the father of the baby. On Aug. 14 members of the New Orleans Taskforce conducted an enforcement operation in the 2000 block of Lamanche Street in New Orleans. During the operation, Davis was found hiding behind the refrigerator in the kitchen area. A search warrant authored by NOPD led detectives to recover two firearms (one stolen out of New Orleans), a bottle of CDS (Controlled Dangerous Substances) narcotics, and ammunition for the firearms.

Renee Sculze was wanted by the New Orleans Police Department for child sex trafficking and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Sculze has a criminal history dating back to 2018 in Colorado and Florida for child abuse and possession of CDS and paraphernalia. Sculze was arrested in Harrison County, Mississippi, and extradited to New Orleans on an outstanding warrant. Sculze was booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center on Aug. 20 without incident. The victims of the child sex trafficking were both previous USMS Eastern District of Louisiana MCU recoveries.

“This level of success would not be possible without the steadfast collaboration of our law enforcement partners,” said Eastern District of Louisiana U.S. Marshal Enix Smith III.  “Our results hinge on the strength of our partnerships as we remain committed to our mission to protect victims and hold offenders accountable.”

Any information can be provided to the U.S. Marshals Service at (504) 589-6872 or via email at usms.wanted@usdoj.gov.  Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans (GNO) may also be contacted with tips at (504) 822-1111.