Deputy U.S. Marshal Receives Award for Innovation in Law Enforcement

Deputy U.S. Marshal Michael (Mike) Nyhof, of the Western District of Michigan, was presented the 2026 Hope Award in a ceremony led by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) on September 17, 2026. DUSM (Deputy U.S. Marshal) Nyhof developed, in collaboration with the Investigative Operations Division, an innovative approach to pursuing dangerous offenders in support of Operation Survivor Justice. Their work helped bring approximately 190 wanted sex offenders to justice in Michigan and has since become a model for operations nationwide.

In early 2024, Deputy Nyhof began formulating a concept for a fugitive apprehension operation that was outside the parameters and barriers seen in previously planned operations. The plan ultimately became clear; obtain funding to change extradition limits and use an intelligence-based approach to prioritize fugitive cases.

In coordination with local agencies and the NCMEC Sex Offender Tracking Team, a list of offenders was identified. After the list was created, Nyhof began the planning process for the operation. Once the operation began, law enforcement partners began to locate and arrest the fugitive sex offenders. 

Mid-year 2024, Operation Survivor Justice received one-million-dollars direct from the Michigan legislature, and an additional half-million dollars from the DOJ office of Violence Against Women. The money would be used to allow county prosecutors to change warrants from “limited extradition” to “Nation-wide extradition” by paying for the extraditions. The first year of the operation produced nearly 100 arrests.

In 2025 Operation Survivor Justice expanded beyond Michigan, becoming Mission Survivor Justice. Six Districts outside the state of Michigan have reported arrests under Mission Survivor Justice. Most notably the Northern District of Texas ran a Mission Survivor Justice Operation in Dallas, TX in the summer of 2025. Mission Survivor Justice Dallas arrested 118 fugitives charged with a combined 400 sex crime charges. A key variable in the success of the operation is the partnership with the NCMEC Sex Offender Tracking Team, the IOD-BIC (​Investigative Operations Division - Business Integration Center), and IOD-FTU (Fugitive Targeting Unit).

The intelligence platform developed by the Survivor Justice team is available to interested USMS employees with current NCIC (National Crime Information Center) access. To gain access complete a USM-441. Contact DUSM Nyhof for training.

“It takes immense courage for survivors, especially at such a young age, to come forward and confront their abusers,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said at the time of conviction. “Operation Survivor Justice was created to honor that courage and deliver the justice and closure this victim and others deserve. It continues to demonstrate how vital this partnership is in bringing these fugitives back to Michigan to face accountability.”

“Mission Survivor Justice is a proven model. A model that can be applied and spread to close extradition loopholes, like our partners are doing at the Michigan Attorney General’s Office. A model that marries local law enforcement and prosecutors with the incredible reach of the U.S. Marshals Service and the resources of the NCMEC. I am incredibly proud that our team has been able to help nearly 500 survivors, but we are just beginning,” said Deputy Nyhof during his award acceptance speech.

Additional Photos:

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