491 Fugitives Hiding In Public Housing Arrested In Nationwide Sweep

Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,

A multi-month law enforcement operation has led to the arrests of 491 criminal fugitives living in government-assisted housing.

The multi-agency initiative, Operation Clean House, was carried out by the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD's) Office of Inspector General (OIG) along with the U.S. Marshals Service and other state and local law enforcement partners across 12 cities, including Memphis, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Columbus, and Minneapolis, HUD said in an Oct. 8 statement.

"We will not allow criminal predators and fraudsters to use HUD housing as a haven or live freely on the taxpayer's dime," HUD Secretary Scott Turner said in the statement.

"Operation Clean House removed dangerous drug traffickers, rapists, and sex offenders and delivered real accountability. President Trump promised to restore once-great American cities, and we are fulfilling that promise by making our communities safer."

The arrested individuals include those wanted for serious criminal offenses such as rape, murder, aggravated assault, sex offenses against children, drug trafficking, manufacturing incendiary devices, and weapons offenses, HUD - OIG said in an Oct. 5 statement. Authorities seized 10 firearms as part of the operation.

The operation was part of a wider effort to ensure safe and sec