Great, now can you post under one name Bouncing Soul?

Now I understand your avatar.

Operation Falcon seizes hundreds of Jersey's most wanted
Friday, November 03, 2006
BY JOHN P. MARTIN
Star-Ledger Staff

Federal and local officers rounded up 548 of New Jersey's most wanted criminals last week, specifically targeting suspected gang members and child predators as part of a national crackdown on fugitives.

The suspects, nabbed in every New Jersey county, included 88 sex offenders, more than a third of whom who had not registered as required by law. Another 95 are gang members. Each faced a felony charge worth at least five years in prison. Six were wanted for murder.

"We arrest bad guys every day, but this is a special mission for us in law enforcement -- to get the worst of the worst off the streets," James Plousis, the U.S. Marshal for New Jersey, said at a news conference in Trenton.

The sweeps, which involved hundreds of state and federal officers, were part of Operation Falcon, an ongoing national effort to locate, prosecute or jail fugitives. More than 10,000 suspects wanted in 24 states were caught last week, including 1,600 sex offenders, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced.

But the arrests also highlighted what has been the stark, hamster-wheel reality here and elsewhere: The jails are often revolving doors. Last week's roundup, the second in 18 months, only cut the New Jersey's fugitive rolls to 21,000, and officials acknowledged that some of the newly caught suspects are likely to post bail and be free again.

Their hope is that a new federal law, enacted this summer, will make a difference. The so-called Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act exposes sex offenders who cross state lines to as many as 10 years in prison for failing to register their whereabouts. "That's going to make a big difference," said Donald Rackley, chief of the marshals service in New Jersey.

None of the suspects has yet been charged under the new law. Deputy U.S. Attorney William Fitzpatrick said his office planned to review the new fugitive cases to see if any could be prosecuted under the new law.

Plousis said the marshals teamed with agencies statewide, including the New Jersey State Police.

Among the New Jersey cases he highlighted yesterday was the capture of Steven Ramos, who fled after being arrested near Atlantic City in April 2005 for allegedly sexually assaulting his stepdaughter. Marshals found him living with his wife and stepdaughter last week in New Haven, Conn.

Another suspect was Damielle Tondee, 23, a reputed Bloods gang member from Jersey City wanted for a fatal shooting on Aug. 6. Officers staked out a Trenton neighborhood for more than 24 hours before nabbing Tondee on the street.

Authorities also pointed to the arrest of Armando Vasquez, a 41-year-old Trentonian they said had been a fugitive since 2002, when he was charged with sexually assaulting a child. He was found in Trenton.

But Superior Court records listed his case as "non-active" and his attorney, Charles Casale, was shocked to hear his client had become a poster child for dangerous predators on the lam.

"What a bunch of baloney," Casale said yesterday.

He said Vasquez was never on the run and had offered to surrender weeks ago when he was notified that "an old claim" was being reinstated. "The guy has been living here for something like 20 years," Casale said.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Michael Schroeder, a spokesman for the agency, disputed that Vasquez offered to surrender; he said officers had to forcibly arrest him when he refused to open his door.

Either way, Vasquez is likely to soon be out.

A judge set bail at $25,000. Vasquez expects to soon be released, his attorney said.

John P. Martin covers federal courts and law enforcement. He can be reached at (973) 622-3405 or jmartin@starledger.com.