USMS DC/SC Sex Offender Investigations Squad Secures 300th Conviction

Washington, DC - On Aug. 29, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) District of Columbia – Superior Court Sex Offender Investigations Squad (DCSC SOIS) secured its 300th conviction for violations of sex offender registration laws. 

The DCSC SOIS was created in December 2011 and comprises full-time and collateral duty investigators dedicated to enforcing the Adam Walsh and Child Safety Protection Act of 2006 and the District of Columbia Sex Offender Registration Act of 1999 in and around the Washington metropolitan area.

Since its inception, the squad has initiated over 800 sex offender investigations, arrested offenders for other related offenses, and executed dozens of search warrants.  Due to the diligent work of the DCSC SOIS and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, there was a 90 percent conviction rate in these cases.

Through these investigative efforts, the DCSC SOIS has often discovered additional criminal activities including additional sex offenses, drug trafficking, tax and benefit fraud, gun registration violations, and identity thefts.  Consequently, during the execution of search warrants resulting from these sex offender cases, the DCSC SOIS has also seized firearms, narcotics, currency and other instruments used in criminal activities.

The DCSC SOIS is part of the USMS Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force and the agency’s Sex Offender Investigations Branch, a headquarters component.  In its conduct of sex offender investigations, the DCSC SOIS works very closely with the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, Metropolitan Police Department, U.S. Attorney’s Office, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Sex Offender Tracking Team, National Sex Offender Targeting Center, and other federal and local law enforcement partners.

These investigations and prosecutions are only successful due to the strong cooperation and participation of the aforementioned agencies.

The U.S. Marshals Service established its Sex Offender Investigations Branch following the passage of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, on July 27, 2006, to protect the public from sex offenders through the coordinated enforcement of sex offender registration laws.  

The SOIB's role in carrying out the USMS efforts relative to the AWA focus largely on three responsibilities: (1) Assist state, local, tribal and territorial authorities in the location and apprehension of non-compliant and fugitive sex offenders; (2) Investigate violations of the act for federal prosecution; and (3) Assist in the identification and location of sex offenders relocated as a result of a major disaster.  

Since the program’s inception in July 2006, the USMS has arrested 169,769 fugitive sex offenders, closed 237,959 sex offender warrants, initiated 49,996 Adam Walsh investigations and obtained 8,323 Adam Walsh violation arrest warrants – closing 7,266 by USMS arrest.