US Marshals Arrest 38 in 3-Month Operation Across New Orleans

A monthslong operation carried out by the U.S. Marshals Service in New Orleans led to 38 arrests, including a dozen accused of felony sex offender registration violations and more, the agency said in a statement this week.

From Oct. 16, 2025, to Jan. 17, “Operation Boo Dat,” in conjunction with local law enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security’s investigatory arm, resulted in the arrest of 38 people, 12 of them on charges of sex offender registration violations.

“Several of the sex offender registration violation fugitives had been out of compliance with their local registration obligations between two and five-plus years,” the U.S. Marshals said, according to a news release issued on Jan. 20.

The operation also resulted in the recovery of an 18-month-old child in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, although no further information was provided by the agency. It said there are “20 remaining targets” in the operation who are still considered at large, noting that a reward is available for people who provide information leading to an arrest.

“The serious nature of these offenses underscores the urgency of our mission. These arrests reflect our relentless pursuit of individuals who have evaded justice for too long. Together, we will continue to seek protections for victims and work towards a safer community,” U.S. Marshal Enix Smith III said in a statement.

Details about some of the suspects were provided by the marshals, including the October arrest of a man wanted by local officials since June 2025 on felony charges of alleged “indecent behavior with juveniles and an October 2025 felony warrant for sexual conduct between educator and student.”

Officials in October arrested a suspect wanted by sheriff’s offices on a felony warrant for alleged sexual battery and indecent behavior with a juvenile, the agency said. According to a warrant from the New Orleans Police Department, the suspect allegedly tried to sexually assault and rape a 10-year-old in a residence in July 2025. Officials later added he allegedly had threatened to kill the child’s mother.

Another suspect is believed to be a local gang member wanted for alleged armed robbery with a firearm in an incident in September, the agency said, adding that he was also wanted on a September police warrant for allegedly assaulting his pregnant girlfriend. He was detained in December by the U.S. Marshals.

This month, the marshals arrested a suspect on a warrant for three counts of first-degree rape and indecent behavior with a juvenile, it said.

Other iterations of Operation Boo Dat, a reference to the NFL’s New Orleans Saints’ “Who Dat” rallying cry, have been carried out in that area in recent years, including in 2021 when the U.S. Marshals Service recovered five missing and endangered teens, and made 30 arrests. In January 2025, the service announced that 50 people were arrested on a range of charges, including some with sex offender violations.

The announcement comes about a month after Department of Justice (DOJ), which oversees the U.S. Marshals, said it located 205 child victims and arrested 293 alleged child sex abuse offenders in a nationwide operation.