A months-long federal sweep arrested 491 wanted fugitives who were living in taxpayer-funded housing in cities across the country.
Story Highlights
- HUD announced the 491 arrests on Thursday, October 8, 2026, under a push called Operation Clean House.
- The goal was to remove wanted criminals from HUD-assisted housing and make those homes safer for the families who live there.
- U.S. Marshals, HUD’s internal watchdog and local police made the arrests in cities from New York and Chicago to Los Angeles and Memphis.
- In the Cleveland area alone, 68 people in HUD housing were arrested over 12 days in September.
What Operation Clean House Did
HUD is the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the federal agency that pays for public housing and rent vouchers for low-income families. Its Office of Inspector General, the agency’s own team of investigators, worked with the U.S. Marshals Service and state and local police. Together they tracked down fugitives, people wanted on outstanding warrants, who were living in homes paid for in part by taxpayers. The operation ran for several months and wrapped up on October 5, according to reports.
HUD said the arrests took place across 12 cities. It named Memphis, New York City, Newark, Chicago, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City, Kansas, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Minneapolis and Columbus, Ohio, among others. HUD Secretary Scott Turner said the operation removed “dangerous drug traffickers, rapists, and sex offenders” from federal housing. “We will not allow criminal predators and fraudsters to use HUD housing as a haven,” he said.
City by City
In the Cleveland area, a Marshals task force worked from September 14 to 25. It arrested 68 people who were receiving HUD housing help, plus seven others it came across who had open felony warrants. One man arrested there was wanted for promoting prostitution and felonious assault, and was carrying a gun when officers found him. “Operation Clean House demonstrates the strength and effectiveness of our law enforcement partnerships,” said Shawn A. Rice, a special agent in charge with HUD’s inspector general office.
In Minnesota, a four-day sweep in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area in February led to 16 arrests of people living in subsidized housing. Those 16 faced more than 33 active felony warrants, for crimes including drug offenses, aggravated assault and robbery. Eddie Frizell, the U.S. Marshal for Minnesota, called the results “extraordinary.”
Why It Matters to Taxpayers
Public housing is meant to give struggling families a safe place to live. When wanted criminals hide in those units, the families next door pay the price. “Public housing is for the needy, not criminals,” said Scott Brady, who runs the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. HUD placed the sweep inside its wider effort with that task force to cut waste and fraud in its programs.
Brian D. Harrison, HUD’s acting inspector general, said the arrests are “only one part of our strategy” to protect HUD programs. The 491 were arrested on outstanding warrants. An arrest is not a conviction, and any charge still has to be proven in court. For the families who share hallways and playgrounds with them, the arrests mean fewer wanted fugitives living next door.
Sources:
newsbreak.com, audacy.com, usmarshals.gov
