Seventy-five people were arrested during a two-week law enforcement sweep targeting fugitives living in taxpayer-subsidized housing across the Cleveland area, federal officials announced Wednesday. U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott and other agencies said more than 70 fugitives were taken into custody as part of Operation Clean House, which ran from September 14 through September 25.
Separately, 68 arrests were made during Operation Clean Sweep in Cleveland, according to Cleveland 19 News. During Operation Clean House, seven people were taken into custody after officers encountered them with outstanding felony warrants. Three of the 75 people arrested were found in possession of firearms, and the release did not share the names of those arrested.
The operation drew on a wide coalition of law enforcement. Beyond the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General, the effort pulled in Homeland Security Investigations, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Cleveland Police Department and the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office, according to WKYC. That station also reports that officers recovering weapons during the sweep arrested at least one suspect who was in active possession of a firearm.
A National Program With Ohio Roots
Operation Clean House isn't a one-city effort. The station's report notes that participating agencies developed information about wanted fugitives living in HUD housing throughout the Cleveland area before making arrests, and similar operations saw success in Columbus, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and New York during 2026.
A six-day Operation Clean House in Columbus in February 2026 resulted in more than 50 fugitive arrests in government-subsidized housing, according to a HUD Office of Inspector General report. Hoodline previously covered an earlier Columbus sweep that led to the recovery of three missing kids alongside a wanted fugitive arrest.
Cleveland's 75 arrests rank among the largest single-city totals the initiative has produced this year. Comparable HUD-OIG and U.S. Marshals sweeps led to 41 arrests in Philadelphia in September 2026 and 16 arrests in Minneapolis, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Legal Grounds for Removing Fugitives From Subsidized Units
Federal housing regulations give property owners and housing authorities explicit legal footing to act once a resident is identified as a fugitive. Under 24 CFR § 966.4 and 24 CFR § 982.310, public housing authorities and subsidized property owners hold statutory authority to terminate leases if a resident is fleeing felony prosecution or violating probation or parole, according to the federal regulatory code.
Elliott called the collaboration between the U.S. Marshals Service and HUD-OIG in Cleveland incredibly successful. The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force, which Elliott leads, participated directly in the operation alongside HUD-OIG investigators.
A Task Force Built on Decades of Local History
The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force was created in June 2003 in memory of Cleveland Police Patrolman Wayne Leon, who was shot and killed in the line of duty by an escaped fugitive, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. The task force surpassed 60,000 total violent fugitive arrests in April 2025 since its founding.
Elliott himself has led the effort for more than two decades. He was appointed U.S. Marshal in March 2003 by President George W. Bush and was retained under three subsequent presidential administrations, making him the longest-serving U.S. Marshal in Ohio history, per the FBI Cleveland Citizens Academy Alumni Association. The task force now operates across eight regional divisions with more than 100 federal, state and municipal member agencies and over 300 task force officers, according to a separate WKYC report.
HUD-OIG's presence in Cuyahoga County extends beyond fugitive sweeps. The agency also conducts regulatory audits of local housing entities, including a July 2024 audit evaluating the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority's oversight of lead-based paint in public housing.
Anyone with information on wanted fugitives is asked to contact the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4WANTED (1-866-492-6833). Tipsters may remain anonymous and could be eligible for reward money.
