U.S. Marshals Arrest More Than 330 Fugitive Sex Offenders in Nationwide Operation; Four Captured in North Georgia
ATLANTA, Ga. – The U.S. Marshals Service, working alongside state and local law enforcement agencies across the country, arrested more than 330 fugitives during a nationwide enforcement operation targeting wanted sex offenders and individuals accused of failing to comply with sex offender registration laws.
The multi-week initiative, known as Operation Adam’s Watch, concluded on July 24, 2026, and involved law enforcement agencies in 37 federal judicial districts across the United States.
The operation was conducted in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the Adam Walsh Act, which strengthened sex offender registration and enforcement requirements nationwide.
Four Arrested in North Georgia
The Northern District of Georgia participated in the operation, resulting in the arrests of four individuals:
- Steven Creech, originally convicted of using a computer to lure children and obscene internet contact with children.
- Dehaan Graves, originally convicted of multiple counts of child molestation.
- Antonio Cervantes, originally convicted of child molestation.
- Earnest Simpson, originally convicted of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature against a 14-year-old.
Authorities said the operation focused on locating fugitives wanted for failing to register as sex offenders, sex assault offenses, and other sex-related crimes while also assisting state and local agencies in verifying offenders’ compliance with registration requirements.
U.S. Marshals Highlight Ongoing Commitment
Acting U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Georgia Stephen Serrao said enforcing the Adam Walsh Act remains one of the agency’s top priorities.
“During my tenure as the U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Georgia, significant resources will continue to be dedicated to carrying out the mission of enforcing the Adam Walsh Act,” Serrao said. “Our Sex Offender Investigations Initiative is a priority program in our office, and we will continue to locate, arrest, and prosecute violators in the Northern District.”
U.S. Marshals Service Director Gadyaces S. Serralta said the agency’s nationwide partnerships make it uniquely equipped to locate fugitives.
“We are the best in the world at finding people,” Serralta said. “We have the tools and the talent no one else has.”
Decades of Enforcement
Operation Adam’s Watch included federal, state, and local agencies from Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and other participating jurisdictions.
According to the U.S. Marshals Service:
- More than 52,000 federal failure-to-register investigations have been opened since the Adam Walsh Act became law.
- More than 7,500 federal failure-to-register warrants have been closed by arrest.
- Since 2006, the Marshals Service and its fugitive task forces have arrested more than 250,000 fugitives wanted on sex offense, sexual assault, or failure-to-register warrants.
- More than 5,300 sex offender compliance operations have been conducted nationwide.
- During those operations, law enforcement has completed more than 842,000 compliance checks on registered sex offenders.
Officials said Operation Adam’s Watch reflects the Marshals Service’s continuing effort to locate and arrest non-compliant sex offenders and enhance public safety through partnerships with state and local law enforcement agencies.
