U.S. Marshals Arrest Suspect Who Fled Courtroom in 2011

Greenville, SC – The United States Marshals Service (USMS) have arrested a fugitive who failed to return from a courtroom recess during a trial for cocaine trafficking offenses on March 25, 2011. Ryan Gomez was subsequently was found guilty in absentia and received a sealed sentence from Circuit Court Judge Edward Miller. Two general sessions bench warrants were issued by the Greenville County Sheriff's Office in regards to this case.

Information developed from a law enforcement investigation indicated that Ryan Gomez was living under an alias in the 1700th block of North Bayshore Drive in Miami, Florida. The United States Marshals Service Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force (CRFTF) requested the assistance of the United States Marshals Service Florida Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. On May 11, 2020, the Florida Caribbean Regional Task Force observed Gomez in a parking garage across the street from the building, and he was placed under arrest.

Gomez had been living under the alias of Anthony Kuni for several years in Miami. He was residing in a residential high rise called the Opera Tower and driving a BMW 7 Series at the time of his arrest.

"Wanted subjects who are on the run from law enforcement authorities should not assume that agencies are not continuing to focus the necessary resources to ensure their capture during the COVID-19 pandemic. The arrest of Ryan Gomez is a great example of the continued dedication of law enforcement in South Carolina and Florida," United States Marshal Thomas Griffin said.

The Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force is composed of state and local law enforcement officers from South Carolina and North Carolina, who work directly in conjunction with Deputy U.S. Marshals in order to apprehend state and local violent offenders and sexual predators. The Greenville Division of the Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force consists of law enforcement officers from the Anderson County Sheriff's Office, Greenville County Sheriff's Office, Greenville Police Department, South Carolina Highway Patrol, Pickens County Sheriff's Office, Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office, and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations.