Petersburg Fugitive Apprehended by U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force

RICHMOND, VA—Shawn Rives, 33, of Petersburg, Virginia, was arrested today on an outstanding federal warrant after failing to appear in court on November 7, 2013. Rives was indicted on October 16, 2013, and failed to appear before United States District Court Judge James R. Spencer for his arraignment. He is charged with two counts of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine base and three counts of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride. If convicted, Rives faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison on each of the cocaine base counts and 20 years in prison on each of the cocaine hydrochloride counts.

Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jeffrey C. Mazanec, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; Robert Mathieson, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Ray J. Tarasovic, Chief of Police for the City of Richmond Police Department, made the announcement.

The United States Marshal Service (USMS) Fugitive Task Force, in conjunction with the FBI, arrested Rives early this morning at the Southwood Apartments in Richmond, Virginia. According to an affidavit filed in the case, as the Fugitive Task Force made entry into the apartment, Rives kicked through the drywall of a closet in the residence and squeezed through the wall, entering the bedroom of a 5-year-old girl in the apartment next door where he attempted to hide.

An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the FBI and the Richmond Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Angela Mastandrea-Miller is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.