(WWJ) Federal charges have been brought against 22 people thus far in Detroit as a result of Operation Legend.
The U.S. Attorney's Office made the announcement in an update Wednesday, just a few weeks after President Donald Trump said around 200 federal agents and deputy marshals would be deployed and permanently reassigned to Detroit, Cleveland and Milwaukee to help local police apprehend violent criminals.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr released the following details about nearly two-dozen people charged in Detroit so far, with some defendants charged with multiple offenses.
• 14 defendants have been charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm;• Two have been charged with possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances;• Two have been charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking;• Three have been charged with receipt of a firearm while under indictment;• Four have been charged with making false statement to a licensed firearm dealer; and• Two have been charged with carjacking.
Officials said 32 federal agents are already at work in Detroit, with 10 more due to arrive in the fall.
This action comes as homicides are up 25% in Detroit and shootings are up 51%, with nearly 380 being shot in the last two months alone, including 63 fatalities.
Barr, who toured Detroit in a helicopter on Tuesday, said while he wouldn't call this "an intervention" he believes Detroit does need an increase in law enforcement to help fight the city's escalating gun violence.
Across the country there have been more than 1,000 arrests since the special operation was launched in early July, the feds said. The initiative is named in honor of four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed while he slept early in the morning of June 29 in Kansas City.
