Texas Border Business
AUSTIN, Texas – Three of Texas’ 10 Most Wanted offenders are back in custody following their recent arrests. Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender Juan Sauseda was arrested in Houston on June 28. Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives Shawn Mueller was arrested in Houston on June 28 and Victor Gaeta was arrested June 24 in Anthony. A Crime Stoppers reward will be paid in Gaeta’s capture.
Juan Tiofilo Sauseda, 40, was taken into custody by members of the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Fugitive Task Force with coordination from members of the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force in Amarillo, including Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Special Agents. The Houston Police Department assisted in the multi-agency fugitive investigation. In 2009, Sauseda was convicted of indecency with a child by sexual contact and subsequently sentenced to 15 years of confinement in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) prison. He was last released on parole in 2021 and was required to register annually as a sex offender.
Sauseda had been wanted since February 2022, when the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles issued a warrant for his arrest for a parole violation. That same day, the Gray County Sheriff’s Office issued multiple warrants for Sauseda’s arrest for failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements. For more information, view his captured bulletin.
Shawn Paul Mueller, 38, was arrested by members of the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Fugitive Task Force, including DPS Special Agents. In 2007, Mueller was convicted of manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance and subsequently received a seven-year sentence of confinement in a TDCJ prison. In 2017, he was convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and received probation. In 2020, Mueller was convicted of assault of a family/household member with previous conviction and subsequently received a two-year sentence of confinement in a TDCJ prison.
Mueller had been wanted since October 2021, when the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles issued a warrant for his arrest for a parole violation. Additionally, in November 2021, the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office issued a warrant for his arrest for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. For more information, view his captured bulletin.
Victor Manuel Gaeta, 51, was arrested in Anthony (El Paso County) by members of the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, including DPS Special Agents. The Anthony Police Department assisted in the multi-agency fugitive investigation. In 2005, Gaeta was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced to two years of confinement in a TDCJ prison. In 2009, he was convicted of selling, distributing or dispensing narcotics and subsequently sentenced to 51 months of imprisonment in a federal facility, followed by three years of supervised release.
Gaeta had been wanted since November 2022, when the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office issued a warrant for his arrest for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. For more information, view his captured bulletin.
Texas Crime Stoppers, which is funded by the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division, offers cash rewards to any person who provides information that leads to the arrest of one of Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Fugitives or Sex Offenders. So far in 2023, DPS and other agencies have arrested 22 of Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Fugitives and Sex Offenders. In addition, $76,000 in rewards has been paid for tips that yielded arrests.
To be eligible for cash rewards, tipsters MUST provide information to authorities using one of the following three methods:
- Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).
- Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about then clicking on the link under their picture.
- Submit a Facebook tip by clicking the “SUBMIT A TIP” link (under the “About” section).
All tips are anonymous — regardless of how they are submitted — and tipsters will be provided a tip number instead of using a name.
DPS investigators work with local law enforcement agencies to select fugitives for the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives and Sex Offenders Lists. You can find the current lists — with photos — on the DPS website.
Do not attempt to apprehend these fugitives; they are considered armed and dangerous.
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