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A&E NETWORK PREMIERES NEW ORIGINAL REAL-LIFE SERIES MANHUNTERS: FUGITIVE TASK FORCE

THROUGH UNPRECEDENTED ACCESS, A&E TAKES VIEWERS ON THE HUNT WITH THE ELITE AGENTS OF THE U.S. MARSHALS FUGITIVE TASK FORCE AS THEY TRACK THE NATION'S MOST DANGEROUS FELONS

TWENTY-ONE EPISODE HALF-HOUR SERIES DEBUTS TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9 AT 10PM ET/PT

NEW YORK, NY OCTOBER 29, 2008 -- They are the best-of-the-best, hunting down the worst-of-the-worst . . . everyone from the DC Snipers and triple-homicide felons to major international fugitives. They are the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, and they are the ultimate "manhunters." Mandated by Congress after 9/11, the Task Force is made up of multiple federal, state and local agencies, and has the unique ability to transcend jurisdictions in order to work together, unfettered by local boundaries, towards the common goal of catching the most violent criminals on the run.

MANHUNTERS: FUGITIVE TASK FORCE, premiering Tuesday, December 9 at 10:00pm ET/PT on A&E, follows the elite agents of the NY/NJ Division in the heart of New York City, the most active unit in the country, as they track down a different dangerous felon in each episode.

The Task Force includes Commander Lenny DePaul. Lenny joined the U.S. Marshals Service in 1989 and has been in the fugitive program since 1991. A former member of the Navy's elite amphibious assault group, he also spent five years with the Secret Service serving in the Reagan White House. Deputized U.S. Marshal Tommy Kilbride, a 17-year veteran of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, and a supervisor with their Detention and Removal Operations (DRO) unit). Deputy U.S. Marshal Michelle �Michy' Mendez. Michy was recruited by the U.S. Marshals Service while an undergraduate, studying criminal justice. Deputized U.S. Marshal Roxanne Lopez. Roxanne, a detective with the Spring Valley, NY Police Department's Special Investigations Unit, joined the Task Force in 2003. Detective and deputized U.S. Marshal Rasheen �Pep' Peppers. Born and raised in Newark, NJ Rasheen has been with the Newark Police Department for 12 1/2 years. Deputized U.S. Marshal Federico Merced. For the past 15 years Federico has been an investigator with the NY State Inspector General's Escape and Abscond Unit. He joined the Task Force three months ago and is the newest member of the team. Vinny Senzamici, a deputized U.S. Marshal, and senior parole officer with the NY State Division of Parole. Vinny, who is known for his "hard nose" investigative style, joined the Task Force in 2002. And Deputy U.S. Marshal Mike Romani. A 15 year veteran of law enforcement, Mike has been with the Marshals service since 1998.

Stories in season one of the high-stakes, heart-pounding real-life series include: the Marshals on the hunt for an alleged former member of the "Jamaican Shower Posse," a Brooklyn gang renowned for showering their enemies with bullets; a female bank robber who made her hit on Valentine's Day; and an alleged elite member of the infamous Columbian drug cartel; one of the largest and most notorious drug organizations in the world.

Robert Sharenow and Laura Fleury are executive producers for A&E. MANHUNTERS:: FUGITIVE TASK FORCE is produced for A&E Network by Stars & Stripes Media, Inc. Executive producers are Gary Tarpinian, Stuart Goodman and Vincent Scarza. Supervising producer is Paninee Theeranuntawat. Series producer is Sonia Slutsky and senior producer is Siobhan Walshe.

A&E is "Real Life. Drama." Now reaching more than 97 million homes, A&E is television that you can't turn away from; where real life shows are dramatic and scripted dramas are authentic. A&E offers a diverse mix of high quality entertainment; ranging from the network's original scripted series including "The Cleaner" starring Benjamin Bratt and "The Beast" starring Patrick Swayze, to signature Real-Life franchises, including the Emmy-nominated "Intervention," "Dog The Bounty Hunter," "Paranormal State" and "Criss Angel Mindfreak," and the most successful justice shows on cable, including "The First 48" and "Crime 360." The A&E website is located at www.aetv.com.