FBI Puts Joseph Matos on Ten Most Wanted List With $1 Million Reward

The FBI added Joseph "Troubles" Matos to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on Tuesday, Oct 20, and raised the reward for information leading to his arrest to $1 million. Matos, 44, is wanted over the July 3, 2021 shooting death of Illinois National Guard member Chrys Carvajal in Chicago. FBI Chicago Special Agent in Charge Ryan Whalen announced the move alongside the Chicago Police Department and federal prosecutors, the FBI said.

"Today's addition of Matos to the FBI's notorious Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list ensures that his face and description will be found on every FBI-affiliated website and social media platform," Whalen said. "The FBI is committed to utilizing every tool in our arsenal to ensure that violent criminals are identified, apprehended, and removed from the community."

The 2021 killing

Carvajal was 19 and home on Independence Day weekend, celebrating his graduation from National Guard basic training. On July 3, 2021, he was walking to his car after a gathering in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood on Chicago's North Side when he was shot and killed. The FBI says Matos and a fellow gang member carried out the shooting. Carvajal had hoped to become a Chicago police officer, according to earlier local reporting on the case.

Chicago police arrested Matos shortly after the killing, ABC 7 Chicago reported, but the Cook County state's attorney's office concluded at the time that there was not enough evidence to file charges. The U.S. Attorney's Office later charged Matos and Gary Roberson in federal court in connection with the murder. Roberson is in federal custody, and his trial is scheduled to begin early next year.

Who the FBI says Matos is

The FBI says Matos is a member of the Milwaukee Kings street gang, which investigators describe as a North Side Chicago organization involved in drug trafficking and violence, including murder, committed to hold its territory. An arrest warrant for Matos was issued in 2024. He is charged federally with racketeering and gun offenses.

Matos is 6 feet 2 inches tall and about 220 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. The FBI lists tattoos that make him hard to mistake: "M-Town Kings" on the right side of his neck, "1300" on the left side, "Move in Silence" on his right hand, "Trust No One" on his left hand, and "MOST WANTED" across his abdomen. The bureau says he is believed to be in the United States, may have ties to Dallas and California, and could still be hiding in the greater Chicago area.

Why it matters

The Ten Most Wanted list is the FBI's loudest public tool. A place on it puts a fugitive's face on billboards, phones and police bulletins across the country, and the $1 million reward is the standard top figure the bureau now attaches to listed fugitives. For Carvajal's family, who have campaigned publicly for five years, the listing is the biggest escalation in the case since the federal charges. It also raises the pressure on anyone sheltering Matos: harboring a listed fugitive carries its own federal exposure.

What happens next

The FBI is asking anyone who sees Matos or knows where he is to contact the FBI Chicago field office or the nearest FBI office or U.S. embassy. Agents say he should be considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached. Roberson's federal trial early next year will test part of the government's case in open court, but the central figure in the Carvajal killing remains at large until a tip lands.