San Francisco Fugitive Returned from Mexico After 13 Years on the Run
Diplomatic Security Service Special agents (DSS) recently located California fugitive John Pope in La Paz, Mexico. Pope, who absconded thirteen years ago, from San Francisco, was living in La Paz. He was accused of fraud.
Mexican authorities arrested Pope in La Paz on January 12. Six days later, they returned him to the United States, where he will Mexican authorities in La Paz, Mexico on January 12 and returned to the United States on January 18, 2011 to face trial. face trial.
The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office said John Pope has been wanted since October 20, 1998. He was accused of fraud in the embezzlement of $1,000,000 from the estate of a deceased San Francisco businessman.
Almost three tears ago, on March 20, 2008, the Diplomatic Security Service filed a federal passport fraud warrant for Pope, after he allegedly applied for a United States passport through the mail. Pope used a false name to apply for that document. The Security Service Special Agents in Mexico investigated the passport fraud allegations, in conjunction with local Mexican authorities. They eventually located him in La Paz, and local Mexican police subsequently took Pope into custody.
Next, Special Agents at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City worked with the Government of Mexico to arrange Pope’s return to the United States. The Diplomatic Security Service reports that the US Marshals Service and Mexican authorities returned Pope to Miami, Florida, on January 18.
Once he reached Miami, John Pope was immediately taken to a federal court, and he remains in federal custody.
Before Pop can answer to the fraud charges in San Francisco County, he will travel to the federal District of New Hampshire. The State Department office that processed the false passport application he is alleged to have applied for is in New Hampshire. There, he will face federal passport fraud charges.
The Diplomatic Security Service noted that “John Pope is presumed innocent of both his federal passport and his San Francisco fraud charges unless and until he is proven guilty in a court of law.”
Speaking about the case, the Director of the Diplomatic Security Service, Jeffrey W. Culver, said, “John Pope’s capture after 13 years on the run is evidence that those who commit passport fraud will not escape justice. The Diplomatic Security Service not only investigates false passports, but our Special Agents assigned to American Embassies in more 185 countries pursue hundreds of international fugitives every year. This success of this capture is an example of Diplomatic Security’s excellent relationship and cooperation with Mexican authorities and our tireless pursuit of those who flee American justice.”
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security was involved with more than 1575 arrests around the world, in 2010. These arrests are mainly related to passport and visa fraud.
