Adviser to Americans Jailed in Haiti Is Arrested

Adviser to Americans Jailed in Haiti Is Arrested
By MARC LACEY and IAN URBINA


MEXICO CITY — Dominican authorities announced Friday that they arrested Jorge Torres Puello, who acted as a legal adviser for a group of American church members detained in Haiti on child abduction charges even though he himself was wanted on trafficking charges in the United States and El Salvador.
Working together with the United States Marshals Service and other United States law enforcement agencies, the Dominican authorities detained Mr. Torres Thursday night without incident in the parking lot of a McDonald’s restaurant in Santo Domingo, the officials said.

Mr. Torres, who used a variety of aliases and falsely described himself as a lawyer, dropped out of sight in February after The New York Times asked him about trafficking charges against someone with a similar name and likeness in El Salvador.

In El Salvador, Mr. Torres is wanted on accusations of human trafficking and exploitation of minors for pornography and prostitution. In the United States, he faces accusations of alien smuggling in Vermont and of probation violations for fraud in Pennsylvania. He is also wanted in Canada, American officials said.

“The location and arrest of this fugitive, wanted by three countries on some of the most egregious charges that ICE investigates, is an example of top-notch cooperation among law enforcement agencies in all these countries and our colleagues at Interpol,” John Morton, assistant secretary of Homeland Security for United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said in a statement. “Hiding behind fake names or using phony identifications and passports will not protect those who prey on the most vulnerable in our societies.”

Still, Mr. Torres managed to remain on the lam for more than a month, during which time he sent emails to reporters, set up a Web site declaring his innocence and contributed to many blogs. He said he was in Panama and planned to turn himself in to Salvadoran authorities.

John F. Clark, director of the Marshals Service said in a statement that once the international manhunt began for Mr. Torres “the world becomes a very small place for a fugitive to hide.”

Nine of the 10 Americans arrested by the Haitian authorities while trying to take the children to the Dominican Republic after the devastating earthquake in Haiti were later released.

The leader, Laura Silsby, remains in custody.
Marc Lacey reported from Mexico City and Ian Urbina from New York. Kitty Bennett contributed reporting.

Extrait de WASHINGTON POST

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