Washington, DC -- At
approximately 4 a.m. today, convicted child molester Rabbi Alan
Horowitz of New York state was brought back to the U.S. to finally
answer for his unspeakable crimes against children. Horowitz was
flown into Newark New Jersey International Airport and was met by
the U.S. Marshals and other law enforcement agencies.
Led by the U.S. Marshals and the State Department’s Bureau of
Diplomatic Security, the investigative efforts into the whereabouts
of Horowitz came to an end when he was arrested on May 22 at a
seaside resort in southern India. He had been sitting in a foreign
jail cell awaiting deportation until now.
Horowitz, an ordained Orthodox Rabbi and ivy league-educated child
psychologist, was convicted of 34 counts of child molestation in
Schenectady County, New York. He may have imported illegal materials
into the prison where he was serving time – extending his sentence,
and previously he had been convicted of “perverted sexual practices”
in Maryland. During the
1980s, while living in Israel, police launched an investigation into
charges that Horowitz was sexually abusing some of his second wife’s
children. He fled back to the United States. Even earlier in his
life, he faced a similar investigation while living in North
Carolina.
Most recently, he fled New York state parole in 2006, but continued
to use internet communications while hiding in India. “To locate him
we used a network of tipsters and some of the most extensive
electronic surveillance techniques we’ve ever employed,” said Deputy
U.S. Marshal Gary Mattison (Northern District of New York). Mattison
was the case Deputy assigned to work alongside New York authorities.
When it came time for the actual
arrest, special agents of the State Department stepped in.
“Diplomatic Security’s regional offices in India maintain an
excellent working relationship with local law enforcement,” said
Greg Starr, Director of State Department’s Diplomatic Security
Service. “That type of close, worldwide capability gave us an
unparalleled ability to help apprehend this fugitive.” Horowitz was
on the run from authorities for 11-months in a global manhunt. He
was arrested by local police in Mahabalipuram, India. Authorities
now are determining the most effective approach for returning him to
law enforcement in the U.S. Last year, U.S. Marshals completed
almost 500 fugitive extraditions and deportations. The federal
charge against Horowitz, “unlawful flight to avoid prosecution,” was
based on state parole violation warrants related to his 13-year
imprisonment for sexual molestation of minors.
Information about other fugitives the U.S. Marshals are looking for
may be obtained at
www.usmarshals.gov. For more information about the international
law enforcement work of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, please
see www.state.gov/m/ds.
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