Former Lawman And Accused Child Rapist Returned To Washington State To Face Charges
International fugitive and accused child rapist Kenneth John Freeman has been returned to the United States from China today, in the custody of Deputy U.S. Marshals and federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents. He is expected to be formally arraigned on his federal charges tomorrow morning in the U.S. District Court in Spokane, said James A. McDevitt, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, Karin Immergut, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, and Andy Miller, Benton County Prosecuting Attorney.
Freeman, 45, is charged with one count of producing child pornography and one count of transporting child pornography by authorities in the Eastern District of Washington, and with three counts involving transporting a minor across state lines and producing child pornography by the District court in Oregon. He also is charged with three counts of rape of a child in the first degree and one count of bail jumping by authorities in Benton County, Washington. Local law enforcement officials went public with their search for Freeman as early as last December, when he was featured on television’s America’s Most Wanted. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children played a crucial role in determining the location of the crimes.
He had fled the country in March 2006, and authorities sought help from the U.S. Marshals, ICE, and other federal agencies. Freeman’s name was placed on the Marshals’ 15 "Most Wanted Fugitives" list and on ICE's "Most Wanted" fugitives listing. Freeman became the subject of a worldwide manhunt. A team of investigators from the various agencies and from State Department’s Diplomatic Security tracked him to China.
On May 1, the international fugitive pursuit ended when Hong Kong authorities subdued Freeman, a former competitive bodybuilder, as he arrived at the city’s bus depot to begin a holiday trip. Throughout the pursuit, special agents of State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service and law enforcement authorities in Suzhou and Hong Kong were key players on the ground. During those weeks, U.S. Marshals and ICE agents carefully monitored Freeman, waiting for him to enter Hong Kong, which has maintained extradition treaties with the United States. In the end, however, Freeman waived the lengthy extradition process and agreed to be returned to the United States to face the charges against him.
Freeman’s wife, Maleka May, was apprehended by U.S. Marshals on May 3, 2007, when she returned to the United States following Freeman’s arrest in Hong Kong. She recently pled guilty to two charges of making false statements to Customs and Border Protection officers and U.S. Marshals about her husband’s whereabouts. She admitted concealing her role in accompanying Freeman across the Canadian border on March 23, 2006, to catch a flight from Vancouver, Canada to China, where he then traveled to the interior city of Suzhou, People’s Republic of China. Maleka May is scheduled to be sentenced in November, in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco.
A conviction for producing child pornography carries a penalty of 10-20 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to life term of court supervision after release. A conviction for transporting child pornography carries a penalty of 5-20 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to life term of court supervision after release. Two of the counts pending in the District of Oregon carry penalties of 10-20 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of court supervision after release. The third count pending in the District of Oregon carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of court supervision after release. Each of the three counts of rape of a child in the first degree pending in Benton County, Washington, carries a penalty of not less than 14 years and up to life term of imprisonment.
Prosecution for rape charges facing Freeman, who is a former reserve sheriff’s deputy and avid computer expert, will follow after the federal charges are resolved. That case is being investigated and prosecuted by the Richland Police Department, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, and the Benton County Prosecutor’s Office. The fugitive case was handled by the U.S. Marshals, ICE, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, and the State Department’s Diplomatic Security. Federal charges related to the alleged crimes are being handled by the United States Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern District of California, the District of Oregon and the Eastern District of Washington.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant Is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Contact:
Darby G. Holladay
571-345-2507
Holladaydg@state.gov
