October 18, 2007

Accused child rapist Kenneth Freeman returned to U.S. from Hong Kong

Most Wanted Poster

SPOKANE, Wash. - James A. McDevitt, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, Karin Immergut, United States Attorney for the District of Oregon, and Andy Miller, Benton County Prosecuting Attorney, announced the return of international fugitive Kenneth John Freeman to the United States from Hong Kong. He is expected to be formally arraigned on his federal charges Oct. 19, 2007, in the United States District Court in Spokane. The accused child rapist and producer and distributor of child pornography returned from Hong Kong, accompanied by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents and Deputy U.S. Marshals.

In the Eastern District of Washington, Freeman, 45, is charged with one count of producing child pornography and one count of transporting child pornography. Freeman is charged in the United States District Court in the District of Oregon with three counts involving transporting a minor across state lines and producing child pornography. He is also charged in Benton County, Washington, with three counts of rape of a child in the first degree and one count of bail jumping. Freeman fled the country in March 2006, and local law enforcement officials sought help from the U.S. Marshals, ICE, and other federal authorities. His name was placed on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Most Wanted List and that of the U.S. Marshals Service. He became the subject of a worldwide manhunt. A team of investigators from the various agencies and from State Department's Diplomatic Security tracked Freeman to China.

On May 1, 2007, the international fugitive pursuit ended when Hong Kong authorities arrested 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 Beijing, Suzhou and Hong Kong were key players on the ground. The Chinese authorities, unable to take any action against Freeman due to his valid visa, nevertheless monitored Freeman's movements and notified U.S. law enforcement authorities of his intended travel to Hong Kong, which has an extradition treaty with the United States. Freeman ultimately consented to his extradition and agreed to be returned to the United States to face the charges against him.

A conviction for producing child pornography carries a penalty of not less than 10 years, nor more than 20-years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine and up to 3-years of court supervision after release. A conviction for transporting child pornography carries a penalty of not less than 5 years, nor more than 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 not less than 10 years nor more than 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 sentencing guideline range of not less than 14-years and up to life term of imprisonment.

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 November 29, 2007, in the United States District Court in San Francisco, California.

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 Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs, ICE, U.S. Marshals 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.

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

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