FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: |
October 18, 2007 |
U.S. Marshal Michael Kline (509)
290-1462
Thomas Rice, First Assistant U.S. Attorney
(509) 353-2767
Chief USMS Inspector Billy Sorukas (703) 304-1243
Public Affairs, U.S. Marshals (202) 307-9065 |
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FORMER LAWMAN – ACCUSED CHILD RAPIST – EARNS RETURN TRIP TICKET FROM
HONG KONG TO SPOKANE, COURTESY OF U.S. MARSHALS AND ICE AGENTS |
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Spokane,
WA – 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 Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s 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.
See
Wanted Poster for Kenneth Freeman |
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