A Brazilian citizen who committed depraved sex crimes against a child in his home country has been apprehended by federal authorities in Massachusetts.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently announced the arrest of a foreign fugitive who has apparently been hiding in the U.S. for an extended period since he was convicted of raping a 13-year-old victim in Brazil some eight years ago.
Andre Tiago Lucas, 36, was sentenced to nine years and four months in prison by a court in the state of Minas Gerais in December of 2016.
Lucas fled Brazil before “eventually settling in Massachusetts” for an undisclosed period of time, ICE says.
It is unclear how or when he entered the U.S. or what his immigration status was at the time of his arrest.
Officers from ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston office caught up with Lucas on October 31 in Bourne, MA, and took him into custody, where he remains pending removal proceedings.
“This Brazilian fugitive has been convicted of a heinous crime in his native country. Rather than face the consequences for his actions, he chose to flee, falsely believing he could evade justice in Massachusetts,” said ERO Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde.
Authorities continue to catch dangerous foreign criminals across the U.S.