ERO Boston arrests female fugitive wanted by Ecuadorian authorities for fraud, embezzlement
BOSTON — Officers with Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston’s Fugitive Operations Team in Hartford, Connecticut, arrested a 38-year-old unlawfully present Ecuadorian woman wanted on charges of fraud and embezzlement in Ecuador. Officials arrested her in New Britain, Connecticut, on Feb. 27.
“Crimes like fraud and embezzlement are often mistaken as victimless crimes, but that could not be further from the truth,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons. “This is yet another example of an unlawfully present fugitive with an international arrest warrant attempting to escape the justice that her victims are owed; justice that will now be enforced due to our team in Hartford successfully locating and apprehending her.”
The Ecuadorian citizen, who entered the United States through Miami in 2013, was originally granted a temporary tourist visa that allowed her to remain in the U.S. for a six-month period. Although her visa expired in February 2014, she remained in the U.S. without authorization for nine years after it expired.
In June 2017, Ecuadorian law enforcement authorities from the Criminal Judicial Unit in the Pastaza Province in eastern Ecuador filed charges of criminal fraud and embezzlement against her. They also issued an international criminal warrant for her arrest. A review of outstanding immigration fugitive cases alerted officials to her possible presence in ERO Boston’s jurisdiction. Immigration enforcement authorities began an investigation to confirm her whereabouts and apprehended her for immigration violations.
Officials arrested the unlawfully present Ecuadorian without incident. She remains in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody pending the outcome of removal proceedings.
In fiscal year 2022, ERO arrested 46,396 noncitizens with criminal histories; this group had 198,498 associated charges and convictions. These included 21,531 assault offenses; 8,164 sex and sexual assault offenses; 5,554 weapons offenses; 1,501 homicide-related offenses; and 1,114 kidnapping offenses.
ERO, a directorate of ICE, upholds U.S. immigration law at, within, and beyond our borders. ERO operations target public safety threats, such as convicted criminal noncitizens and gang members, who have violated our nation's immigration laws, including those who illegally re-enter the country after being removed and immigration fugitives ordered removed by federal immigration judges. ERO deportation officers assigned to Interpol also assist in targeting foreign fugitives for crimes committed abroad at-large in the U.S. ERO manages all aspects of the immigration enforcement process, including identification and arrest, detention, bond management, supervised release, transportation, and removal. Additionally, ERO repatriates noncitizens ordered removed from the U.S. to more than 150 countries worldwide.
Members of the public can report crimes or suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing ICE’s online tip form.
Learn more about ERO’s mission in your community on Twitter @EROBoston.
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