American fugitive Michael Wiseman was arrested in France after more than one decade on the run.
Arizona police confirmed that Wiseman was found and arrested in France following 14 years of being missing. He was previously convicted for sexual exploitation of a minor.
Wiseman was taken into custody on November 1 and he is scheduled to be extradited to the United States. In addition to being convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor, Wiseman is facing a separate charge of rape and sexual assault of a minor under the age of 15 years old that he committed during his time in France.
He was first arrested in February 2008 in Arizona on multiple counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, the Scottsdale Police Department revealed in a news release. In November of that year, Wiseman cut off his ankle bracelet and fled the United States while he was under court-ordered monitoring.
Wiseman was eventually tracked to Spain, where he was arrested in 2009 and was brought back to the U.S. He pleaded guilty to escape and sexual exploitation of a minor before he was sentenced in 2012. However, Wiseman fled for a second time while he was out on probation.
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Police Sgt. Dustin Patrick told KPNX of Mesa that Wiseman was captured after he tried to apply for a pilot’s license in Spain using his legal name. Investigators then discovered that Wiseman had adopted two children in Vietnam and had managed to obtain a Polish passport under his alias, according to Patrick.
“His potential employer Googled his name and found that he was on Scottsdale’s most wanted list and called Spain authorities,” Patrick told the outlet.
Detectives didn’t give up looking for Wiseman, and they eventually learned he traveled to Vietnam and Poland before he settled in France and used the alias Robert Danilewski.
While working with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Scottsdale police submitted a provisional arrest warrant to the Department of Justice Office of International Affairs in September to apprehend Wiseman. The warrant was sent to French authorities, who confirmed Wiseman was living in Kilstett, France.
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Once Wiseman was arrested, police Chief Joe LeDuc credited the law enforcement’s hard work for tracking down the fugitive.
“Nearly two decades ago, this individual fled from accountability. Our detectives never stopped working to bring him justice,” LeDuc said in a statement. “This arrest reflects years of persistence, teamwork, and an unwavering commitment to protecting children. We are deeply grateful for the FBI’s partnership and their continued support in this case.”
Scottsdale police explained that detectives gained access to Wiseman’s email address, which included video evidence that he sexually abused a child. The evidence allowed authorities to press rape and sexual assault of a child charges against him.
“Without the efforts to find Wiseman for extradition, this new evidence of his ongoing crimes may have never been discovered,” police said in a statement.
