An American fugitive, who is wanted in the United States on five cases of sexual exploitation of a minor, has been arrested in Quezon City, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced on Friday, Sept. 22.
The BI identified the American fugitive as Jonathan Michael James, 37, whose passport had been revoked by the US government and is considered an undocumented and undesirable alien under Philippine laws.
“We have close coordination with foreign governments to ensure that foreign fugitives do not use our country to escape punishment for their crimes,” assured BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco in a statement.
Tansingco said the operatives the BI’s Fugitive Search Unit (BI-FSU) arrested James on Thursday, Sept. 21, in Barangay Krus na Ligas in Diliman, Quezon City.
The search and arrest operation was conducted after the BI was informed by the US government early this month on the criminal issues involving James, it said.
“The fugitive is a subject of a warrant of arrest issued by the Davidson County, Sherrif's Office, North Carolina, USA for five (5) counts of Second Degree Sexual Exploitation of a minor, in violation of Section 14-190.17 of the North Carolina General Statutes,” it also said.
With the information and request by the US government, BI said that Commissioner Tansingco issued “a mission order to locate him and effect his arrest.”
James is now detained at the BI’s detention facility in Taguig City pending his deportation.