Kenneth Andrew Craig, one of the most wanted child sex offenders in the country and abroad, is back on U.S. soil after being extradited from Brazil.
Craig was arrested in June 2011 by Brazilian Federal Police at Galeo International Airport pursuant to a provisional arrest warrant issued by Brazil at the request of the United States. Craig was on the G8 Most Wanted Sex Offender list, making him one of the most wanted child sex offenders in this country and internationally.
Deputy U.S. Marshals flew to Rio De Janeiro to take custody of Craig and return him to the United States where he will face sexual assault charges in Broward County, Florida.
Upon arrival in Florida, the U.S. Marshals took Craig into custody.
Craig, 44, was being sought by Florida authorities pursuant to arrest warrants issued in 1999 by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office on charges of sexual exploitation of a minor, sex performance with a minor and sexual assault of a minor. Authorities in Florida originally arrested Craig in November 1998 for indecent assault on a child under 16 years of age (three counts), committing a lewd act in the presence of a child under 16 (two counts) and promoting sexual performance of a child under 16 (one count). Craig posted bond in September 1999, and fled the country.
At the time of the 1998 arrest, Craig was found in a Florida motel room in the company of two minor boys. Evidence and testimony reveals Craig had the minors engage in specified sexual acts with him and each other, and videotaped various portions of the acts. Craig was also convicted in Louisiana in the early 1990s for sexual molestation and indecent behavior with a juvenile.
“The US Marshals Service is committed to tracking down fugitives. When we receive cases like Kenneth Craig, our investigators are even more relentless toward apprehending fugitives wanted for preying on innocent children,” said Acting U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Florida Neil K. De Sousa. “With his return to the United States, Craig faces charges in Broward County. I hope his alleged victims find closure. I am extremely proud of the diligent investigative efforts led by the U.S. Marshals Service and the agencies involved that assisted in Craig’s capture.”
In 2007, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement contacted the U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Marshals Sex Offender Investigations Branch for assistance in locating Craig. In 2008, Craig was located and apprehended in Brazil; however, prior to his extradition, he was inadvertently released and subsequently disappeared. The U.S. Marshals resumed the international manhunt.
Craig was placed on the G8 Most Wanted Sex Offenders List in October 2010, an initiative undertaken in collaboration with Interpol’s General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon, France. The program aims to apprehend wanted child sex offenders from G8 countries.
Craig’s 2011 arrest was the result of a major media campaign in the United States and Brazil. Immediately following the airings of his profile, numerous tips were received indicating Craig was residing in the Rio de Janeiro area and employed as an English teacher.
The arrest and extradition are the result of investigative efforts by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, U.S. Marshals Service, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Broward County State Attorney’s Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office – West Palm Beach, U.S. Department of State – Regional Security Office – Rio de Janeiro, Department of Justice – Office of International Affairs, INTERPOL, America’s Most Wanted, Globo Television and the Brazilian Federal Police.
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G8 Most Wanted Child Sex Offender Captured in Brazil Extradited to U.S.
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