Martha's Vineyard

Fugitive convicted of child rape in Brazil arrested on Martha's Vineyard, ICE says

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says a 37-year-old Brazilian national who failed to appear for his 14-year prison sentence for raping a 5-year-old was arrested in West Tisbury, Massachusetts

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent waits as a group of undocumented men, not pictured, are deported to Mexico at the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego, California, U.S., on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015.
David Maung/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A man who was found guilty of raping a 5-year-old in Brazil was arrested last week on Martha's Vineyard, according to federal authorities.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Monday that a 37-year-old Brazilian national was arrested Nov. 15 at his home in West Tisbury, Massachusetts.

A press release on ICE's website did not name the suspect, who is not a U.S. citizen.

According to ICE, the man was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of multiple charges for raping a child.

A warrant was issued for his arrest in May of 2019, when he failed to appear for his sentence.

"This undocumented Brazilian national represented a significant threat to the inhabitants of Martha's Vineyard," Todd Lyons, director of ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations ERO Boston Field Office, said in a statement. "He sexually assaulted a five-year-old child in his homeland and then ran from authorities when held accountable for his actions. ERO Boston will not allow such predators to threaten our residents. We will continue to apprehend and remove anyone who attempts to use our New England community as a refuge from justice."

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