Fugitives Wanted in Southen California Apprehended in Recent Weeks and Returned to Orange and Los Angeles Counties for Prosecution

Fugitives wanted in separate cases were apprehended in the past two weeks, after fugitive investigations in Los Angeles led to their whereabouts in Mexico, announced Steven M. Martinez, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. Both fugitives were wanted by the FBI after being charged in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles with Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution (UFAP) and Unlawful Flight to Avoid Confinement (UFAC), respectively, in the Central District of California (which includes Los Angeles County and Orange County). The charge of UFAP and/or UFAC is based on evidence indicating a suspect charged with a crime/s by the state has fled the jurisdiction; in these cases, the state of California. Details are provided below:

DANIEL MORALES

According to Orange County Sheriff’s detectives and a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Orange County charging UFAP, suspect Daniel Morales allegedly forced his way into the Laguna Niguel residence of his adult female relative. Morales attempted to assault his relative, who ran from him. As the victim reached for the telephone, Morales grabbed it and pulled it from the wall. The complaint further alleges that Morales attempted to rape and sodomize the victim. Morales then allegedly ripped up the bedding and tied her with it. He then attempted to rape and sodomize a minor female who was also in the residence during the initial assault. Afterward, he tied up the second victim and fled the scene, according to the complaint. The Orange County District Attorney has charged Morales with attempted rape and sodomy of the adult victim and forcible lewd acts on a minor for the attack on the child victim.

Detectives with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office provided information indicating Morales had likely fled to Mexicali, Mexico. The Orange County District Attorneys Office agreed to extradite Morales at the expense of the state of California. Recently, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a provisional arrest warrant which enabled Mexican authorities working with FBI agents assigned in Mexico to locate and apprehend Morales. Morales was returned to the United States on June 15th and is currently in custody in Orange County, California.

EDUARDO GILBERT NEVAREZ

On June 9th, 2010, Eduard Gilbert Nevarez was deported after being apprehended in Mexico by law enforcement authorities there, working with the FBI. Nevarez had been living in Mexico illegally. In March of 2001, a state arrest warrant was issued in Los Angeles, California, charging Eduardo Gilbert Nevarez with violation of his parole after he served time in prison for narcotics distribution. When detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department determined Nevarez had fled the jurisdiction, a federal arrest warrant was issued in August 2001 in United States District Court in the Central District of California, after Nevarez was charged with unlawful flight to avoid confinement. Nevarez was also wanted by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for a double homicide which occurred in Lynwood, California, in February of 2001.

The investigations into the alleged activities of Morales and Nevarez are the result of a joint effort by the following agencies:

Morales: Orange County Sheriff's Department; Orange County District Attorney'sOffice’s Sexual Assault Unit; FBI in Los Angeles; FBI Legal Attache in Mexico City; United States Attorney's Office in Los Angeles.

Nevarez: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department; Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office Hardcore Gang Division; FBI in Los Angeles; FBI Legal Attache in Mexico City; United States Attorney's Office in Los Angeles.

In both cases, considerable assistance was provided by the Mexican government; specifically, the Mexican federal police, Policia Federal Ministerial (PFM), formerly known as Agencia Federal de Investigaciones (AFI).

It is anticipated that the federal government will dismiss the federal UFAP and UFAC warrants for Morales and Nevarez and that they will be prosecuted by the District Attorney in the jurisdictions in which they were charged.

The FBI continues to work with local law enforcement to apprehend violent criminals charged with state crimes who then flee the jurisdiction interstate or internationally. Photos and descriptions of many fugitives wanted by the FBI can be found at www.fbi.gov.