Fugitive Wanted for Allegedly Molesting Juvenile Victims Over a Period of Several Years Returned to U.S. After Capture in Mexico

A man charged with 31 counts of child molestation in Riverside County was arrested in Mexico and turned over to the FBI’s Inland Regional Apprehension Team (IRAT) at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) this afternoon, announced Bill Lewis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.

Marlon Iverzander Lopez, 51, was wanted on state charges in Riverside County, California for the molestation of multiple juvenile victims over a span of approximately six years. On September 28, 2002, Lopez was charged in Riverside County Superior Court with 22 counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child. Lopez was located and arrested on March 12, 2005; however, he failed to appear in court after posting bond in the amount of $500,000. Lopez was subsequently charged with a total of 31 counts relative to the alleged molestation in July 2005. On August 15, 2005, another arrest warrant for Lopez was issued in Riverside County Superior Court.

After the issuance of the Riverside County warrant, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office requested the assistance of the FBI to locate and apprehend Lopez.

During an investigation conducted by the FBI’s Inland Regional Apprehension Team (IRAT), it was determined that Lopez had fled the state of California to the country of El Salvador, in violation of federal law. As a result, on July 17, 2006, a federal arrest warrant was issued in the United States District Court, Central District of California, charging Lopez with with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution (UFAP). During the investigation, Lopez was profiled by the media, including on the America’s Most Wanted television program and on FBI.gov.

Although Lopez fled to El Salvador in 2005, the investigation revealed that Lopez moved from El Salvador to Mexico City sometime in 2013. Based on the collaborative efforts of the FBI’s IRAT Task Force and the FBI’s legal attaché offices in Mexico City and San Salvador, the fugitive was located and arrested on March 12, 2014 in Tultitlan, Mexico, a suburb of Mexico City. On March 13, 2013, members of the Mexican Instituto Nacional de Migracion, also known as INAMI, transported Lopez to Los Angeles International Airport, where he was taken into custody by IRAT members; specifically, an FBI agent and a Riverside County Sheriff’s detective.

The fugitive investigation was conducted by the IRAT, which is made up of agents and officers with the FBI, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Riverside Police Department, and the San Bernardino Police Department.

Lopez will be held in Riverside County pursuant to the state’s molestation charges. It is anticipated that the United States government will dismiss the federal warrant charging Lopez with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution and that he will remain in custody while he awaits prosecution for the state charge of child molestation by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.

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.

Media Contact:

• FBI Media Relations: (310) 996-3343
• Riverside County Sheriff’s Department: (951) 222-7536
• Riverside County District Attorney’s Office: John Hall: (951) 955-8662