June 4, 2015

Federal Jury Convicts Father for Lying to FBI About Helping Fugitive Son Escape to Mexico

In El Paso this afternoon, a federal jury convicted 53-year-old Victor Manuel Solis, a legal permanent resident living in Lancaster, CA, of making a false statement to El Paso FBI agents concerning an ongoing investigation and search for his son, former Los Angeles Police officer Henry Solis. That announcement was made today by Acting United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr., and Special Agent in Charge Douglas E. Lindquist of the FBI’s El Paso Division.

Testimony presented during trial revealed that on March 16, 2015, Victor Solis willfully attempted to prevent law enforcement from locating Henry Solis by representing to FBI agents that he, alone, crossed into Mexico on March 14, 2015. Photographs released by the FBI show that Victor Solis, accompanied by Henry Solis, crossed into Juarez, Mexico, from El Paso at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry on March 14, 2015. Henry Solis, who was recently captured in Mexico and returned to the United States, faces state charges related to his alleged involvement in a homicide in Pomona, CA, in April.

Victor Solis, who is currently on bond, faces up to five years in federal prison and a maximum $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for August 20, 2015, before United States District Judge Philip R. Martinez.

The case resulted from a joint investigation by the El Paso and Los Angeles Field Offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kyle Meyers and Carlos Hermosillo.