San Bernardino Fugitive Wanted for Quadruple Homicide Returned to U.S. Today After Summer Capture in Mexico

A fugitive wanted for a quadruple homicide in 2000 in the city of San Bernardino was returned to the U.S. today following his June capture in Tijuana by Mexican law enforcement officials working with the FBI’s Inland Regional Apprehension Team, announced Steven Martinez, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.

On June 21, 2011, Froyland Chiprez, 36, was taken into custody in Tijuana, Mexico, pursuant to a provisional arrest warrant. Chiprez remained in the custody of Mexican officials in Mexico City during extradition proceedings.

Agents assigned to the FBI’s Legal Attaché in Mexico escorted Chiprez to Los Angeles International Airport, where he was turned over to the custody of Riverside-based FBI agents and task force officers with IRAT.

Chiprez was wanted by the San Bernardino Police Department in connection with a quadruple gang-related homicide reported on 7/09/2000 in the city of San Bernardino. After an investigation by the San Bernardino Police Department, four subjects were identified and charged with murder. Three were subsequently arrested and convicted on various charges related to the crime. At the time of the murder, Chiprez was on parole in California for a 1994 conviction for involuntary manslaughter. A parolee at large warrant was issued by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on 7/17/2000. Based on that warrant, the San Bernardino Police Department requested assistance from IRAT and a federal warrant was then obtained on 9/5/2000 charging UFAC. Although a warrant for Chiprez was already in place at the time of the murder, Chiprez was charged in connection with the murder on 9/27/2001.

In 2010, the IRAT developed information as to the whereabouts of Chiprez in the Mexico. The San Bernardino District Attorney’s Office worked with IRAT to seek a provisional arrest warrant (PAW) for Chiprez, a Mexican citizen. The Mexican government issued the PAW on 7/11/2010.

It is anticipated that the United States government will dismiss the federal warrant charging Chiprez with unlawful flight to avoid confinement and Chiprez will remain in custody in San Bernardino County while he awaits prosecution for the state murder charges by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office.

The FBI’s Inland Regional Apprehension Team includes members from the FBI, the Riverside Police Department, the San Bernardino Police Department and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

The successful arrest and return of Chiprez was based on cooperation among IRAT members, the FBI’s Legal Attaché assigned to the United States Embassy in Mexico City, San Diego FBI Border Liaison officers; San Bernardino Police Department Homicide; and the Mexican federal police, Policia Federal Ministerial (PFM), formerly known as Agencia Federal de Investigaciones (AFI).

The return of Chiprez was funded by the United States government’s “Project Welcome Home,” which provides funding to assist in the transportation of FBI fugitives to the United States, where the repatriation by the host country occurs through deportation or extradition.

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.