Arizona’s No. 2 Fugitive Found Overseas After 14 Years
Mug shot (Scottsdale Police Department)
A fugitive who spent nearly 14 years on the run from U.S. authorities has been arrested in France and is facing extradition to Arizona, NBC News reports. Michael Wiseman, once Arizona’s second-most-wanted fugitive, was taken into custody on November 1 after years of evading capture. He now faces new charges in France for the rape and sexual assault of a minor under 15.
Wiseman’s criminal history dates back to 2008, when he was arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona, on multiple counts of sexually exploiting a minor. Later that year, while under court-ordered monitoring, he cut off his ankle bracelet and fled the country. He was eventually arrested in Spain in 2009 and returned to the U.S. After pleading guilty to escape and sexual exploitation of a minor, he was sentenced in 2012—but managed to flee again while on probation.
Authorities say Wiseman resurfaced in Spain while applying for a pilot’s license using his real name. His identity was flagged by a potential employer who recognized him from a most-wanted list, prompting authorities to investigate.
Investigators later discovered Wiseman had adopted two children in Vietnam and obtained a Polish passport under an alias based on his mother’s maiden name. He lived in Vietnam and Poland before moving to France under the name Robert Danilewski. In September, Scottsdale police and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office issued a provisional arrest warrant, leading French authorities to Wiseman’s location in Kilstett. The new charges in France allege he sexually abused one of his adopted children, according to People.
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