Long arm of the law nabs American fugitive in Vietnam

The U.S. Consulate General in HCMC said in a press release Tuesday that Michael Pierre Boumal, a 65-year-old fugitive, was taken to the U.S. on Jan 19 this year.

Boumal, who had been wanted since 2012, by the Forks Township Police Department in Easton, Pennsylvania, for sexual assault of a minor under 11, was arrested by U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Michael Boumal is wanted in the U.S. for sexual abuse of a minor. Photo courtesy of Forks Township Police Department

After learning that Boumal had overstayed his Vietnam visa by two years, U.S. officials had located him in Hanoi. Then the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), Assistant Regional Security Officer - Investigations worked with Vietnamese immigration authorities, the Hanoi police and the Forks Township Police Department to have Boumal arrested and returned to the U.S.

DSS special agents at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi and in Washington, D.C., along with the USMS and host-nation law enforcement agencies, were all instrumental in the return of Boumal, the press release said.

"Boumal's arrest serves as a reminder that U.S. law enforcement will never stop seeking criminals who improperly attempt to use other countries as sanctuaries," it said.

Michael Pierre Boumal, fist right, is taken into custody Jan. 19, 2022, at Philadelphia International Airport. Photo courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection