Flaws in the criminal justice system help fugitives cross borders - chicagotribune.com - start

Flaws in the criminal justice system help fugitives cross borders - chicagotribune.com - start

"Justice Department officials say they are capturing more international fugitives than ever. But breakdowns at every level of law enforcement enable uncounted numbers of suspects to flee across the U.S. border and then hamper their apprehension.

County prosecutors
Local prosecutors prepare voluminous extradition packages that are sent to the Justice Department and then to foreign governments. County officials can be overwhelmed by the complex paperwork and the costs of translators, outside counsel and even airline tickets for sheriffs and returning fugitives. The Tribune identified more than 60 Cook County fugitives law enforcement traced to Mexico, yet the Cook County state’s attorney’s office said they are actively seeking the extradition or deportation of only 12 of those suspects.

Example: Among those not on the county’s active list is career criminal Juan Jacquez (Tribune summary), wanted on charges of killing a South Side man in 2002. Months later, a family informant provided Chicago detectives with Jacquez’s exact address in Santiago Papasquiaro, Mexico, but no visible progress has been made in the case.

County judges
At cursory bond hearings, judges gave some murder and rape suspects the keys to their own escape by setting low bonds or failing to limit the travel of foreign-born and dual-nationality citizens by confiscating their passports or imposing other restrictions.

Example: Chicago maintenance mechanic Dimitrios Amasiadis (Tribune summary) posted a cash bond of just $1,000 after being charged in 1998 with sexuallyassaulting his 10-year-old stepdaughter over a period of years. Born in Guatemala to a Greek father, Amasiadis mortgaged his house to raise more than $30,000 and then fled to Greece, where he remains today. Amasiadis was convicted in absentia. His sister Patricia Echeverria professes his innocence and told the Tribune that Amasiadis is "still happily married" and raising a new family. "He’s not looking over his shoulder," she said.

Illinois law
A family exemption in Illinois law bars authorities from charging close relatives with harboring or aiding fugitives. There is no deterrent against family helping suspects flee by driving them to bus stations and airports, providing cash or withholding information from police.

Example: In 2005, after 21-year-old Muaz Haffar was charged with murdering a university student with a bike lock, he fled to Syria. Haffar’s father in the Chicago area helped arrange his trip and a brother accompanied Haffar on part of his journey out of Chicago, according to law enforcement sources. Muaz Haffar remains at large."