Maricopa County Top 10 Sex Offender Apprehended by U.S. Marshals in California

February 18, 2010 - Phoenix, AZ – This morning, a convicted child molester who fled his residence in Scottsdale, was arrested in California.

In August 2009, Wesley Bikoff, age 48, removed his ankle monitoring device and left his residence in Scottsdale where he was required to reside as a condition of his Maricopa County probation. Bikoff was placed on probation after his conviction for sexual exploitation of a minor. In that offense, Bikoff had sexual relations with a five year girl until she reached the age of 18. He also took pornographic photographs and videos of her and attempted to sell them. Prior to fleeing his residence, Bikoff left the monitoring device along with a photograph of his middle finger for his probation officer. He was subsequently added to the Maricopa County Adult Probation Top 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders list.

Through the course of the investigation, investigators with the U.S. Marshals led Child Predator Apprehension Team in Phoenix developed information that Bikoff was in Hollister, California. This morning, Deputy U.S. Marshals from San Jose, California arrested Bikoff at a residence after a few hours of surveillance. He was booked into the San Benito County Jail and is currently awaiting extradition to Arizona. Bikoff is also being reviewed for possible federal charges for failing to register as a sex offender.

United States Marshal David Gonzales stated, “The apprehension of fugitives that prey on children is one of our top priorities.” He added, “We will continue to use every available resource to locate and apprehend these dangerous offenders.”