U.S. Marshals Honor International Investigators

May 21, 2010 - WASHINGTON – The U.S. Marshals Service presented awards today to 40 law enforcement officers from more than 10 countries around the world at the 12th Annual International Fugitive Investigators Conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

“We are pleased to honor these 40 investigators,” said John F. Clark, Director of the U.S. Marshals Service. “The ability of law enforcement from different countries to reach across borders, collaborate on leads, and share intelligence demonstrates a significant contribution in the service of justice around the world. Although these awards represent just a handful of cases, they recognize the accomplishments of teams of officers who have acted in the spirit of true global cooperation.”

The Investigative Excellence through International Collaboration Award honors those members of the international law enforcement community who have performed in an exemplary manner and have made significant contributions to the efficient and effective administration of justice around the globe. There are five such case awards presented this year.

“Fugitives are desperate criminals with the sole ambition of evading justice,” said T. Michael Earp, Assistant Director for Investigative Operations. “These five cases serve as a model for future collaborative international investigations, and prove that it is becoming increasingly difficult for criminals to hide. Law enforcement around the world must continue to share resources and work together to ensure that fugitives who cross international borders will be apprehended and brought to justice.”

The cases being honored include that of Safa Kadum, one of Sweden’s Most Wanted Fugitives. Kadum and several accomplices were wanted for an armed robbery described by Time magazine as one of history’s “Top 10 Brazen Heists.” Also recognized were officers who tracked down and apprehended Glen Francis, on the run for nine years, and charged with murdering a religious leader of a Tucson, Arizona, mosque; Fatu Seti, wanted in New Zealand for the rape of a 20-year-old women; Patrick Brown, a 1995 cold case from Boston, Massachusetts, wanted for murder; and an investigation that became known as the “DKNY Case” that resulted in the arrest of two individuals for child pornography.

Law enforcement from Australia, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Greece, Jamaica, New Zealand, Samoa, Sweden, and the United States were among the award recipients.