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U.S. Fugitive Michael Wiseman Arrested in France, Charged With Sexually Assaulting Adopted Son

Email evidence from U.S. investigators spurred a Strasbourg case after a yearslong international hunt.

Overview

  • French authorities arrested Michael Robert Wiseman, 51, in Kilstett on Nov. 1 and charged him with sexually assaulting his adopted son.
  • The Strasbourg prosecutor confirmed an active investigation, with French proceedings taking precedence before any U.S. extradition.
  • Scottsdale police and the FBI say searches of Wiseman’s email revealed videos indicating abuse of his 10-year-old adopted child, which were shared with French investigators.
  • Wiseman previously fled U.S. custody twice, was arrested in Spain in 2009, extradited to Arizona, pleaded guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of a child and escape, and was sentenced in 2012 to lifetime probation.
  • Investigators traced him through Vietnam and Poland, say he adopted two children in Vietnam and obtained a Polish passport under an alias, and report a pilot-license application in Spain tipped off authorities to his identity.