Acting United States Attorney Kenneth M. Sorenson has announced the extradition of a foreign citizen from Oahu to New Zealand. The individual, who overstayed a visitor visa, is wanted in New Zealand to stand trial for the alleged rape of a twelve-year-old. Due to New Zealand law, the man has invoked his right to name suppression and is not being identified by the United States Attorney’s Office.
The extradition request from New Zealand charges the man with several offenses, including rape, indecent assault on a young person, and unlawful sexual connection. These charges stem from an incident in 2015 involving a minor victim in a guest room adjacent to the victim's family home. Witnesses provided statements supporting the victim's account, including a female friend who reported inappropriate contact by the man prior to the incident. After initial contact with New Zealand Police in September 2015, the man fled and eventually reached Hawaii.
In March 2024, he was arrested by the United States Marshals Service with help from Homeland Security Investigations. Following federal court proceedings in Honolulu on April 3, 2025, he was certified as extraditable to New Zealand. The United States Secretary of State approved this request, leading to his surrender to New Zealand authorities on May 30, 2025.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan D. Slack of the District of Hawaii and the Office of International Affairs within the Justice Department’s Criminal Division managed this case.
