Trouble in Paradise
U.S. fugitives may think they can hide in Belize, but here's the untold story of how some get caught
Four years later, after Silvestre was featured on a rerun of the America's Most Wanted episode, Osterhout got a call. Miami Beach detectives had learned that Silvestre might be practicing medicine in Belize. Hamilton then found Silvestre at a local medical college, where he was, ironically, teaching students how to pass the U.S. medical boards--a feat Silvestre himself never managed. But there was a twist: As a Cuban citizen, Silvestre could not simply be deported to the United States, so Osterhout had to arrange a formal extradition--which took U.S. authorities more than a year. Says Osterhout, "We located this guy quickly, but it took forever to get the paperwork."
"Con artist." The delay was troubling. There were concerns about whether Silvestre was practicing medicine but no evidence for authorities to act on. Finally, the extradition papers came through. Early on Oct. 7, 2004, as Silvestre was standing in his white medical coat waiting for his ride to work, the Belize police arrested him. Afterward, they found he had been operating a medical clinic in his basement. "In an hour of talking, you could almost understand how he was able to con all these people," says Osterhout. "Like any good con artist, he was persuasive and charming."
At first, Silvestre vowed to fight extradition. That was before Hattieville prison, Belize's squalid main lockup. After only a few weeks there, Silvestre waived his appeal rights and was sent to Florida. No surprise. "They go to Hattieville, and they decide it's not for them," says Chi. "That's how we get rid of a lot of them." Silvestre is scheduled to go on trial August 24, having pleaded not guilty.
If some, like Silvestre, are smooth talkers, other fugitives should have known to keep their mouths shut. Take Charles Mendenhall, who was wanted for attempted murder in Florida. The Belize police noticed him after he got into a dispute over a bar bill in San Pedro on the resort island of Ambergris Cay. Another fugitive was captured after he boasted to tourists on the island of Cay Caulker that he was running from the law. And there are the what-were-they-thinking cases. Victor Bradley, who fled charges in Oklahoma City of raping a mentally disabled woman, was nabbed after he went to the U.S. Embassy for a new passport. His brother, Crel, wanted for violating parole on a child-molestation conviction, was picked up, too.
Some cases stand out. For Osterhout, a father of two, those involving pedophiles are perhaps the most rewarding. In one, Osterhout learned about an American named Frederick Schaefer, a convicted sex offender from California. He was arrested in Belize, accused of faking an application for a Belizean passport, but he was released after a local group paid his bail. Months later, Osterhout learned that Schaefer had come to the attention of the Belize police because of allegations that young kids were often spending time with him and even staying overnight. Even more worrisome, Schaefer was trying to open a day-care business. Concerned that he might be a repeat offender, Osterhout had a colleague in Washington pester California authorities to pursue a warrant on Schaefer for parole violations. They eventually agreed, and Schaefer was expelled.
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