ICE deports diaper importer wanted in Korea for embezzling millions
LOS ANGELES – A diaper importer from Korea suspected of bilking investors out of millions of dollars was turned over to law enforcement representatives in his native country Wednesday by Los Angeles-based officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
Kyuseop Maeng, 50, was transported from Los Angeles to South Korea on board a commercial aircraft escorted by officers from ICE ERO. Maeng is charged with fraud in a criminal warrant issued in January 2011 by Korean authorities. Specifically, the warrant alleges that, during a one-month period beginning in November 2010, Maeng embezzled the equivalent of $3.5 million from investors in his trading company before fleeing to the U.S.
Acting on a lead provided by Korean authorities, ERO officers located Maeng at a Hacienda Heights residence June 11 and took him into custody. ICE placed Maeng in deportation proceedings and an immigration judge subsequently ordered him removed from the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security databases indicate Maeng originally entered the United States in December 2010 on a visitor’s visa and subsequently obtained a foreign student visa. At the time of his arrest, Maeng was out of status.
“This case serves as a reminder to foreign fugitives who mistakenly believe they can elude justice by fleeing to the U.S.,” said David Jennings, field office director for ERO Los Angeles. “ICE will continue to work closely with its foreign law enforcement counterparts to ensure that those charged with serious crimes are held accountable for their actions.”
Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 1,150 foreign fugitives from the United States who were sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. ERO works with the ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Office of International Operations, foreign consular offices in the United States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the United States.
Members of the public who have information about foreign fugitives are urged to contact ICE by calling the toll-free ICE tip line at 1 (866) 347-2423 or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also file a tip online by completing ICE’s online tip form.
ERO coordinates the removal of criminals, foreign fugitives and others ordered deported. Last year alone, ERO removed 315,943 individuals from the United States. ICE is focused on smart and effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes its resources based on those who pose the biggest threat to national security, border security and public safety. ICE’s civil enforcement efforts are based on priorities set by the Secretary of Homeland Security in November 2014.
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