US Sex Fugitive - Videotaped Sex Attack On Daughter

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US Sex Fugitive Returned From Hong Kong

Fugitive Accused in Videotaped Sex Attack on Daughter Is Returned to US From Hong Kong

abcnews.go.com - By JOHN K. WILEY Associated Press Writer

SPOKANE, Wash. Oct 19, 2007 (AP) - An American man accused of raping his daughter and posting videos of the abuse online has been returned to the United States from Hong Kong and was due in court Friday, federal authorities said.

Kenneth John Freeman, 45, once one of the United States' most wanted fugitives, was to be arraigned in Spokane on federal charges a day after his extradition. He was indicted here in January on one count of producing child pornography and one count of transporting child pornography. continued: »

Excerpt: Freeman had been living in Seattle when he fled the United States last year, months after his daughter told her mother he had assaulted her. He was on the most-wanted lists of the Marshals Service and ICE.

After his daughter discussed the case on the TV show "America's Most Wanted," tips helped identify her as the victim in a series of child pornography videos, according to the Marshals Service. Video of the abuse has been widely downloaded, officials said.

Video files depicting the abuse also were discovered on a computer Freeman had given to his daughter.

http://i21.tinypic.com/9hs3s3.jpg
An undated file photo provided by the U.S. Marshals Service shows Kenneth John Freeman. Held in Hong Kong on allegations that he raped his underage daughter and posted video footage of it on the Internet, Freeman has been returned to the United States, federal authorities said Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007. Freeman, 45, once one of the United States' most wanted fugitives, was to be arraigned in Spokane on federal charges Friday.
(U.S. Marshals Service, file/ AP Photo )

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3749092

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Alleged American sex offender says he didn't hurt his daughter

iht.com - The Associated Press - Published: October 9, 2007

HONG KONG: An American held in Hong Kong on allegations he raped his daughter and posted video footage of the abuse on the Internet said Wednesday he never physically hurt his "pretty little tiger" and hopes other men learn from his mistakes.

In his first comments since his arrest in May following a global manhunt, Kenneth John Freeman does not deny allegations by his now 17-year-old daughter that he videotaped her abuse four years ago and then distributed the sexual assault via Internet pornographers.

Freeman, 44, was one of America's 15 most-wanted men until he was captured while trying to enter Hong Kong from China using his own passport.

He had been living in Seattle, Washington, when he fled the United States last year, months after his daughter told her mother he had assaulted her. He was on the most-wanted lists of the U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

His daughter appeared on the popular TV show "America's Most Wanted" to talk about the case. Tips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children after the show aired helped the center identify the girl as the victim in a series of child pornography videos, according to the Marshals Service. Video of the abuse is among the most widely downloaded child pornography videos in recent years, officials said. continued: »

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/10/asia/AS-GEN-Hong-Kong-US-Most-Wanted.php

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Suspected child rapist extradited from Hong Kong

Arraignment set for 9 a.m. Friday morning

kxly.com - Jeff Humphrey / KXLY4 Reporter - Friday, October 19th, 2007

SPOKANE -- From Hong Kong all the way back to Spokane, a suspected child rapist and pornographer is back on US soil following an international manhunt.

Kenneth Freeman, originally from the Tri-Cities area, was flown half way around the world by US Marshals after agreeing to extradition from the Far East.

Federal agents pulled out the stops to make sure Freeman remained in custody and his extradition didn't involve commercial airlines. For security reasons a government aircraft was used to transport him back to Eastern Washington, which touched down at Fairchild Air Force Base.

Marshals used a government aircraft for his transport because they were worried about Freeman escaping but were also equally concerned about someone trying to hurt him.

Kenneth Freeman has redefined our image of your typical child molester. Happily married, he was a reserve Sheriff's deputy who was suspected of raping his own daughter which was caught on videotape. continued: »


http://i20.tinypic.com/zjfes7.jpg
U.S. Marshals Service
Former federal fugitive Kenneth John Freeman,
a Washington man who was arrested in Hong Kong
in May of 2007.

http://i21.tinypic.com/iqkglf.gif » Child molesting suspect extradited from Hong Kong

http://www.kxly.com/news/?sect_rank=1&section_id=559&story_id=15129

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A Father's Breach Of Trust

amw.com

For high school junior Kylie Freeman, it started out like a normal evening at home with her mom and stepfather. But as the family watched the film "Forrest Gump," something that happened to one of the characters on screen suddenly triggered Kylie's memory of a horrible thing that had happened to her. That's when police say Kylie revealed to her family that her father, Kenneth John Freeman, had raped her six years earlier.

Investigators say they discovered that the abuse had started when Kylie was ten years old, around the time that Freeman was divorcing his second wife, Kylie's stepmother. Cops say Freeman would show Kylie pornography and molest her, then threaten her not to tell anyone. After Freeman's divorce was finalized later that year, the abuse didn't stop. In fact, police say it got a lot worse.

But in January of 2001, after Kylie's mother had a talk with her about sexual abuse, Kylie refused all of her father's advances. Kylie told authorities that while the abuse stopped, the coercion didn't. But she never spoke of the abuse for fear that her dad would go to jail. continued: »

http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=41919

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Former Tri-Citian accused of raping his daughter returns to U.S.

tri-cityherald.com - JOE CHAPMAN, HERALD STAFF WRITER - October 19th, 2007

A former Tri-City man accused of raping his daughter and posting the videos on the Internet was returned to the United States on Thursday to stand trial, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Washington announced. continued: »

Excerpt: Freeman was a bodybuilder and was named Mr. Tri-Cities and Mr. Eastern Washington. He also is known as a self-taught computer expert.

He became the subject of a worldwide manhunt after his name was placed on the U.S. Marshals and Immigration and Customs Enforcement most wanted fugitives lists and his daughter told her story on national television. She was identified as the victim in a series of child pornography videos on the Internet, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

Freeman's wife, Maleka May, was arrested by U.S. Marshals on May 3, when she returned to the United States after his arrest in Hong Kong.

She recently pleaded guilty to two charges of making false statements to Customs and Border Protection officers and U.S. Marshals about her husband's whereabouts.

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/local/story/9390508p-9303492c.html

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U.S. MARSHALS AND ICE ANNOUNCE CAPTURE OF NATION’S MOST WANTED ACCUSED CHILD PORNOGRAPHER/RAPIST

Former Law Enforcement Officer Was Cornered in Hong Kong

http://www.usmarshals.gov/news/chron/2007/050207.htm

UNITED STATES MARSHALS SERVICE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - October 18, 2007

FORMER LAWMAN – ACCUSED CHILD RAPIST – EARNS RETURN TRIP TICKET FROM HONG KONG TO SPOKANE, COURTESY OF U.S. MARSHALS AND ICE AGENTS

http://www.usmarshals.gov/news/chron/2007/101807.htm

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Man Accused of Posting Lewd Videos of Daughter's Abuse Online Back in U.S.

Fox News - AP - Friday, October 19, 2007

SPOKANE, Wash. — An American man accused of raping his daughter and posting videos of the abuse online has been returned to the United States from Hong Kong and was due in court Friday, federal authorities said. continued: »

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,303531,00.html

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Fugitive Arraigned After Return to US

ap.google.com - By JOHN K. WILEY – 29 minutes ago

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A man accused of raping his daughter and posting videos of the abuse online was arraigned Friday after returning to the United States from Hong Kong.

Kenneth John Freeman, 45, appeared in federal court in Spokane a day after his extradition. He was indicted in January on one count of producing child pornography and one count of transporting child pornography; each count carries a 20-year maximum prison sentence.

A half dozen U.S. marshals were in the courtroom with Freeman, his wrists shackled to a waist chain, during a 10-minute arraignment. U.S. Magistrate Judge Cynthia Imbrogno entered a not guilty plea for Freeman and ordered him held without bond; a trial date has not been set.

Freeman made no statement and quietly answered "I do, your honor" and "Yes, your honor" to Imbrogno's questions on whether he understood his rights.

Jaime Hawk, a federal public defender who assisted Freeman in the arraignment, declined to comment. Freeman has told jailers he wants no contact with reporters. continued: »

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h0J_E7UFscOhlE8B6SzqoloGKugQD8SCFQV80

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American fugitive lived openly in China, visited by wife

lasvegassun.com - By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN - Associated Press Writer - May 05, 2007

SUZHOU, China (AP) - An American fugitive accused of raping his daughter and posting videos of the abuse on the Internet lived openly in China, even enjoying visits from his wife and registering at a local fitness club under his own name.

U.S. court documents show that Kenneth John Freeman's wife, Maleka May, visited him in China more than once during his time as a fugitive.

May was detained in San Francisco on Thursday as she got off a plane from China. She denied having any contact with Freeman while he was on the run.

Information provided Saturday by the Powerhouse Gym also provided some clues into Kenneth John Freeman's several months spent living in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou, much of which remains a mystery.

Freeman, one of America's 15 most wanted men, was captured Tuesday after more than a year on the run while trying to enter Hong Kong from China using his own passport.

Staff at the Powerhouse Gym in Suzhou recognized Freeman immediately from his photo posted on the U.S. Department of Justice Web site. Gym computer records showed he registered under the name John Freeman and listed a Suzhou mobile phone number as a contact. Calls to the telephone number were answered by a recorded message that said the phone was turned off.

Gym patrons said Freeman worked out almost every day and seemed friendly. One man said the fugitive had something of the air of a celebrity about him.

"He was the biggest guy in there. We figured he was some famous bodybuilder who had come to China to work," said Tom Stern of Berkley, California, a gym regular in the city to study Chinese. continued: »

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2007/may/05/050510547.html