BOSTON — A Chelsea man who was deported following his arrest on child rape charges 10 years ago was apprehended after he re-entered the United States yesterday, Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, Revere Police Chief Joseph Cafarelli, and US Marshal for the District of Massachusetts John Gibbons said.
Rony Vasquez was arrested on June 18, 2006, after Revere Police found him engaged in apparent sexual activity with an 11-year-old girl known to him. The Suffolk County Grand Jury indicted Vasquez three months later after the investigation revealed additional sexual contact with the child, but he was deported by immigration authorities in the interim and never appeared at his Suffolk Superior Court arraignment. A warrant for his arrest has been in place since then.
“With a decade now passed, this case has been handed down to a new generation of prosecutors,” District Attorney Conley said. “What has not changed, and what will not change, is our commitment to speak for any child abused, neglected, or violated by an adult. Thanks to the early work of Revere Police, the grand jury investigation by our Child Abuse Unit, and these most recent efforts by US Marshals and the State Department, we’ll be able to do just that when the defendant returns to Suffolk County.”
“We never lost hope that such a serious case would one day have its day in court,” Chief Cafarelli said. “I’m proud of my officers and detectives for their response and investigation 10 years ago, and I’m grateful for the continued efforts of the Suffolk DA’s office and US Marshals to hold this defendant accountable for his actions.”
During the course of their fugitive investigation, US Marshals obtained information that Vasquez intended to travel to the United States to visit a family member. They were in place when he deplaned from a flight from Guatemala to Houston, Texas, yesterday evening, and immediately took him into custody.
“I am extremely pleased our office was able to assist the Revere Police Department and Suffolk DA’s Office with the apprehension of Rony Vasquez, who had been a fugitive for approximately a decade,” said US Marshal Gibbons. “Through our working relationships with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners and our expertise with Domestic and International Fugitive Investigations we were able to collaboratively assist with the arrest of this individual in Houston, TX last evening. We remain committed and undeterred with apprehending fugitives who commit these serious crimes wherever they choose to flee and no matter the distance. Finally, I would like to commend the Revere Police Department, Suffolk County DA’s Office, U.S. State Department, Houston Police Department, USMS Houston Office, and the USMS Investigative Operations Division for their tenacious commitment to bringing this individual to justice.”
Vasquez is currently held without bail as a fugitive from his Suffolk County indictment. Massachusetts officials will travel to Texas in the coming days to transport Vasquez to Suffolk Superior Court for arraignment. Those proceedings have not yet been scheduled.
