phoenix — An Arizona man who fled the United States years ago while on probation for a sex crime conviction was arrested earlier this month in France, where he is accused of sexually assaulting a child, authorities said.
Michael Robert Wiseman, 51, was living in Kelestet in north-eastern France when he was arrested on 1 November. Investigators discovered that Weisman traveled to Vietnam and Poland before settling in France.
Scottsdale Police Sgt. Dustin Patrick told a Phoenix television station 12News Weissman was arrested after he tried to apply for a pilot’s license in Spain using his real name. Patrick said investigators discovered that Weisman had adopted two children in Vietnam and obtained a legitimate Polish passport under an assumed name.
“The potential employer Googled his name and found he was on Scottsdale’s most wanted list and contacted Spanish authorities,” Patrick said.
This was the second time Weisman had fled the United States while his 2008 Arizona case hung over his head.
While charges against him were still pending, Weissman cut off his ankle monitor and left the country in late 2008. The fugitive was arrested in 2009 in Spain, returned to Arizona and pleaded guilty in metro Phoenix to three counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a child and one count of escape.
The charges stem from child sexual abuse material found on his computer.
In an interview with a probation officer, Weissman said he left the country the first time after he was tired of the hardship caused by his wife leaving him after his 2008 arrest and the financial difficulties he faced, according to court records.
Weissman, who spent more than two years in prison after returning from Spain, was sentenced in 2012 to life probation and one year of deferred imprisonment. Additional prison time was later removed by a judge in at least one of his two Arizona cases.
Authorities then say he fled the United States for a second time after being sentenced in 2012.
The attorney who last represented Weisman in his criminal case no longer works as a public defender, and efforts to locate him through an attorney directory and Internet search were unsuccessful.
Scottsdale police say Weissman will be extradited to the United States after his French case concludes. Arizona prosecutors say there is no timetable for when the extradition will take place.