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Press Release
Press Release
Defendant Refused to Surrender for Service of Sentence
ATLANTA - Bandele Adekunle Adeneye has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of escape and bail jumping for failing to report to prison seventeen years ago.
“Those who flee to avoid serving their sentence should understand that they will be found and brought to justice,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates.
“This arrest should send a message to all federal fugitives that the United States Marshals Service never stops looking for you regardless of how long you have been on the run,” said Beverly Harvard, United States Marshal for the Northern District of Georgia.
According to United States Attorney Yates, the charges and other information presented in court: The United States Postal Service arrested Adeneye in 1994 for theft and possession of stolen mail in the Northern District of Georgia. Adeneye pleaded guilty to the unlawful possession of stolen mailbox keys, was sentenced to serve two years in federal prison, and ordered to pay more than $89,000 in restitution to the victims of his crimes.
In September 1995, Adeneye disregarded the court’s direction to either turn himself in to the U.S. Marshals in Atlanta, Ga., or to report to the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee, Fla. Instead he fled, avoiding custody for nearly two decades.
Adeneye, a 45-year-old foreign-born national, avoided capture for 17 years after he fled Georgia by assuming a new identity and relocating to a different part of the United States. He remained a fugitive until several Deputy U.S. Marshals conducted an intensive investigation, reviewing and re-analyzing every known aspect of Adeneye’s life. Their careful work led them to someone who they believed to be Adeneye living in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, under a fictitious name. Once the Deputy U.S. Marshals positively identified this person was Adeneye, they requested assistance from the Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST) who arrested Adeneye within 48 hours.
The indictment charges Adeneye with escape and bail jumping. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000. In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.
This case is being investigated by the United States Marshals Service.
Assistant United States Attorney William R. Toliver and Special Assistant United States Attorney Uchenna Ekuma-Nkama are prosecuting the case.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment contains only allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove a defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Information Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the HomePage for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.justice.gov/usao/gan.