U.S. Marshals Return Fugitive from Dominican Republic to Serve Money Laundering Conspiracy Sentence

MOBILE, AL – A man sentenced to serve 30 months in federal prison in January 2006 for conspiracy to launder drug money was returned to Mobile following his arrest by the U.S. Marshals Service and extradition from the Dominican Republic. Nigal E. Carpio-Calderon appeared Wednesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Mobile, and the court ordered him to remain in the U.S. Marshals Service’s custody until his designation to a Bureau of Prisons facility to serve his sentence.

According to court documents, on January 24, 2006, the U.S. District Court sentenced Carpio-Calderon, now 62, for laundering the proceeds of drug money. Carpio-Calderon lived in Puerto Rico while he was on pretrial release. The court allowed Carpio-Calderon to self-surrender rather than being taken into custody immediately at his sentencing hearing. Carpio-Calderon then returned to Puerto Rico. As a release condition, Carpio-Calderon was not allowed to leave the District of Puerto Rico without written permission from the court. The court issued a warrant for Carpio-Calderon’s arrest on March 14, 2006, when his Pretrial Officer there reported that he could not locate him and his residence appeared abandoned.

“Thanks to the relentless work of the Marshals Service in Mobile, this money laundering criminal has been brought back to the United States to face justice and serve his sentence,” said U. S. Attorney Sean P. Costello. “We appreciate the hard work of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Dominican Republic to make sure justice was served. Anyone considering running from their crime or their sentence should know that the U.S. Marshals Service and our other partners in law enforcement are going to find criminals wherever they try to hide,” added Costello.

“Today is a victory in the ongoing war against drug trafficking,” said IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge James E. Dorsey. “Coordination with other agencies and leveraging each of our strengths was the key to bring Carpio-Calderon to justice in our continuous fight against drug trafficking and money laundering. Thanks to the diligence of our law enforcement partners at the U.S. Marshals Service, this criminal is now off the street and being held accountable for his actions.”

“This significant arrest and successful extradition from The Dominican Republic shows the great cooperation and collaboration between the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Alabama,” said U.S. Marshal Mark F. Sloke. “To be able to locate a fugitive who has been on the run in a foreign country for over 15 years is a tremendous feat and we couldn’t have done it without the full support and commitment of The Dominican Republic.”

FBI Mobile SAC Paul Brown stated, “this arrest is a testament to the work ethic of the men and women who wear the badge, prosecute the cases, and pursue the fugitives. Those who assist in laundering drug money are no better than the dealers who peddle this poison in our communities and will be held accountable.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah Griffin prosecuted the money laundering conspiracy and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Lankford handled the extradition on behalf of the United States.