South Korean fugitive staying in Temecula returned to home country

RIVERSIDE - A South Korean man suspected of perpetrating a multimillion-dollar scam in his homeland and trying to hide out in Riverside County was returned to South Korea, authorities said Wednesday.

Kyochung Lee, 55, was transported by U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement agents to Seoul on Tuesday, where the fugitive was turned over to officers with the Korean National Police, according to ICE officials.

Lee was arrested at his Temecula apartment in January, nearly a year after the Seoul Central Public Prosecutor’s Office issued a warrant for his arrest.

According to the International Criminal Police Organization known as Interpol, Lee is suspected of defrauding an undisclosed number of people of the equivalent of $116 million during a 2006 scam.

He fled South Korea when his alleged activities came to the attention of authorities, according to Interpol.

ICE databases indicated Lee had entered the U.S. on a visitor’s visa.

During a months-long investigation by ICE agents and investigators with the U.S. Marshals Service, the fugitive’s whereabouts were confirmed and he was arrested without incident, according to federal officials.

Last month, Lee agreed to voluntarily return to South Korea, and an immigration judge released him – with an ICE escort.

“Foreign fugitives who believe they can flee to the United States and find refuge here are finding out otherwise,” said Timothy Robins, head of ICE Removal Operations in Los Angeles. “ICE is working closely with law enforcement agencies here and abroad to ensure our international borders are not barriers to bringing criminals to justice.”