South Korean Fugitive Found Hiding in Temecula Deported

A man wanted on suspicion of masterminding a $116 million scam in South Korea was found in Temecula.

Kyochung Lee, 55, was deported to Seoul Tuesday where customs officials turned him over to local police, according to ICE officials.

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

He faces charges of scamming an undisclosed number of victims during 2006, according to Interpol.

He fled South Korea when authorities caught onto his scheme, according to Interpol officials. He entered the U.S. on a visitor’s visa, according to the ICE database.

The ICE, Interpol and the U.S. Marshals Service worked for months on the investigation. When they found him, he gave up without a fight, federal officials said.

Lee willingly agreed in March to return to his homeland accompanied by an ICE escort, and a judge released him.

“Foreign fugitives who believe they can flee to the United States and find refuge here are finding out otherwise,” said Timothy Robings, head of the 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 bring criminals to justice.”

City News Service contributed to this report.