A bank robbery suspect who jumped bail and fled after his arrest in 2008 has been captured in Vietnam.
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| Officials on Wednesday said they have arrested the man responsible for robbing at least two Houston banks in the summer of 2008, including a Chase Bank on San Felipe, where this image was taken. |
John Le, 30, was taken into custody last month after U.S. investigators told Vietnamese officials that he could likely be found in Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon.
“The Vietnamese government picked him up and detained him. Our guys went over there and picked him up,” said Alfredo Perez with the U.S. Marshals Service.
Officials have linked him to at least two bank robberies in the summer of 2008 . In one, the robber wore a tie, dress slacks and a shirt when he robbed a Chase Bank branch in the 5800 block of San Felipe. The FBI dubbed the robber the “Brazen Businessman.”
FBI officials said Le walked up to the teller while carrying a small bank bag. He unzipped it, showed her pistol hidden inside, and demanded the cash.
Le opted for more casual attire — a striped polo shirt and jeans - in June 2008 when he held up a Comerica Bank branch also on San Felipe - just over a mile from the earlier robbery, officials said.
He was arrested later that month and identified in a photo line-up. Le was charged with two counts of aggravated robbery and posted an $80,000 bond. Le fled the country before his trial was set to begin in February 2009, official said.
FBI officials said they were aware that Le had been located in Vietnam.
“Obviously, we're happy to have him back facing charges,” said Shauna Dunlap with the Houston FBI office.
Officials with the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Violent Offenders and Fugitive Task Force said they received information that Le was living in Vietnam.
Perez said Le's family lives in the United States but didn't know if Le has other relatives or friends living in Vietnam.
“He knew how to speak Vietnamese,” Perez said. “He would be able to assimilate into the culture out there a lot easier.”
Once Vietnamese authorities transferred him to U.S. custody, Le was flown back to the United States.
Le appeared before a judge after arriving in Los Angeles - his first stop in the United States - and was read his rights and asked if he chose to waive extradition to Texas.
He is expected to arrived today at Bush Intercontinental Airport to face the armed robbery charges, Perez said.
