El Salvador lawmaker wanted on money laundering arrested in OC


Associated Press - October 6, 2007 1:04 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A former lawmaker from El Salvador who's wanted in his country on money laundering charges was arrested Friday in Orange County, authorities said.

Roberto Carlos Silva-Pereira, 33, who's been sought since he was charged earlier this year in the Central American country, was arrested at a home in Anaheim, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.

"He's on their most wanted fugitive list," Eimiller said,

Silva-Pereira's arrest came after members of a fugitive task force received a tip from El Salvadoran authorities that he was in the Orange County area south of Los Angeles, Eimiller said.

When investigators knocked on the door, Silva-Pereira took off and led them on a four-block chase before he was arrested, Eimiller said.

Silva-Pereira, who was in the country illegally, was taken to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center to face deportation proceedings, she said.

Last year, El Salvador's Legislative Assembly revoked the immunity of Silva-Pereira, an alternate deputy with the National Conciliation Party, according to the U.S. Department of State Web site. He's accused of money laundering, illicit negotiations with mayors, and fraud, according to the site.

Salvadoran authorities accuse Silva-Pereira of laundering millions through his construction companies and bribing local mayors to get contracts.

Silva-Pereira's wife was arrested on similar charges and is in an El Salvador jail.

The task force that caught him, called Inland Regional Apprehension Team, includes members of the FBI, Riverside and San Bernardino police departments, and Riverside County Sheriff's Department.


Associated Press Writer Diego Mendez in San Salvador contributed to this report.

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