First Extradition From
El Salvador to the United States
Jose Marvin Martinez, a Salvadoran national,
was surrendered to U.S. authorities today in
the first extradition from El Salvador to
the United States, announced Assistant
Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the
Criminal Division.
Martinez was convicted on March 30, 2006, in
Brazoria County, Texas, of one count of
sexual assault on a child and one count of
indecency with a child. According to the
evidence presented at trial, in March 2004
Martinez sexually assaulted his daughter,
who was 14-years-old at the time. The day
after his conviction, a Texas jury sentenced
Martinez to eight years in prison on the
sexual assault charge and 10 years of
community supervision on the indecency
charge. Martinez, who had been free on bond
during the trial, fled before the jury began
deliberations.
Martinez fled to El Salvador where he was
arrested on Jan. 11, 2008, by Salvadoran law
enforcement authorities based on a
provisional arrest warrant for his
extradition. On Dec. 22, 2009, the Supreme
Court of El Salvador voted 10 to 5 to
extradite Martinez to the United States to
serve his sentence for the sexual assault
charge. The Salvadoran Supreme Court denied
extradition on the indecency with a child
conviction because there is no similar
Salvadoran offense and it was also not
listed in the U.S./El Salvador Bilateral
Extradition Treaty.
In July 2000, El Salvador amended its
constitution to allow for the extradition of
Salvadoran nationals. This case marks the
first extradition by El Salvador of a
Salvadoran national to the United States in
modern times.
"Today's extradition brings a criminal to
justice and paves the way forward in our law
enforcement partnership with El Salvador,"
said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A.
Breuer of the Criminal Division. "This first
extradition from El Salvador to the United
States marks a turning point in our
continued efforts to strengthen our joint
efforts to hold criminals accountable. The
long arm of the law reaches farther with
every successful extradition to and from the
United States, as we work with our partners
around the world to make sure criminals
cannot find safe haven from justice."
The extradition announced today is the
result of close cooperation between the FBI;
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement;
the Brazoria County, Texas, Sheriff's
Office; the Brazoria County District
Attorney's Office; the U.S. Embassy in San
Salvador and Salvadoran law enforcement
authorities. The Department of Justice
Attache in San Salvador and the Criminal
Division's Office of International Affairs
were instrumental in achieving this
extradition.
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