NORTHAMPTON — A Northampton fugitive charged with possessing and creating child sexual abuse material has been extradited to Massachusetts after six years on the run in Ecuador.
Northampton Police began investigating resident Jude Demeis, 55, in 2019 after he allegedly shared a video containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on social media. He was charged with three counts of possessing CSAM, and one count of posing or exhibiting a child in a state of nudity following a Hampshire County grand jury decision in September 2019.
Law enforcement was unable to execute Demeis’ arrest warrant, as he had already fled the area, according to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office.
Demeis was located in Ecuador earlier this year through a joint effort between the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section (VFAS) and the FBI, which worked alongside Ecuadorian authorities to arrest him. He was escorted from Ecuador to Boston by U.S. marshals on Thursday and is expected to be arraigned in Hampshire District Court at 11 a.m. Friday.
“The capture of Jude Demeis should be a warning to fugitives everywhere: we will find you and ensure you face justice,” Ted Docks, FBI’s Boston Division special agent in charge, said in a statement. “This is an example of how the FBI is leveraging its specialized skills, resources, and international partnerships to support the Massachusetts State Police in locating one of their fugitives. Demeis’s arrest allows the justice system to move forward as it should have.”
The FBI’s Office of the Legal Attaché in Colombia, the U.S. Embassy in Quito, and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service provided “significant assistance” in this investigation, according to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office.
“There are no jurisdictional boundaries when it comes to pursuing justice,” District Attorney David Sullivan wrote in a statement. “This case demonstrates what happens when local, state and federal law enforcement agencies share information and work collaboratively toward a common goal. We are grateful to every agency who assisted in finding and returning the defendant to the Commonwealth to face these charges.”
