US Child-Sex Fugitive Arrested in Phuket on FBI Tip-off

PHUKET, Thailand – Thai authorities, working with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), have arrested a 48-year-old American man wanted in the United States under eight arrest warrants, after locating him at a hotel near Nai Yang Beach in Phuket. The operation involved the Immigration Bureau’s Division 3, Bangkok Metropolitan Police investigators and Phuket Provincial Police, with information and coordination from the FBI’s Bangkok office. Authorities identified the suspect as Lance Michael Beck, 48, a US national wanted under seven warrants issued in Alabama and one federal warrant in the United States. According to Thai authorities, the warrants relate to allegations involving serious sexual offences against children under 14, including allegations involving recorded videos. The charges listed by authorities include sexual torture, rape, human trafficking, facilitating a child’s travel for sexual offences, sexual abuse and incest-related sexual offences. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Investigators traced Beck after he entered Thailand through Phuket International Airport and checked into a hotel in the Nai Yang Beach area of Sakhu, Thalang district. Immigration officers subsequently revoked his permission to remain in Thailand. After being informed of the order, Beck reportedly acknowledged that he was the person named in the US arrest warrants. He was taken into immigration detention pending further proceedings and is expected to be deported to the United States to face the allegations there. The operation was coordinated with FBI Bangkok Legal Attaché Benjamin Virtue and Assistant Law Enforcement Attaché Nicholas Vicencia, highlighting cooperation between Thai and US law enforcement agencies in tracking wanted individuals across borders. Thai authorities said the cooperation also helps prevent individuals facing serious criminal allegations overseas from using Thailand as a safe haven. (function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push(["_mgc.load"]})(window,"_mgq");