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For Immediate Release |
Contact: |
| February 17, 2010 | SDUSM Thomas Henman, District of Arizona (602) 382-8767 |
| Maricopa County Top 10 Sex Offender Apprehended by U.S. Marshals in California |
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Phoenix, AZ – This morning, a convicted child molester who fled his residence in Scottsdale, was arrested in California. In August 2009, Wesley Bikoff, age 48, removed his ankle monitoring device and left his residence in Scottsdale where he was required to reside as a condition of his Maricopa County probation. Bikoff was placed on probation after his conviction for sexual exploitation of a minor. In that offense, Bikoff had sexual relations with a five year girl until she reached the age of 18. He also took pornographic photographs and videos of her and attempted to sell them. Prior to fleeing his residence, Bikoff left the monitoring device along with a photograph of his middle finger for his probation officer. He was subsequently added to the Maricopa County Adult Probation Top 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders list. Through the course
of the investigation, investigators with the U.S. Marshals led Child
Predator Apprehension Team in Phoenix developed information that Bikoff was
in Hollister, California. This morning, Deputy U.S. Marshals from San Jose,
California arrested Bikoff at a residence after a few hours of surveillance.
He was booked into the San Benito County Jail and is currently awaiting
extradition to Arizona. Bikoff is also being reviewed for possible federal
charges for failing to register as a sex offender. The U.S. Marshals
Service is the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency. Annually,
U.S. Marshals arrest more than 50 percent of all federal fugitives and serve
more federal warrants than all other federal agencies combined. For more
information on other USMS Top 15 fugitives and USMS Major Cases, go to
www.usmarshals.gov. ### |