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Scranton, PA – United States Marshal Martin
J. Pane announces the arrest of Harry Joline - a 43-year old man from Salem
Township, Luzerne County – for Unlawful Restraint, Involuntary Servitude,
multiple counts of Assault, Harassment, Flight to Avoid Prosecution, and
Violations of federal Supervised Release.
On April 15, 2011, U. S. District Judge John E. Jones III sentenced Joline to
six months incarceration and five years of supervised release for Bank Fraud.
Upon his release from prison Joline took up residence near Berwick (Salem
Township, Luzerne County) and began his term of federal supervised release.
On November 14, 2011, the Salem Township Police Department charged Joline with
Unlawful Restraint, Involuntary Servitude, and multiple counts of Assault. These
charges resulted from a report made by a woman that, after meeting Joline on a
social networking site, was lured to his home on November 8, 2011 and held her
against her will. Joline allegedly assaulted the woman several times. Joline
ultimately released the woman in Nescopeck and she immediately sought help from
law enforcement.
After learning of these charges, federal officials contacted Joline’s attorney
and arranged for him to surrender on November 18, 2011. Joline failed to
surrender as promised. Investigation by law enforcement revealed that Joline
fled the area and a state charge of Flight to Avoid Prosecution was added to the
criminal complaint.
.On December 7, 2011, a federal warrant was issued for Joline’s arrest, charging
him with Violations of Supervised Release and the United States Marshals Service
(USMS) Fugitive Task Force for the Middle District of Pennsylvania began an
investigation to locate and arrest Joline. Deputy U. S. Marshals learned that
Joline intended to obtain false identity documents and flee the United States.
On December 15, 2011, investigators from the U. S. Department of State,
Diplomatic Security Services discovered that Joline applied for a passport using
his child’s altered identity information. Using this information, Deputy U. S.
Marshals learned that Joline was staying in Bronx, NY while waiting for a
December 16th flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Montreal,
Canada.
Early in the morning of December 16, 2011, members of the USMS New York/New
Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force checked a home in the Bronx, NY and arrested
Joline. He was returned to the Middle District of Pennsylvania and scheduled to
appear before a U. S. Magistrate Judge in Scranton. The investigation into
Joline’s activities while a fugitive, including possible passport fraud, is
on-going.
Today’s arrest isn’t the first time the USMS arrested Joline as he tried to
avoid criminal charges by leaving the United States with false identity
documents. On November 3, 2009, the USMS arrested Joline near Waco, TX as he
rode on a bus bound for Mexico. At that time, he was wanted for Violations of
Supervised Release based on a 2005 federal conviction for Fraud, and, used
fraudulent identity documents based on his child’s altered identity information.
United States Marshal Pane stated, “This case demonstrates the importance of the
U. S. Marshal’s mission to track down violent, repeat offender before they flee
the jurisdiction of the state and federal courts. Communities throughout
Pennsylvania - and beyond - are safer because of arrests like this.”
The concept of all USMS-led fugitive task forces is to seek out and arrest the
nation’s most dangerous and violent offenders.
Additional information about the U.S.
Marshals Service can be found at
http://www.usmarshals.gov.
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