74-year-old fugitive extradited from Singapore to US after 30 years on the run

SINGAPORE - A 74-year-old man on the run from the law in the United States for 30 years has been caught and extradited to America.

Jack Hsu was convicted in Dallas, Texas, in 1992 of five counts of bank fraud and five counts of embezzlement from a bank.

He was sentenced to 33 months’ imprisonment, but was allowed to remain free on bond pending a decision on the prison in California where he was to serve time behind bars.

But Hsu, who also goes by the name Hsu Lin Lin and Hsu Ling Ling, did not turn up on the day he was to begin his sentence.

American authorities later established that he had fled to Taiwan, and remained on the run for three decades.

Hsu, whose nationality was not stated, was eventually found here and arrested by the Singapore Police Force on July 12 this year.

He consented to his extradition following court proceedings here, and the Law Minister ordered his surrender on Oct 11.

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) said Hsu was returned to Texas by plane on Oct 14 and appeared in an American court on Monday. He is to immediately begin serving his 33-month sentence.

In its statement on Monday, the DOJ said Hsu was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Dallas Field Office, and the extradition from Singapore was secured by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.

It said: “The FBI and the Justice Department expressed appreciation to Singaporean authorities for their cooperation.”

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.