A former missionary accused of transporting two teenagers from Argentina to North Carolina under the guise of religious ministry more than two decades ago and sexually abusing them has been arrested in Florida.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office in Florida said in a statement that the former missionary, Luis Alberto Sosa, 50, was arrested on Oct. 8, after they were contacted by the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina.
The North Carolina-based officials revealed that Sosa had three active arrest warrants with nationwide extradition for two counts of human trafficking of a child victim, two counts of taking indecent liberties with children, seven counts of sexual activity by a substitute parent or custodian, and five counts of sex offenses by a person in a parental role.
Video of Sosa’s arrest, captured by the police, shows him being shocked by the allegations as he was presented with them by the police.
“Oh my goodness! Really?” he declared as police also took custody of his dog, which he was walking at the time.
Sosa’s alleged victims were between the ages of 13 and 17 at the time of the alleged offense, according to the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office.
He reportedly brought the victims to the U.S. from Argentina, claiming they were getting a ministry opportunity and a “once-in-a-lifetime” trip. He had been granted temporary guardianship over the children during their travels, but within two months, he allegedly committed several separate sexual offenses against the teenagers.
The victims initially reported the allegations to Argentine authorities, who contacted the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office through the Argentine Consulate.
When North Carolina police learned that Sosa had fled the state for Florida, they obtained arrest warrants and a nationwide extradition order. They also coordinated with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office to arrest Sosa.
He is currently being held without bond in Florida and is awaiting extradition to Iredell County.
“This investigation demonstrates how critical collaboration between agencies is in bringing fugitives to justice,” Sheriff Darren Campbell said in a statement. “We thank the Argentinian authorities and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance.”
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly also stressed the critical importance of law enforcement cooperation nationwide.
“Just a few weeks ago, we had a case where a pervert committed some terrible crimes against a child in Flagler County and was found in North Carolina, and now we have the opposite, where this guy was wanted for some awful crimes in North Carolina and was trying to hide here,” she said.
“In the North Carolina case, the local magistrate let him out on a very low bond and required we get a Governor’s Warrant. Now they want someone that’s in Flagler County and hopefully we are educating North Carolina on how fugitives should be handled. He’s being held on NO BOND pending his extradition to North Carolina,” he added. “Fugitives beware; you can’t hide in Flagler County because law enforcement agencies across the country work together to track you down so you will be held accountable for your crimes.”
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