Roger Alan Giese, 43, was on Monday charged with 19 counts including committing lewd acts on a child. He is pictured after arriving back in California
A former choirmaster accused of posing as a member of Delta Force to molest a 13-year-old boy has finally been extradited to California after living for nearly 20 years in the UK under an assumed name.
Roger Alan Giese, 43, was on Monday charged with 19 counts including committing lewd acts on a child after allegedly convincing the teenager he could join the elite military unit if he provided body fluids including semen, blood and urine.
The vocal coach, who was on the FBI’s most wanted list, was ordered held on $60 million bail pending arraignment, which was postponed to August 29.
Giese was working as a coach for the All-American Boys Chorus in 1998 when he befriended the boy’s family through their church, Buena Park police Sergeant Mike Lovchik said.
He engaged in sexual activity with the boy for about two years before a complaint made by the teenager’s family led to his arrest, prosecutors said.
Giese was freed on bail when he failed to show up for trial in 2007. He was tracked to the UK in 2012 thanks to a tip generated by an episode about him on the television show ‘America’s Most Wanted,’ District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said.
Giese was ordered held on $60 million bail pending arraignment. Pictured: Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, left, and Buena Park Police Sgt. Michael Lovchik announce the charges against him on Monday
The suspect is thought to have traveled through the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands and Norway before arriving in Southampton, England, and setting up PR company C4 Digital Group, which served clients including travel firm Thomas Cook.
He was living under the name Jonathan Roberts in the village of Broughton, sharing his home with a woman who did not know his true identity.
Giese was captured in 2015 but fought extradition. During his challenge, he remained free but was monitored by authorities.
British courts balked at extraditing Giese out of concern over a California law that allows some sex offenders to be held indefinitely in mental hospitals after serving their sentences. His lawyers also claimed he would be attacked by other prisoners.
The suspect (pictured in 1998) is thought to have traveled through the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands and Norway before arriving in Southampton, England, and setting up PR company C4 Digital Group
Prosecutors agreed they would not seek to have Giese confined after his sentence if he was convicted, leading to senior judges rejecting his appeal against extradition in June.
Lord Burnett, the Lord Chief Justice, sitting with Mr Justice Dingemans, said: ‘The underlying consideration is the strong public interest in upholding our international obligations and delivering for trial those accused of serious criminal wrongdoing.
‘A strong feature of this case is that the appellant is a classic fugitive from justice – he broke his bail conditions and fled the jurisdiction.
The alleged victim was relieved to hear that Giese had been returned to California, Orange County Deputy District Attorney Rebecca Reed said.
‘This was long-delayed justice for him,” she said. ‘He is relieved there is an end in sight for this.’
The defendant’s attorney, Lisa Eyanson, declined comment outside court, City News Service reported.