BOSTON — Luis Alberto Solano-Pimental, 51, is back in federal custody after two decades on the run, arrested yesterday in Warwick, R.I., for a crime committed before the digital age took hold. The fugitive, wanted since 1997 for passport fraud, failed to show up for sentencing in Boston federal court and vanished—until now.
Solano-Pimental pleaded guilty two decades ago to defrauding the U.S. State Department by obtaining a passport under false pretenses, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Despite the plea, he walked free on bond and never returned for sentencing, slipping through the cracks of federal law enforcement for 20 years.
His capture was confirmed by U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling, who announced the arrest alongside top federal agents, including William B. Gannon, Special Agent in Charge of the Diplomatic Security Service in Boston, and U.S. Marshals John Gibbons and Jamie A. Hainsworth from Massachusetts and Rhode Island, respectively. The multi-agency manhunt spanned state lines and decades, culminating in a quiet takedown in Warwick.
Solano-Pimental appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jennifer C. Boal in Boston, where he was ordered detained pending further proceedings. No bond was offered. The federal court system, known for its relentless pursuit of fugitives, made it clear: time does not erase accountability.
Prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Wichers of the Major Crimes Unit, a division known for closing cold cases with precision. While new charges are not expected, sentencing will weigh the original crime against two decades of evasion—a factor judges do not take lightly.
The case stands as a grim reminder: the feds don’t forget. The passport fraud charge may have seemed minor in 1997, but the cost of running has only grown. Solano-Pimental now faces a judge who wasn’t even on the bench when he disappeared.
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Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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