Jose Marvin Martinez, Sexual Assault, Texas 2006

Salvadoran National Extradited for Texas Sex Crimes

A Salvadoran national, Jose Marvin Martinez, was extradited from El Salvador to the United States to serve a prison sentence for sexual assault in Texas.

According to the evidence presented at trial, in March 2004 Martinez sexually assaulted his 14-year-old daughter. Martinez was convicted on March 30, 2006, in Brazoria County, Texas, of one count of sexual assault on a child and one count of indecency with a child.

A Texas jury sentenced Martinez to eight years in prison on the sexual assault charge and 10 years of community supervision on the indecency charge. Martinez fled before the jury began deliberations and was free on bond during the trial.

Martinez fled to El Salvador where he was arrested on January 11, 2008, by Salvadoran law enforcement authorities based on a provisional arrest warrant for his extradition. The Salvadoran Supreme Court voted 10 to 5 to extradite Martinez to the United States to serve his sentence for the sexual assault charge on December 22, 2009. The court denied extradition on the indecency with a child conviction because there is no similar Salvadoran offense and it was also not listed in the U.S./El Salvador Bilateral Extradition Treaty.

This case marks the first extradition by El Salvador of a Salvadoran national to the United States in modern times. The extradition announced today is the result of close cooperation between the FBI; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the Brazoria County, Texas, Sheriff's Office; the Brazoria County District Attorney’s Office; the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador and Salvadoran law enforcement authorities.

The long arm of the law has reached farther with every successful extradition to and from the United States, as the country works with its partners around the world to make sure criminals cannot find safe haven from justice.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/first-extradition-el-salvador-united-states-brings-salvadoran-national-back-serve-prison