Fugitive who fled to Peru extradited to Miami

Arrest warrant issued for Joel Alexander Chirinos in 2008

Joel Alexander Chirinos sits in a van after returning to Miami from Peru to face sexual assault charges.

MIAMI – A fugitive who fled to Peru is back in South Florida nearly seven years after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Joel Alexander Chirinos, 31, was flanked by U.S. marshals Thursday afternoon as he arrived at Miami International Airport.

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Chirinos is accused of sexually assaulting a girl when she was 7 years old. He had been in the custody of Peruvian law enforcement since his Dec. 6, 2013, arrest.

Marshalls traveled to Peru last weekend to extradite him back to the U.S.

A warrant for the sexual assault suspect was issued in January 2008, but he had already fled to his native country by then.

U.S. Marshals Service spokesman Barry Golden said Chirinos was linked to a fashion design website based in Lima, Peru, so agents began focusing their efforts on the South American country.

In 2013, marshals received information about specific locations where Chirinos was frequenting in Lima, including an Internet café where he was believed to be using a computer to conceal his location.

Chirinos was turned over to Miami police to be booked into jail on the charges.

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