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U.S. Department of Justice 2111 W Roosevelt Rd. |
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Chicago FBI Press Office Phone: (312) 829-1199 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 14, 2008 |
FEDERAL CHARGES FILED IN ORLAND PARK PARENTAL KIDNAPPING Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was joined today by Patrick J. Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and Timothy J. McCarthy, Chief of the Orland Park Police Department (OPPD) in announcing that federal criminal charges have been filed against a Lockport man for the attempted kidnapping of his two-year old daughter. SAID AYESH, age 36, of 14832 West Victoria Crossings in Lockport, was charged in a criminal complaint filed last week in U.S. District Court in Chicago, which was unsealed yesterday, with one count of Attempted International Parental Kidnapping, which is a felony offense. According to the complaint, AYESH, who is a Jordanian national, took custody of his two-year old daughter on Saturday, October 25, during a scheduled and unsupervised court ordered visit. When AYESH failed to return the girl to her mother at her Orland Park residence, a missing child report was filed with the OPPD. Subsequent investigation by the OPPD determined that AYESH had previously discussed with others, his plan to return to his native Jordan with his daughter. On October 28th, AYESH was tracked by the OPPD to a residence in Crown Point, Indiana, where he had apparently been in hiding with his daughter. Attempts to locate AYESH there were unsuccessful as he had already fled. The OPPD was then able to obtain the description of a vehicle possibly being used by AYESH in his flight. A description of this vehicle, AYESH, and his daughter were then disseminated to law enforcement agencies nationwide. Late in the evening of October 28, an Ohio State Patrol (OSP) Officer, on routine patrol, saw the wanted vehicle heading eastbound on Interstate 80/90. After stopping the vehicle, the officer discovered AYESH and his daughter inside, along with two other individuals. According to the complaint, subsequent investigation by the OSP determined that AYESH was en route to New York City, where he was planning to board a flight to Jordan with his daughter. AYESH was initially charged in Cook County Circuit Court with violation of state criminal statutes. Those charges have since been dropped in favor of federal prosecution. AYESH appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Cox in Chicago late yesterday, at which time he was ordered held without bond, pending his next scheduled court appearance. AYESH is being housed at the Metropolitan Correctional Center ( MCC ) in Chicago. If convicted of the charges filed against him, AYESH faces a possible sentence of up to three (3) years incarceration. In announcing the filing of these charges, Mr. Grant praised the efforts of both the Orland Park Police Department and the Ohio State Patrol for the successful resolution of this case and the safe return of the minor child to her custodial parent. Mr. Grant noted that the unlawful taking of a minor child across state lines in violation of a court order, even when committed by a biological parent, is a serious offense that will be aggressively investigated by the FBI. The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. EDITOR’S NOTE: A copy of the criminal complaint filed in this case is available from the Chicago FBI’s press office at (312) 829-1199.
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