California

Fugitive Using Dead Child's Name Caught in Sonoma County

Federal officials say a falsified passport application led authorities to the arrest in Northern California of a fugitive who had been living under a dead child's identity for more than two decades.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says 70-year-old Ronald Victor Solakian had been on the run since 1995, when disappeared in southern California while facing charges of conspiring to import marijuana and possession with intent to distribute.

The Press Democrat in Santa Rosa reports Wednesday Solakian acquired a passport using the name of a 5-year-old child who died in 1953 and then moved to Sonoma County, where he was arrested.

His whereabouts were unknown until earlier this year when he was arrested after his passport application filed in September 2017 came under scrutiny.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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