Spanish police on Friday announced the arrest one of the FBI's 10 most wanted fugitives: a New Zealander on the run since 2019 after being sentenced to life in prison in the USA for crimes including sex trafficking and child pornography.
According to the police, the 40-year-old New Zealander was arrested after being spotted on Wednesday in a hotel in the centre of Madrid, where he was staying under one of the false identities he used to avoid being located.
The police, who did not give the full name of the fugitive, only his initials - MJP - said a $100,000 reward had been offered for information leading to his arrest.
According to a source close to the case, the man is Michael James Pratt, sentenced to life imprisonment in the United States for child pornography, sexual exploitation, sexual assault and unlawful enrichment.
According to the FBI website, the New Zealander allegedly recruited several young adult and underage girls in the USA and Canada between 2012 and 2019, using classified ads for modelling work, and forced them to perform sex acts.
Michael James Pratt, who owned a production company and pornographic websites, then allegedly published the videos of his victims, allegedly raking in over $17 million from his activities, according to authorities.
Pratt, who was also accused of sexually assaulting several young women, fled after his life sentence, and an international warrant was issued for his arrest in November 2019.
