Case # C-78106
Date: July 17, 2015
CAPTURED DEFENDANT ON OCDA’S MOST WANTED LIST SENTENCED TO 56 YEARS IN PRISON FOR COMMITTING LEWD ACTS ON CHILD IN 1991
*FBI located defendant in Mexico and extradited him in April 2015
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man on the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) Most Wanted List was sentenced today to 56 years in state prison for committing lewd acts upon a child in 1991 and fleeing the country during the middle of his jury trial. Henry Arthur Quinones, 75, was convicted by a jury in his absence on Sept. 9, 1991, of 26 felony counts of committing lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14. Quinones was located by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Mexico and extradited back to Orange County by FBI on April 17, 2015.
“I commend the FBI and all the agencies involved in securing the arrest and extradition of this defendant. Quinones is a pedophile who committed one of the worst violations against a young innocent child,” stated District Attorney Tony Rackauckas. “Law enforcement never gave up looking for him and he will likely never get out of prison.”
“The FBI is committed to assisting local police and district attorneys in finding fugitives who flee the jurisdiction in which they are charged, including those who leave the country,” said David Bowdich, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “Our local fugitive task forces and foreign Legal Attaché offices work with law enforcement in Mexico and many countries to successfully locate and return fugitives like Mr. Quinones to bring victims closer to receiving justice.”
Between 1984 and 1989, Quinones met regularly with a victim who was between 3 to 8 years old. During that time, Quinones orally copulated, digitally penetrated and/or had sexual intercourse with the victim almost daily. Neighbors reported the case to the Anaheim Police Department (APD) after noticing changes in the victim’s behavior.
During the trial, while Quinones was out of custody on $50,000 bail, he fled to Mexico and failed to appear in court on Aug. 29, 1991, and the court ordered a warrant for his arrest. While Quinones remained a fugitive, the trial continued without the defendant being present and the jury reached a verdict in the trial. On Oct. 4, 1991, Quinones was sentenced to 56 years in state prison.
In 2010, the FBI identified the location of the defendant in Mexico. On March 4, 2011, a warrant for Quinones’ arrest was issued in Mexico after obtaining approval from the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of State, and through the Mexican Embassy. On Sept. 15, 2014, Quinones was arrested in Mexico by Mexican law enforcement authorities. On April 17, 2015, Quinones was extradited from Mexico by FBI and transported to APD.
The OCDA’s Most Wanted list can be found on the OCDA’s website under the Media Center tab in the section titled Most Wanted or by visiting the following link: https://orangecountyda.org/media/mostwanted/default.asp
This case was originally prosecuted by then-Senior Deputy District Attorney Debora Lloyd. Deputy District Attorney Erin Rowe of the Special Prosecutions Unit secured the extraditions. Assistant District Attorney Kal Kaliban prosecuted this case.