Former U.S. diplomat arrested in the Philippines on South Korean fraud accusations

Former U.S. diplomat arrested in the Philippines on South Korean fraud accusations

2010-10-08 23:25:28 GMT+7 (ICT)

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (BNO NEWS) -- Former U.S. diplomat Tomas Dario was arrested in the Philippines after fleeing from South Korea while being investigated on fraud accusations, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Tomas, a 51-year-old Filipino-American, was working for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in the southern South Korean port of Busan but fled the country about seven months ago without reporting to the U.S. Embassy as investigations against him had been initiated.

The former diplomat - who is also wanted in California in relation to a $240,000 wire fraud - was arrested on Friday at a casino in Angeles City in northern Manila.

Tomas allegedly defrauded a South Korean widow, who is being identified only as Lee, out of 220 million won ($200,000) after convincing her to invest money she had received from an insurance settlement following her husband's death in a traffic accident in a computer training school in the Philippines.

A U.S. federal grand jury charged Tomas with defrauding investors and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

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