US: ICE Detains 2 Ecuadorean Bankers Convicted of Embezzling

Two former Ecuadorean banking brothers who fled to Miami after being charged with stealing millions from one of the country’s biggest banks have been arrested by United States immigration officials and await possible deportation.

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William and Roberto Isaias, 74 and 75, had been wanted in the South American country for years on charges that they had embezzled millions of dollars from the now-defunct bank, Filanbanco, during Ecuador’s financial crisis in the 1990s.

The two were arrested Wednesday in Miami, Florida, and have been detained pending deportation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesman Nestor Yglesias said in an email to the Associated Press Saturday.

The millionaire fugitives’ family have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to U.S. political campaigns as they fought to stay in the United States, officials said. It was unclear what led to their arrests; Yglesias only said that the men were “unlawfully present” in the country.

In a 2014 interview with the New York Times, Roberto Isaias denied asking for favors in exchange for political donations, saying, “My family has given to about 20 congressmen who fight for human rights and freedom of speech in Latin America. That’s legal.” Donations have included Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Marco Rubio of Florida.

Ecuador estimated that the brothers had cost the country US$400 million, and has sought their extradition for years. The American ambassador in Ecuador lobbied at one point for their immediate return and accused the two bankers of financing a $2 million bribe to get Ecuador’s attorney general to drop the case.