Cancun, Q.R. — An American man wanted on sex charges has been arrested in Cancun. On Wednesday, authorities in Cancun apprehended the 68-year-old American from outside his home.
He was taken into custody and flown back to the U.S. after authorities learned he was living in the Mexican Caribbean city. Authorities report that Curtis Lee Brovold, 68, was wanted on charges of having sex with a 14-year-old Minnesota girl.
The charges stem back to 2000, when he was accused of having sex with a minor from Moorhead, Minnesota. The pair apparently met online and chatted for six months before Brovold flew to Moorhead to meet her.
The girl’s mother was concerned about a new friend her daughter had met and contacted police after finding nude photos of her on a computer.
Brovold, who was from Granite Falls, Minnesota, was arrested later that same year and charged with criminal sexual conduct. He was released after posting a $40,000 bond and was absent for his court hearing.
From there, he was posted on the FBI’s most wanted list in their Crimes Against Children unit.
“The FBI has two things on its side when working fugitive cases: persistence and a very long memory. Both helped lead us to Curtis Brovold,” FBI Special Agent Michael Paul said.
Brovold, a former computer technician, had been on the run for 21 years. He was arrested outside his Cancun home on January 11 without incident, authorities reported, and flown back to the United States on the evening of January 12.
FBI spokesman Michael Kulstad said Brovold was transferred into the custody of Clay County authorities. He is facing charges of criminal sexual conduct, use of a minor in porn work and failure to appear. He also was charged in Minnesota’s U.S. District Court with using a flight to avoid prosecution.
