International Kidnapping Suspect Lived in Vernon For Years: Feds

VERNON, CT — A man arrested last week in a three-decade-old international kidnapping case was likely living in Vernon since 2004 under fudged federal Section 8 housing credentials, according to a document related to a federal investigation.

U.S. Attorney John H. Durham, U.S. Marshal Brian J. Taylor, and Special Agent in Charge Christina D. Scaringi of the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, made the arrest announcement.

The man was picked up at 157 Terrace Drive in Vernon, according to an arrest affidavit. According to court documents and statements made in court, it is alleged that Allan Mann Jr., 66, abducted his 21-month-old son, Jermaine Allan Mann, on June 24, 1987, during a court-ordered visit in Toronto.

Allan Mann, who has dual Canadian and Ghanaian citizenship, and his son, subsequently entered the U.S., Durham said.

Allan Mann changed his name to Hailee Randolph DeSouza, changed the name of his son and acquired counterfeit birth certificates for him and his son according to to case records.

It is alleged that DeSouza has most recently been residing at the Parkwest complex in Vernon, a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Section 8 subsidized housing development. Mann/DeSouza was said to be working as a "draftsman" and "was educated," according to a warrant. He was traced to Vernon, in part, via cell towers. For example, he made 51 calls to Ghana during the investigation, according to a warrant.

According to case records, in connection with his rental application to participate in HUD’s Section 8 program, DeSouza provided a birth certificate purportedly issued in 1985 by the State of Texas for his birth at St. Joseph Hospital in Houston in 1957.

The State of Texas has confirmed that the birth certificate is counterfeit and that no such birth of an individual bearing that name was recorded in the State of Texas, Durham said.

Mann/DeSouza was arrested Friday morning on a federal criminal complaint charging him with making false statements, and making false statements in HUD transactions. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and is detained.

The U.S. Marshals Service is working closely with Canadian law enforcement authorities, and Jermaine Allan Mann’s mother has been notified that her son has been identified and located.

“After taking his son away from his son’s mother, this defendant is alleged to have lived a lie for the last 31 years in violation of numerous U.S. laws,” said U.S. Attorney Durham. “We thank the many law enforcement agencies, in the U.S. and Canada, that have investigated this matter, worked hard to apprehend this fugitive, and finally provided some answers to a mother who has suffered with her son’s absence for far too long.”
“We are extremely ecstatic to have Allan Mann in custody and to bring closure to this kidnapping case after 31 years,” said U.S. Marshall Taylor.

“This is one of those rare cases that tugs at your heart strings,” said HUD-OIG Special Agent in Charge Scaringi. “Not only did we, working collectively, get this alleged bad actor off the street, but we played a role in reuniting an unjustly separated family.”

The penalty for forged federal housing applications can be a $10,000 fine with a five-year prison term, according to the warrant.

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel

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