Suspect In 1987 International Kidnapping Case Arrested In Vernon

VERNON, CT — A man who is accused of kidnapping his 21-month old son in Canada in 1987 was arrested Friday morning in Vernon, a leading federal prosecutor and other officials said.

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 announcement.

He 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 further alleged that DeSouza has most recently been residing in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Section 8 subsidized housing in Vernon.

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.”

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel

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