Canadian fugitive wanted in child sex case arrested in California after nearly 35 years

Charles Peter Billone, wanted by Hamilton Police since 1991, was nabbed in Santa Cruz, according to ICE

Published Aug 13, 2026  •  Last updated 2 hours ago  •  2 minute read

Charles Peter Billone. Photo by Handout / ERO San Francisco /X

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A 64-year-old Canadian fugitive wanted by police in Hamilton for child sexual abuse offences has been arrested in California nearly 35 years later.

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United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in San Francisco said earlier this month that Charles Peter Billone was taken into custody in Santa Cruz.

“A fugitive from Canada since 1991, he has stolen property, assault, and drug convictions, and is wanted in Canada for sexual assault involving a child,” Enforcement and Removal Operations in San Francisco wrote Aug. 4 on X. “He is in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.”

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Arrested without incident

Billone was arrested July 29 without incident, ICE spokesperson Jason Sweeney told the Santa Cruz Sentinel in a statement.

ICE said Billone allegedly admitted he illegally entered the U.S. while being processed by immigration officials.

It is unknown if a formal extradition hearing will be sought to return Billone to Canada.

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“Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.,” ICE wrote in a statement to the outlet. “ICE is working diligently to remove these violent, dangerous offenders from our communities.”

U.S. Homeland Security also announced Billone’s arrest in a statement shared on social media.

“Foreign criminals cannot hide in the shadows — we will do whatever it takes to find them and remove them from our nation,” the agency wrote on X.

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Mugshot of Charles Peter Billone at the time of his disappearance. Photo by Handout /Hamilton Police

Long manhunt ends

The arrest ends a three-decade long manhunt for the Canadian fugitive.

Billone, who was living in Hamilton before he disappeared, is wanted on a Canada-wide warrant on two counts each of sexual assault and sexual interference involving his nine-year-old stepdaughter over a three-year period, the Toronto Sun previously reported.

Hamilton Police believe he also sexually assaulted his stepdaughter’s friend.

In 2014, investigators renewed their efforts to locate Billone after he failed to show up to court in December 1991, following his release on a recognizance to answer the charges.

“And now Charles Billone no longer exists,” Det. Paul Henderson told the CBC at the time. “We can’t find him through any traditional means.”

Police believed at the time that he could be in either Manitoba or New Brunswick, as he had family ties in both provinces.

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