American wanted by FBI arrested in Indonesia for suspected child sex crimes

[June 16, 2020]    JAKARTA (Reuters) - A U.S. national wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation over a bitcoin scam has been arrested in Indonesia and charged under a child protection law for suspected sex crimes, Indonesian police said on Tuesday.

Russ Albert Medlin was arrested at his residence in Jakarta on Monday after police questioned three minors, and he was suspected of sex crimes, Jakarta police spokesman Yusri Yunus told a streamed news conference.

Indonesia's child protection law carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

Reuters was unable to contact Medlin or to find out whether he had legal representation. The U.S. Embassy in Jakarta did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

Another police officer said that Medlin could also face extradition to the United States.

Medlin has been on an Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) wanted list for crimes related to an investment scam in bitcoin stocks, Yunus said, adding the scam totaled $722 million.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm Medlin was on the FBI's wanted list.

Indonesian authorities said they were coordinating with the American embassy.

(Reporting by Stanley Widianto and Agustinus Beo Da Costa; Editing by Kate Lamb, Matthew Tostevin and Simon Cameron-Moore)

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