El Dorado County fugitive found on East African island

For nearly five years the El Dorado County District Attorney's office has been searching for Javed Noori, a man who had been placed on the federal government's Northern California Most Wanted List.

That search is now over after Noori was returned to the county on October 9, 2017 where he faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon including two special allegations for inflicting great bodily injury and for a prior strike for very similar conduct.

El Dorado County authorities say Noori assaulted two different victims in the head with glass beer bottles and was facing jail time in 2012 when he disappeared.

El Dorado County District Attorney's Office says Javed Ahmed Noori initially cooperated with authorities by showing up for court and abiding by his probation, but after the judge said Noori would go to prison for his crimes, Noori cut off all communication with the probation department and disappeared.

Once it was clear that Mr. Noori had fled the United States, El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office Investigators worked in partnership with Special
Agents at the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) to conduct an international fugitive investigation. For several years, Investigators from the District Attorney’s office were in regular contact with federal agents to attempt to locate Mr. Noori. Due to these efforts, it was determined that Mr. Noori had obtained a false Afghanistan passport in an assumed identity and was using it to travel throughout Asia. Ultimately, Mr. Noori was located on the East African island of Mauritius, where DSS Special Agents assigned to the United States Embassy facilitated his return to San Francisco International Airport.

When Mr. Noori arrived in California last week, he was immediately arrested on federal charges and returned to El Dorado County. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 11 years, not including any federal crimes he may have committed while he was a fugitive. His next court date is October 13, 2017.

“I am pleased that after nearly five years, we have finally brought this fugitive back to California to face justice for his crimes. The District Attorney’s office investigators worked tirelessly for years to bring Mr. Noori to justice,” said El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson. "I’d also like to thank our federal partners at the Diplomatic Security Service for their assistance in this important case.”

“The successful return and arrest of this fugitive from justice from halfway around the world is a clear demonstration of both the investigative vigilance and global reach of the Diplomatic Security Service,” said Matthew Perlman, Special Agent-In-Charge of the DSS San Francisco Field Office.