BY TEDDY KULMALA From The State

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, SC
An international fugitive who fled the Caribbean after bilking more than $100,000 out of elderly victims has been arrested in South Carolina, where he is accused of carrying out similar fraudulent schemes, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

Hainsley DaCosta Browne, who also goes by “Barbados,” was arrested Friday in Fairfield County, according to a news release Sunday. Brown fled the Caribbean island of Barbados to escape law enforcement for operating a phone scam ring in which he would call elderly people and have them pay him money by convincing them he was a needy family member.

Authorities say Brown defrauded elderly victims there of $130,000 before fleeing to the United States, according to the Marshals Service. Investigators with the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service discovered in September 2016 that Browne may have moved to South Carolina and was trying to defraud elderly residents in the Palmetto State as he did in Barbados.

Officials say leads dried up and Browne continued to evade law enforcement until Friday, when a U.S. Marshals task force asked Crime Stoppers to send a media blast with Browne’s photo and description, the release said. Within hours, law enforcement received numerous tips with the information needed to arrest Browne, who was arrested in Fairfield County by sheriff’s deputies and taken to the Fairfield County detention center.

“Individuals who prey on the elderly are devious,” said Kelvin Washington, U.S. Marshal for the District of South Carolina. “This international case has shown no matter where fugitives attempt to hide, law enforcement partnerships across the globe will always prevail.”

Browne will be seen in U.S. District Court in Columbia before he is deported to Barbados, where he will stand trial for his charges, the Marshals Service said.

IMAGES: Browne US Marshals Service

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