Citadel Sex Abuser Later Carjacked Cocaine Mule
Michael Arpaio lived on the lam under fake name until deadly carjacking.
Nov. 29, 2011 — -- The man at the heart of a Penn State-style sex abuse scandal at the Citadel is now in prison in Puerto Rico awaiting sentencing for his role in the kidnapping, robbery and murder of a cocaine courier by a SWAT team of fake federal law enforcement agents.
Former Marine Capt. Michael Arpaio, now 37, served 15 months in prison for molesting boys at the South Carolina military college's summer camp between 1995 and 2001. According to lawsuits filed against Arpaio, while a counselor he molested boys, gave them drugs and alcohol and made them watch while he had sex with a woman.
The camp closed in 2006 after the Citadel paid $3.8 million to five campers who said Arpaio had abused them. But alleged abuse at the camp is back in the news because of a fresh lawsuit by another alleged Arpaio victim, and because a second ex-counselor, Skip ReVille, now faces criminal charges of molesting nine boys -- alleged offenses that occurred long after the Citadel failed to tell authorities about a camper's complaint against ReVille.
Arpaio was released from prison in 2004. As part of his guilty plea, Arpaio, was supposed to register as a sex offender on his release. Instead, he seemed to disappear -- until the Charleston Post and Courier found him in federal custody in Puerto Rico.
After serving his time, Arpaio had returned to his home state of Georgia. Instead of registering as a sex offender, however, he moved to the U.S. possession of Puerto Rico and started using the name Michael Holland. He became part owner of a restaurant in the tourist district of Old San Juan.
He lived in Puerto Rico for four years before federal authorities arrested him for failing to register as a sexual offender. He pled guilty to the offense and was sentenced to 15 months.
Popular Reads
ABC News Live