Prosecutors at the French Court of Appeals say a U.S. man was charged with sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and then sending her a Facebook message that read, “That's why I raped you.” It was announced that the man would be extradited to the United States on Thursday.
The Court of Appeal's public prosecutor's office in Metz, northeast France, announced that Ian Cleary was handed over to U.S. authorities at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Cleary, 31, of Saratoga, Calif., was taken into custody with meth in April after a three-year manhunt.
He has been detained since his arrest pending extradition proceedings.
The Metz Court of Appeal ruled in July that he could be extradited.
Cleary has been the subject of an international investigation since Pennsylvania authorities issued a 2021 felony warrant in the case weeks later. Associated Press article It detailed the reluctance of local prosecutors to pursue sex crimes on campus.
According to an arrest warrant, Cleary stalked an 18-year-old Gettysburg College student at a party in 2013, sneaked into her dormitory and sexually assaulted her while she texted a friend for help. accused of suspicion.
He was a 20-year-old Gettysburg student at the time, but never returned to campus.
The accuser, Shannon Keeler, underwent a rape test on the same day.
She spent years collecting witnesses and evidence and urging authorities to press charges.
She turned herself in to authorities again in 2021 after discovering Facebook messages that appeared to have been sent from Cleary's account.
“That's why I raped you,” the sender wrote in a series of messages.
“I'll never do that to anyone again.”
“I want to hear your voice.”
“I'll pray for you.”
According to the June 2021 warrant, police confirmed that the Facebook account used to send the message belonged to Cleary.
The Associated Press does not typically identify victims of sexual assault without their permission, and Keeler acknowledged that.
