American wanted in Philippines arrested in Jakarta
American wanted in Philippines arrested in Jakarta
JAKARTA (JP): Officers from Interpol's National Central Bureau
and detectives from the National Police have arrested a 54-year-
old American following a request from Interpol in Manila, the
Philippines.
According to a police officer, who asked for anonymity, Dennis
Austin Standefer, 54, was apprehended on Saturday for having
violated Indonesia's immigration law.
"We arrested him based on the fact that he had overstayed his
immigration permit by at least 10 months," the source told The
Jakarta Post.
Brig. Gen. Wayan Ardjana, secretary of Interpol's National
Central Bureau of Indonesia, confirmed the arrest.
He however did not give details, saying that the investigation
on Standefer was still underway.
Separately, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Togar
Sianipar said that Standefer was apprehended for using a fake
passport and not possessing adequate travel documents.
"He's currently detained at the Interpol office," he said.
Standefer could face maximum imprisonment of five years or a
maximum fine of Rp 25 million (US$3,380) for breaching the
immigration law, Sianipar said.
According to the police source, Standefer is listed as one of
the most wanted criminals in the Philippines for his alleged role
in a series of crimes in the country.
"He's at least charged for, among other things, raping a girl
and exploding part of a mountain there," he said.
Contacted from his office in Manila on Tuesday, officer Mario
A. Garcia of the Philippines' National Bureau of Investigation
(NBI) hailed the successful work of the Indonesian police
officers in allocating and apprehending the suspect.
Garcia said that he would soon meet his superiors to discuss
the possible extradition of Standefer to the Philippines.
Defraud
According to him, the American is suspected to have defrauded
a number of people who invested their money in Standefer's
business of hunting artifacts.
"The NBI has also charged him for allegedly raping a 16-year-
old girl in Mindanao in 1994," Garcia told the Post.
During his stay in the Philippines, Standefer was once jailed
for several weeks for immigration violation but was freed later
after claiming he was suffering an illness, Garcia added.
Standefer, he said, was also believed to be the man behind the
1995 illegal explosion of Mount Parker, also in Mindanao, which
killed nearly 100 people, in one of his efforts to trace local
treasures.
"We were then after him so we could possibly charge him with
homicide," Garcia said, adding that he believed Standefer
illegally fled the country.
Following the arrest of Standefer, an American man -- who said
he was a victim of Standefer's treasure hunting business --
contacted the Post to relay his experience dealing with the
suspect.
Karl Steven Ryll, a teacher at Valle Lindo High School at El
Monte, California, said he raised about US$90,000 from his
friends to invest in Standefer's business while he invested
$6,000.
However when things went bad last year, he spent thousands of
dollars in an effort to trace Standefer.
Reward
He promised a $2,500 reward to anyone in the U.S. who could
arrest him.
Ryll then hired a private investigator before later contacting
the American Federal Bureau of Investigation. But still Standefer
couldn't be found.
Ryall said he was delighted when a police officer informed him
of Standefer's arrest.
"I clapped. I felt at peace for the first time since the
trouble started," Ryll said.
He said he had been told that the suspect was arrested at
around 1 p.m on Saturday at Suropati Park in Central Jakarta when
Standefer was on his way home from the antique market on Jl.
Surabaya.
The story, Ryll said, started in 1990 when he first met
Standefer at a social club in South Pasadena, California, in
which the suspect presented club members with the tale of
discovery of a paddle-boat that had sunk off the coast of North
Carolina in 1857 with an estimated 18,900 kilograms of California
gold aboard.
Standefer later told Ryll that he was partially responsible
for the discovery of the sunken boat.
"I was impressed by him during his presentation," said Ryll.
Two years later, Standefer invited Ryll to his home to discuss
the discovery of a valuable Japanese World War II shipwreck off
the coast of Camiguin island in the Northern Philippines.
In the beginning, Ryll even traveled to the Philippines and
helped Standefer in the exploration of the Japanese shipwreck.
"But, later I realized I had found nothing but a good scuba
diving site," said Ryll.
Ryll learned that Standefer was in Indonesia during his stay
in the Philippines last June. He then flew to Indonesia after
some of his friends informed him of Standefer address.
Standefer's lawyer, Tisnaya I.Kartakusuma was not available
for comment on Tuesday. (bsr/ind/asa)