Wanted for Sex Crimes & Targeting Asian Homes for Break Ins
Mexican National Extradited to NY and Arraigned on 2008 Indictment Charging Rape and Sexual Assault
On Feb. 25, Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace announced that a Mexican national, who has been a fugitive from justice since his 2008 indictment on rape and sexual assault charges, was apprehended by the Mexican authorities, extradited to Westchester County and arraigned in County Court Monday afternoon.
Galo Herrera, 52, was arraigned before County Court Judge Sheralyn Pulver and remanded to the custody of the Westchester County Department of Correction pending further proceedings. He pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
DA Cacace said: “Justice has no expiration date. The defendant’s horrendous conduct, as alleged in the indictment, is no less shocking nearly two decades later. I am grateful to our law enforcement partners in Mexico and the U.S. who brought Mr. Herrera to answer for these charges. This multi-jurisdictional effort exemplifies my commitment to working with any and all agency partners in furtherance of community safety.”
In 2008, Herrera was indicted on one count of Predatory Sexual Assault Against a Child, a class A-II felony, two counts of Rape in the First Degree, a class B felony, and three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a class A misdemeanor.
Between December 2006 and January 2007, the defendant is alleged to have forcibly raped a young girl who was under the age of 13 years old. Herrera fled the jurisdiction before he could be apprehended on these charges.
The case is being investigated by the Mount Vernon Police Department, the Westchester DA’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Westchester County Department of Labs and Research and the New York State Police Crime Lab were utilized in the course of the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Charlotte Gudis and Christine Hatfield, Chief of the Child and Elder Abuse Bureau.
SECOND WANTED SUSPECT IN A WEEK EXTRADITED TO WESTCHESTER FROM FOREIGN SHORES
On two days this past week, Westchester County Police Warrant-Fugitive Unit detectives were waiting at JFK to “welcome” two international fugitives back to the USA. These international extraditions do not occur often.
Both suspects are accused of committing serious crimes in Westchester before fleeing to avoid arrest.
WCPD coordinated extradition efforts with the U.S. Marshals and FBI agents who brought these suspects back to the United States. Upon arrival at JFK, the suspects were turned over to the Warrant squad detectives, who transported them to headquarters for booking and then lodged them at the Westchester County Jail.
In the most recent arrival, a man indicted on Robbery, Burglary, Grand Larceny and other charges was returned to the United States from Colombia on Thursday. Juan Cuartos Bustos, 25, was wanted since 2023, fleeing prior to the unsealing of an indictment against him. He is suspected of being a member of a South American Theft Group that targeted Asian American business owners through burglaries and home invasion robberies.
The charges against him were the result of a successful investigation by the Tarrytown Police Department, White Plains Police Department, Westchester County Police and other law enforcement partners. When a Westchester County Court warrant was issued for his arrest following indictment, the warrant was assigned to the Warrant-Fugitive Unit. Detectives determined Bustos had fled to Colombia.
Last week, a fugitive wanted on a 2008 sealed indictment charging him with Rape 1st Degree and Predatory Sexual Assault of a Child was also returned to the United States from Mexico. The Mount Vernon Police Department successfully investigated the initial complaint, leading to the indictment, and WFU also absorbed that case once a County Court warrant was issued for his arrest. The open warrant was investigated regularly over the years, but WFU detectives found no indication that Galo Herrera, 52, had ever returned to the U.S. and most likely was still in Mexico.
Public Safety Commissioner Terrance Raynor said, “We salute all the law enforcement agencies involved for their great work, from the departments that investigated these crimes initially, to the Mexican and Columbian police agencies that located them, to the federal agents that brought them back to this country. These suspects tried to elude justice by fleeing, but now they face prosecution by the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.”
The Westchester County Police Warrant-Fugitive Unit is tasked with locating and apprehending persons wanted on warrants issued by Westchester County Supreme Court, Westchester County Court and Westchester County Family Court. It also handles extraditions when a defendant is apprehended in another state and is wanted by Westchester County or any of its municipalities.
In 2024, the Unit made 231 arrests of suspects wanted on warrants, including for Attempted Murder, Assault 1st Degree and various sex crimes, robbery and weapons charges. The Unit executed warrants in virtually every municipality in Westchester, in every borough of New York City and throughout the metropolitan area. In addition, detectives also traveled to multiple states across the nation to return suspects to Westchester to face justice.
