Court Allows Othello Bruce’s Extradition To US

The Monrovia City Magisterial Court under the gavel of Stipendiary Magistrate L. Ben Barco, has ordered the extradition of Liberian-American national Othello Bruce to the United States to face criminal charges of child sexual abuse.
The ruling, delivered on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, concluded that all conditions for extradition had been legally met under Liberian law and international treaty obligations.
In his ruling, Magistrate Barco stated that the request for Bruce’s extradition aligns with both the Extradition Treaty of 1937 between Liberia and the United States and the relevant statutory provisions governing such matters in Liberia.
He described the offenses charged as non-political and therefore valid under Article II, sections 2 and 3 of the treaty.
The court also ordered the sheriff to immediately surrender Bruce to the Ministry of Justice.
A certificate of committal was simultaneously issued to be forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to complete the formalities required for Bruce’s extradition to the United States.
“The state has satisfied the requirement for the extradition of the fugitive as spelled out in the extradition statute,” Magistrate Barco declared.
He emphasized that the charges—particularly those related to aggravated statutory rape of a child—fall squarely within the scope of extraditable offenses.
The extradition request stems from a diplomatic note sent by the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia on August 19, 2024.
The note requested Liberia’s cooperation in surrendering Bruce, who is wanted in the United States on 12 counts of sexual offenses involving a minor, including aggravated statutory rape and indecent assault and battery.
The allegations against Bruce involve crimes allegedly committed between December 2010 and March 2012 in Worcester County, Massachusetts.
He is accused of engaging in both natural and unnatural sexual intercourse with his biological daughter, who was under the age of 16 at the time.
Following the U.S. government’s request, Liberian prosecutors, led by Solicitor General Cllr. Augustine Fayiah and aided by the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL), presented evidence and testimony to support the extradition.
Cllr. Alieu M. Bility of the Ministry of Justice served as the prosecution’s lone witness and testified extensively about the indictments and Bruce’s flight from justice.
According to Cllr. Bility, Bruce fled the United States on September 26, 2012, shortly before the indictments were returned by a grand jury in Massachusetts.
He arrived in Liberia the next day and has remained in the country ever since, avoiding U.S. law enforcement.
Despite an arrest warrant issued on August 2, 2013, Bruce could not be apprehended in the U.S., leading to the eventual international extradition request.
The witness affirmed that the statute of limitations on the charges remains active, making the indictments enforceable.
Bruce was arrested in Liberia on April 10, 2025, and informed of the charges and his Miranda rights.
His legal team headed by Cllr. James M. Kumeh, challenged the extradition, arguing that the state failed to meet its burden of proof by presenting only one witness.
They even invoked a biblical reference John 8:17 to argue the need for two witnesses.
However, the court dismissed that argument, citing Liberian law, which allows for the credibility of a single witness when supported by corroborative documentary evidence.
Magistrate Barco ruled that the witness testimony, along with supporting documents such as indictments, arrest warrants, and the extradition treaty, met the legal threshold for extradition.
With the ruling, the court instructed that Bruce be turned over to the Ministry of Justice for onward transfer to the United States.
Defense counsel has since filed an appeal to the First Judicial Circuit, Criminal Court “A”, which will hear the case in its May 2025 term.
This extradition case is one of the rare applications of Liberia’s long-standing treaty with the United States and is seen as a significant step in international cooperation to combat sexual and gender-based crimes.