Police on Thursday arrested Mordechai Yomtov, a convicted sex offender wanted for extradition to the United States on multiple child sex abuse charges.
Yomtov fled the U.S. in 2002 after violating parole and has since evaded authorities by concealing his identity and avoiding documentation, police said.
The arrest took place in the Tel Arza neighborhood of Jerusalem, where Yomtov had been in hiding. The operation was carried out by the Operational Coordination Division of Israel Police Intelligence, in coordination with the Jerusalem District and the Justice Ministry. The extradition process will proceed according to established legal protocols following a formal U.S. request.
Yomtov, now in his 60s, was previously convicted in the U.S. of sexually abusing multiple children. He served a prison sentence and was released on parole, which he violated before fleeing the country via Mexico with a fake passport. He is also expected to face additional charges in the United States in a separate case.
A 2020 CBS News investigation featured testimony from Mendy Hauck, who recounted being abused by Yomtov at age 8 while attending an Orthodox Jewish school in Los Angeles, where Yomtov was his teacher. Hauck said the abuse began with a seemingly innocent gesture involving birthday cookies and escalated into ongoing molestation throughout the school year. He said he felt trapped and afraid to speak out.
Yomtov was arrested in 2001 after additional allegations surfaced involving three other boys between the ages of 8 and 10. He pleaded guilty and served time before fleeing during his probation.
In recent years, the advocacy group Jewish Community Watch (JCW) tracked Yomtov to Jerusalem and confronted him on hidden camera. In the footage, he admitted to violating probation and fleeing the U.S., though he denied Hauck’s specific claims. Hauck, who remained silent about the abuse for years, came forward publicly in 2016 after another victim emerged, and has since led efforts to bring Yomtov to justice.
Authorities emphasized that Thursday’s arrest was the result of close cooperation with the U.S. Justice Department and that extradition proceedings are underway.