Polish fugitive living in suburbs deported on racketeering charges

A Polish national living in Arlington Heights was deported and turned over to Polish law enforcement officials Tuesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations.

Slawomir Grymuza, 49, was wanted in his home country on racketeering, extortion and battery charges. He was flown from Chicago to Warsaw on a commercial flight July 9. ICE ERO officers escorted Grymuza on the flight and turned him over to the custody of Polish authorities July 10 at the Warsaw International Airport.

An Interpol notice was issued for Grymuza Nov. 4, 2009. He was being sought in Poland to serve a prison sentence for his convictions on charges of racketeering, extortion, fraud, battery and beating causing bodily harm charges.

According to the Interpol notice, the Circuit Court in Bydgoszcz, Poland, issued an arrest warrant for Grymuza March 29, 2006, stating that between November 1994 and January 1995 he used violence and threats against four individuals on various occasions to extort money from them. In September 1994, Grymuza kidnapped a man from his residence and beat him with a baseball bat, causing serious injuries, while demanding payment for a debt. Grymuza was found guilty in April 2001; he was sentenced March 6, 2002 to serve four years and two months in prison.

Grymuza entered the U.S. Oct. 9, 2006 on a temporary visitor's visa and remained in the U.S. illegally after his visa expired, according to ICE. He was in the process of adjusting his immigration status based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen when ICE Homeland Security Investigation was notified of the outstanding arrest warrant in Poland. On April 9, 2012, HSI and FBI agents arrested Grymuza and he was placed in deportation proceedings.

A federal immigration judge in Chicago ordered him deported June 1; Grymuza waived his appeal.

“This individual attempted to escape justice and a prison sentence in Poland by hiding out in the Chicago area,” said Ricardo Wong, ERO Chicago field office director.

Since Oct. 1, 2009, ICE ERO has removed about 455 foreign fugitives from the United States who were being sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. ICE ERO works with ICE's Office of International Affairs, foreign consular offices in the United States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the country.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. For information visit www.ICE.gov. To report suspicious activity, call (866) 347-2423.