Scottsdale, Arizona (November 7, 2025) Wanted fugitive Michael Wiseman has been arrested in France for a 2008 case out of Scottsdale, AZ for multiple counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. Wiseman was Scottsdale PD’s #2 most wanted fugitive, and he is also facing new criminal charges in France. His criminal activities and repeated attempts to evade capture span almost two decades, and multiple countries, and have now come to an end.
Wiseman was first arrested in February 2008 on multiple counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. In November 2008, while under court-ordered monitoring, he cut off his ankle bracelet and fled the United States. The FBI Phoenix field office obtained an Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution (UFAP) warrant, and in 2009 Wiseman was arrested in Spain, extradited back to the U.S., and pled guilty. Wiseman was sentenced in 2012 for his crimes, however he fled again while he was out on probation.
New nationwide extradition warrants were then issued for Wiseman's arrest:
Probation violation related to Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (no bond), probation violation related to Escape 1st Degree (no bond), and failure to Register as a Sex Offender ($20,000 bond).
Scottsdale Police Criminal Intelligence Unit (CIU) detectives were determined and did not give up, continuing the investigation. It was learned that Wiseman fled to Vietnam, Poland, and ultimately to France, living under the alias Robert Danilewski. Since this discovery, CIU has been working with both the FBI Phoenix field office and French authorities to apprehend Wiseman for outstanding warrants related to the 2008 investigation.
By September 2025, Scottsdale CIU, in coordination with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, submitted a Provisional Arrest Warrant to the Department of Justice Office of International Affairs. The warrant was approved and forwarded to French authorities, who confirmed Wiseman’s residence in Kilstett, France.
Due to Wiseman’s active warrants and charge for fleeing, CIU detectives obtained a search warrant for Wiseman’s email address so that his whereabouts could be known until his apprehension. At the end of October 2025, pursuant to the search warrant, detectives gained access to Wiseman’s personal account which included historical and current data, and what was believed to be new child sexual abuse material (CSAM) was found. The CSAM evidence was turned over to a detective in the Scottsdale PD Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit (HEAT) and assigned to the Arizona Internet Crimes against Children (AZ ICAC) Task Force, where the videos were confirmed to be CSAM involving Michael Wiseman. The newly located CSAM that was processed contained evidence that Wiseman was engaging in the sexual abuse of his adopted child. Without the efforts to find Wiseman for extradition, this new evidence of his ongoing crimes may never have been discovered. All this information was provided to the FBI Phoenix field office, who assisted by contacting French authorities to report the sexual abuse of the depicted child.
On November 1, 2025, French authorities conducted an operation in which Michael Wiseman was taken into custody. In addition to the arrest warrant related to the Scottsdale investigation, French authorities have charged Wiseman with “rape and sexual assault of a minor under 15 years of age” related to the CSAM video recovered during this investigation. Wiseman is being held by French authorities for crimes committed there, prior to extradition to the United States.
“Nearly two decades ago, this individual fled from accountability. Our detectives never stopped working to bring him to justice. This arrest reflects years of persistence, teamwork, and an unwavering commitment to protecting children. We are deeply grateful for the FBI’s partnership and their continued support in this case.” - Chief Joe LeDuc, Scottsdale Police Department.
"The FBI and our law enforcement partners will never stop chasing predators who harm children - no matter where across the globe they try to hide or for how long they live in the shadows," said FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge, Heith Janke. "When the most vulnerable among us - our children - are victimized, we will always ensure we do everything in our power to protect them and get predators such as this off the street."
The case was worked jointly by Scottsdale PD, AZ ICAC, the FBI Phoenix Violent Crimes/ Major Offenders/ Fugitive Task Force, FBI Phoenix Border Liaison Office, Maricopa County Attorneys' Office, FBI Legal Attache in Paris and the U.S. Embassy in France.
“Thanks to the tireless dedication of law enforcement, justice has finally caught up to this predator, and he isn’t free to harm another child,” said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell.
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Original report number: 08-04732
New report number: 25-21620