A man who was convicted for leaving the scene of a deadly crash was, somehow, able to flee the country to the Middle East.
How did we let this happen?
At a glance:
- Max Mones fled the U.S. hours after being convicted in a fatal crash, despite being ordered to surrender his passport.
- He was detained on a connecting flight in Dubai and arrested upon returning to the U.S.
- Another unrelated case involves a man fleeing to Moldova after being charged in a fatal motorcycle crash.
A Las Vegas man, Max Mones, fled the country just hours after being convicted by a jury for his involvement in a deadly 2019 crash. Mones was convicted last Friday on charges of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in the death of Kenneth Ham and injuring Elena Russell. Despite being ordered to surrender his passport and remain under pretrial monitoring, Mones managed to leave Las Vegas for Iraq.
Shortly after his conviction, Mones posted on TikTok, indicating his departure from Las Vegas. He reportedly told a friend in text messages that he would return to his home country if convicted. Authorities quickly learned of his escape plan and, with assistance from international law enforcement, detained Mones during a layover in Dubai. He was arrested upon returning to the U.S. in San Francisco and now faces additional charges.
This is not the first recent case in Las Vegas where a convicted individual fled the country after a fatal crash. In an unrelated incident, Iurie Trofim, who was charged in the death of Marine Corps veteran Carson Heath in August, also left the U.S. after his release on bail. Trofim fled to Moldova, a country with no formal extradition treaty with the U.S., making it difficult for authorities to pursue his return.
Both cases highlight challenges in preventing convicted individuals from fleeing the country, even after being placed under monitoring restrictions.
So apparently we can’t control who leaves the country as well as those who illegally enter…
