Washington, DC – On May 5, 2026, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST) along with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), USMS INTERPOL Washington, and the Kettering, Ohio Police Department located and apprehended Sokol Hoxha based on immigration violations.

Hoxha, an Albanian national, is the subject of an INTERPOL Red Notice issued at the request of Belgium based on a voluntary manslaughter conviction (in absentia) for the August 1997 killing of his 19-year-old wife in Brussels. Hoxha is also the subject of an INTERPOL wanted person diffusion issued by Albania based on a conviction (in absentia) for the murder of two brothers in March 1997. Hoxha had been a fugitive from justice since the murders were committed.

The arrest of Hoxha marked the culmination of a six-year fugitive investigation led by INTERPOL Washington in coordination with numerous domestic and international law enforcement partners. During the investigation, authorities determined that Hoxha assumed a fraudulent identity after fleeing Belgium and subsequently obtained citizenship in another European country under the alias. Hoxha later allegedly entered the U.S. and obtained lawful permanent resident status while continuing to conceal his true identity. Investigators further determined that Hoxha had been continuously residing in the U.S. since 2012, while actively concealing his true identity in an effort to evade prosecution for the murder convictions abroad.

This investigation underscores the importance of international information sharing and sustained law enforcement collaboration to identify and apprehend fugitives attempting to exploit immigration systems and international borders to avoid justice. The Hoxha case serves as a powerful example of how sustained international law enforcement cooperation can overcome national boundaries, jurisdictional challenges, and decades of evasion to bring a convicted murderer to justice after nearly 30 years on the run. It also reinforces a clear message that the U.S. will not serve as a safe haven for criminal aliens or fugitives who fraudulently obtain immigration status or citizenship in an effort to evade accountability for serious crimes committed abroad.

These additional agencies provided significant assistance throughout the course of the investigation: U.S. Department of Justice Office of International Affairs, U.S. Customs and Border Protection – National Targeting Center, the U.S. Department of State – Diplomatic Security Service, INTERPOL Tirana, INTERPOL Brussels, Belgian Federal Police, U.K. National Crime Agency, U.K. Home Office, and Albanian Police.