I have a friend (21 years old at the time) who found out he had a warrant for "statutory rape" 6-7 months after he left to go to Brazil. Apparantly, he and two other guys had sex with a girl who was a minor (16 and told them and acted old enough to drink) at a party, that same night. No one is sure how her father (who is a police officer) found out, but he filed charges on all of them. One of the guys involved emailed my friend in Brazil and told him that the three of them were facing charges of statutory rape and he accepted a plea bargain of "probation". My friend, in Brazil, says he did not actually have "sex" with her (he was too drunk) and does not want to now admit that he did and have such a criminal charge. He is afraid to return to the United States, but wants to face the charges without being arrested. He has been in Brazil (he was born there) for almost 3 years, is a US citizen and wants to come home. I tell him that he needs to come back and we can consult with an attorney and he can face the charges, but he feels that he will be arrested while re-entering the US and I cannot convince otherwise. I am scheduled for a vacation next month, and I suggested I'd meet him in Mexico to discuss his problem, I don't believe that it is that serious, but he is even afraid to enter Mexico because he feels Mexico is "friendly" with the US and will get arrested and thrown into a Mexican jail until the US picks him up...which he feels could be worse! Is this true? I am trying to help my friend and convince him his situation is not that serious, the other two guys can testify he did not have intercourse with the girl...but his "fear" of being arrested is consuming him and won't come home. Does anyone know if this is true? Will he be arrested re-entering the US or Mexican territory because he has a warrant?

