LOS ANGELES, CA – Two convicted rapists who kidnapped and sexually assaulted multiple teenage girls at gunpoint were arrested July 22 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a targeted operation aimed at removing dangerous sex offenders from the country.
Quoc Bo Pham and Dung Quoc Pham, both Vietnamese nationals, were taken into ICE custody in Westminster, California, as part of the agency’s Sex Offender Arrest and Removal (SOAR) initiative. The brothers, who entered the U.S. in the 1970s, had previously been convicted of a series of brutal crimes in the 1980s involving six victims aged 15 to 21.
According to federal authorities, the Phams kidnapped and sexually assaulted the women at gunpoint. Quoc was sentenced to 64 years in prison, and Dung received a 118-year sentence. After serving more than two decades, both were paroled and registered as sex offenders.
Despite their release, ICE said both men continued engaging in criminal activity. A federal immigration judge previously ordered their removal from the United States.
The arrests followed weeks of surveillance and planning. ICE agents took the pair into custody without incident and confirmed they will remain detained pending their deportation proceedings.
“These men committed horrific crimes and remained a threat even after decades in the criminal justice system,” said Ernesto M. Santacruz Jr., Field Office Director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Los Angeles. “Their arrest reinforces our commitment to protecting the public from sexual predators who never should have remained in this country.”
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Key Points
- ICE arrested Quoc and Dung Pham, both convicted rapists with prior 1980s convictions involving six victims
- The brothers had been sentenced to lengthy prison terms and were later paroled and registered as sex offenders
- Both had final removal orders and are now in ICE custody pending deportation
