HUDSON COUNTY — On May 4, Rep Albio Sires (NJ-8) joined U.S. Rep Chris Smith (NJ-4th) in a bi-partisan effort to mark the 42nd anniversary of the brutal murder of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster by Joanne Chesimard, by co-sponsoring the Walter Patterson and Werner Foerster Justice and Extradition Act, H.R. 2189. The introduction of this bill would strengthen the ability of the United States to extradite convicted killers like Chesimard from countries where they have taken refuge, and bring them home to face justice.
This bill is named after Walter Patterson, a World War II veteran who, like Foerster, was brutally murdered by a criminal who was convicted, escaped prison, and moved abroad where he lives freely today. George Wright murdered Paterson, escaped jail in 1970, and fled to Portugal. Joanne Chesimard brutally murdered NJ State Trooper Werner Foerster and escaped in 1979 and made her way to Cuba. The United States currently has bilateral extradition treaties with more than 100 nations–including Cuba and Portugal–as well as an extradition agreement with the EU. However, both countries refuse to repatriate the convicted criminals living in their midst.
The “Walter Patterson and Werner Foerster Justice and Extradition Act” would require the executive branch to submit an annual report to Congress on fugitives currently residing in other countries whose extradition is sought by the United States, including the number of fugitives; efforts undertaken to date to secure their return; the average length of time that such cases have been outstanding; how many cases have been successfully resolved; and any barriers to resolution of such cases. In addition, the report requires information about U.S. citizens, whose extradition has been sought by other countries during the past five years, including a list of countries seeking extradition and the outcomes of those requests.
Sires pushes to bring fugitives to justice after they escape to other countries
