A court in Pittsburgh convicted an Israeli of rape on Thursday after he had been extradited from Israel, where he had hidden since 2004, Trib Live news reported.
Moshe Journo, who operated a store in the Pittsburgh area, was initially arrested in 2004 on suspicion of sexual assault on a 15-year-old girl. He was then charged with rape, aggravated indecent assault, sexual assault, statutory sexual assault and indecent assault.
The victim testified during the trial and recalled visiting Journo's store with her friend, where he made lewd comments towards the girls. In a tanning room at the store, Journo approached the victim from behind and raped her. He was arrested on the same day but was released on bail.
While preliminary criminal proceedings were ongoing, Journo fled to Israel but was not taken into custody by Israeli police until 2017. He was extradited to the United States in 2019.
Journo reportedly pleaded guilty on the counts against him, but he withdrew his plea months before sentencing. In November, the case ended in a mistrial after Journo's lawyer said his client had initially pleaded guilty.