Allan Mann Jr. is accused of kidnapping his son, Jermaine, in June 1987 during a court-ordered visit in Toronto.
Federal authorities arrested a man in Vernon Friday morning who is accused of kidnapping his 1-year-old son in Canada 31 years ago.
Investigators tracked Allan Mann, Jr. to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Section 8 housing in Vernon.
Mann is accused of kidnapping his son, Jermaine, in June 1987 during a court-ordered visit in Toronto.
Authorities believe Mann took Jermaine and made his way into the U.S. He changed his name to Hailee Randolph DeSouza, changed his son's name, and got them both fake birth certificates, according to federal prosecutors.
The U.S. Marshals Service is working with Canadian authorities on the case and Jermaine's mother was notified that her son was found.
Canadian authorities said that Jermaine believed his mother had died after giving birth to him.
During the application process for HUD's Section 8 program, Mann, a citizen of both Canada and Ghana, provided a birth certificate that stated he was born in Houston, Texas in 1957. The State of Texas determined the birth certificate was counterfeit, according to prosecutors.
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Mann also lied on his Section 8 application and claimed he was a U.S. citizen, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.
"This is one of those rare cases that tugs at your heartstrings," said Special Agent in Charge Christina Scaringi, of the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. "Not only did we, working collectively, get this alleged bad actor off the streets, but we played a role in reuniting an unjustly separated family."
Mann is charged with making false statements and making false statements in HUD transactions.
