Fugitive held in 2001 Long Beach molestation case
A fugitive on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list for allegedly committing sexual crimes against children in Long Beach six years ago has been arrested in Montreal, officials said Saturday.
Richard Steve Goldberg, 61, faces state charges of molesting at least three girls younger than 10. He also faces federal charges that he produced images of the sex acts, which were later found on his computer.
“He’s a child predator who was stalking children. He’s somebody who needed to be off the street,” said Robert Loosle, special agent in charge of the criminal division of the FBI’s Los Angeles office.
Goldberg is suspected of luring girls to his home in the North Long Beach area, gaining their trust by allowing them to play with his pets and computers, and then committing sex acts against them. Sometimes, authorities said, he took the girls on short trips.
An aerospace engineer, Goldberg fled to escape prosecution in 2001. He was said to be skilled in the use of weapons, having been president of a gun club at the major aerospace company where he worked. Goldberg is being held by Canadian authorities on a suspected immigration violation and is scheduled to appear in court in that country Monday. Loosle said he expected Goldberg to be extradited to the U.S. to face charges here.
In recent weeks, someone living in Canada had identified Goldberg as one of the FBI’s most wanted. After checking the agency’s website, the person called the FBI’s office in Los Angeles with information on where Goldberg could be found, said J. Stephen Tidwell, assistant director in charge of the FBI in L.A.
On Friday, the FBI’s legal attache in Ottawa requested assistance from Canadian law enforcement authorities in Montreal. Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police responded immediately and arrested Goldberg without incident at the address provided by the informant.
Goldberg had been living under the name Terry Wayne Kearns and was arrested on suspicion of violating Canadian immigration laws. He admitted his true identity, authorities said.
Goldberg is the 456th fugitive on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list to be captured since it was established nearly 60 years ago.
The FBI offered a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading directly to his arrest.
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