HOUSTON – A 47-year-old man who was a fugitive for two decades has entered a guilty plea to sexual abuse of a 15-year-old female, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
In 2003, Elias Luis Herrera worked on a cruise ship that had departed Galveston along with fellow crewman – Edgerton Phillip Medford. In the early morning hours of July 17, the victim was walking near a pool when both men grabbed her arms, forced her down and held her on a deck chair so she could not escape.
The men removed their uniforms and took turns sexually assaulting her while the minor victim screamed throughout the attack.
A federal grand jury returned the indictment in 2004.
While on a subsequent cruise, Herrera fled from arrest in Cozumel, Mexico, and later traveled to Costa Rica. He remained a fugitive for over 20 years before his arrest in Costa Rica and subsequent extradition to the United States in October 2025.
U.S. District Judge Sim Lake accepted the plea and set sentencing for Sept. 18. At that time, Herrera faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. He has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
Medford was extradited in 2007 and later pleaded guilty. He was removed to St. Vincent and the Grenadines following his sentence.
FBI – Texas City Resident Agency conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Laurence Goldman and Kimberly Ann Bulger Leo prosecuted the case.
U.S. Department of State and U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica provided significant assistance in securing the extradition from Costa Rica with support of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. The United States extends its gratitude to the Government of Costa Rica, Office of the Attorney General of the Republic of Costa Rica’s Office of Technical Assistance and International Relations and its prosecutorial and law enforcement authorities for making the extradition possible.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Southern District of Texas — U.S. Department of Justice press release.