Philadelphia CBP officers arrest Maine fugitive fleeing felony charges of sex assault and assaulting law enforcement

PHILADELPHIA - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a Maine man fleeing felony charges, including sex crimes and assault on law enforcement, as he attempted to board a flight to Germany at Philadelphia International Airport on Sunday.

CBP officers arrested Matthew Thomas Cooley, 41, of Solon, Maine, and turned him over to Tinicum Township, Pa., Police Department officers to initiate extradition.

The Somerset County Sheriff's Office in Maine charged Cooley with two Class A counts of gross sexual assault, one Class B count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and one Class D count of domestic violence stalking. Cooley faces additional charges of two Class C counts of assault on an officer and one Class D count of refusing to submit to arrest for allegedly pepper spraying officers who arrested him.

CBP officers encountered Cooley at the departure gate where he attempted to board a flight to Frankfurt on a one-way ticket.

CBP officers verified with Somerset County Sheriffs that the full extradition warrant remained active and confirmed Cooley as the subject of that warrant.

"Customs and Border Protection officers will always leverage our border security authority to help victims of sexual assault seek justice by capture dangerous fugitives attempting to flee the United States," said Elliott N. Ortiz, CBP's Area Port Director in Philadelphia. "Capturing dangerous fugitives is one way in which CBP works with our law enforcement partners to help keep our communities safe."

Criminal charges are merely allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

Every day, CBP officers compare international passenger and cargo manifests to numerous law enforcement databases, including the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) to identify passengers and cargo that may require additional inspectional scrutiny, such as those with outstanding arrest warrants.

CBP processed an average of more than one million arriving travelers every day at our nation's airports, seaports, and land border crossings, and arrested an average of 37 wanted persons.

CBP's border security mission is led at our nation's Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation's safety and economic vitality.

Learn more about CBP at https://www.CBP.gov.

Follow the Director of CBP's Baltimore Field Office on X @DFOBaltimore and CBP's Office of Field Operations on Instagram @cbpfieldops.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 70,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air and on the seas. We enforce safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration and trust.

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