A former lawmaker from El Salvador who is wanted in his home country on money laundering charges was arrested Friday in Orange County, authorities said.

Roberto Carlos Silva Pereira, 33, who had been sought since he was charged in March in the Central American country, was arrested at a home in Anaheim Hills, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.

Silva Pereira’s arrest came after members of a fugitive task force received a tip from Salvadoran authorities that he was in the Orange County area, Eimiller said.

When investigators knocked on the door, Silva Pereira took off and led them on a four-block chase before he was arrested, Eimiller said.


Silva Pereira, who was in the country illegally, was taken to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, for deportation proceedings, Eimiller said.