U.S. Marshals Capture Fugitive at Fort Leonard Wood in Alleged $30M Fraud Case

A Polish national wanted by authorities in Poland in connection with an alleged fraud and money laundering scheme involving more than $30 million in reported losses was arrested at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, after U.S. Marshals and Army investigators located him through an international fugitive investigation.

The U.S. Marshals Service announced May 21 that Marcin Pióro, 45, the CEO of the Polish financial services platform Cinkciarz.pl, was taken into custody on May 19 at the Army installation. Authorities said Pióro was the subject of an INTERPOL Red Notice and was being sought by Polish officials. Pióro was arrested while actively attending Army Basic Combat Training after enlisting in the Illinois National Guard in October 2025.

While federal law enforcement agencies regularly work international fugitive investigations, arrests involving wanted foreign nationals secretly enlisted in the U.S. military are exceptionally rare.

The Citizenship "Loophole" and the Background Check

The development that a 45-year-old international fugitive was participating in Army boot camp raises two questions: Why would a fugitive join the military, and how did he pass the background check?

According to law enforcement officials, Pióro joined the military to obtain naturalization sponsorship. Under U.S. immigration law, non-citizens who serve honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces are eligible for an expedited path to U.S. citizenship. From a legal defense standpoint, if Pióro had successfully become a U.S. citizen, his legal team could have used that status to fight, delay, or heavily complicate his extradition back to Poland.

He managed to slip into the ranks through a window of time. Pióro spent roughly seven months in a "delayed-entry" program before shipping out to Missouri for boot camp. Military recruiters run domestic background checks, but if Poland’s investigation was still underway or if the INTERPOL Red Notice was issued after he enlisted, he wouldn't have triggered any alarms in U.S. databases at the time of his recruitment. The moment the international warrant synced with federal databases, the U.S. Marshals were alerted to his location.

Navigating Military Jurisdiction for the Arrest

A military installation is strictly controlled federal property, but it is not a sanctuary from the law. However, U.S. Marshals cannot simply walk onto a base and pull a soldier out of formation.

To execute the arrest, the U.S. Marshals Service coordinated a multiagency operation. By law, they had to work with the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) to navigate military jurisdiction. Army CID facilitated the arrest to ensure it was safe and did not disrupt base operations at Fort Leonard Wood, which serves as one of the Army’s primary training centers and hosts tens of thousands of personnel each year.

The operation also included the Marshals Service’s Midwest Violent Fugitive Task Force, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri, the Marshals Service Office of International Operations, and personnel from the agency’s Phoenix office. Officials said Pióro was arrested without incident.

“This fugitive investigation is a testament to the commitment the U.S. Marshals Midwest Violent Fugitive Task Force in the Western District of Missouri has for finding, apprehending, and bringing to justice violent fugitives,” Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Chris Deaton said in the agency’s release.

Polish Authorities Allege More Than $30 Million In Losses

Polish authorities are seeking Pióro on allegations of fraud and money laundering involving losses exceeding 125 million Polish złoty. At current exchange rates, that amount exceeds $30 million U.S. dollars.

The U.S. Marshals Service did not release additional information about the underlying allegations, including when the alleged offenses occurred, how many alleged victims may be involved, or whether related charges have been filed against other individuals.

The public release identifies Pióro as a wanted fugitive and outlines the allegations cited by Polish authorities, but it does not include evidence related to the case or any court findings.

Discharge and the Extradition Process

Following his arrest, the military rapidly discharged Pióro for "unsatisfactory conduct." This was a vital legal move: by stripping him of his military status, the Army removed the complexities of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Pióro is now strictly a civilian in the custody of the U.S. federal court system.

According to INTERPOL, a Red Notice is a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a wanted person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. It is simply an international request, not a legally binding U.S. warrant. Individual countries determine whether and how to act on a notice under their own laws.

In cases like this one, an arrest is often only one stage of a longer legal process. Because the U.S. and Poland share an active extradition treaty, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is now holding Pióro on a "provisional arrest." Over the coming weeks, a U.S. federal judge will review the evidence provided by Polish prosecutors to ensure it meets the American legal standard of probable cause before a final order is signed to surrender him back to Poland to face trial.