US Navy Veteran Wrongly Accused In Thailand Returns To US

A U.S. Navy Veteran who was held as a prisoner in Thailand after falsely being accused of masterminding a Ponzi scheme has been finally reunited with his family, according to news reports.

Derek Keller met with his wife Tanya and daughter Beverly on Tuesday after more than one year at a South Korean airport before returning to the lone star state on Wednesday. Keller was locked up in Bangkok’s maximum security Klong Prem Prison without bail since Aug. 2018.

“There are not enough words for how happy we feel. As a family, we are taking a few days to decompress and process our emotions. Derrick is looking forward to seeing his family, friends and supporters soon. Thank you for all your support and prayers,” his family posted on Facebook.

Keller was arrested in 2018, while he was on vacation with his wife after he appeared in a series of videos for a company called the Eagle Gates Group Co. Ltd. The fraudulent company, unbeknownst to Keller, was being investigated for a scam that had defrauded thousands of people in Thailand and also investors from abroad.

He potentially faced decades in prison after being charged with transnational organized crime, public cheating and fraud and jointly committing public fraud. Keller, 44, was found not guilty on Sept. 30 by a judge. However, he was arrested again for overstaying his tourist visa, while he tried to leave the country.

Though he was told the arrest would be resolved as part of a misunderstanding, Keller eventually spent 14 months in the maximum security prison.

His wife and family spent the last year trying to prove Keller’s innocence. She reached out to a lot of politicians including President Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz, and others. Their efforts finally paid off this week as Keller returned to the U.S.

Kelly is one of the very few people to be released from a prison in Thailand, which has a 95 percent conviction rate, after being accused of a serious crime.