Actor-activist Sean Penn told The Associated Press in an email on Tuesday that Jacob Ostreicher, the New York businessman held in Bolivia since 2011, was safe and receiving medical care in an undisclosed location in the United States, as reported by Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Penn told the AP that Ostreicher was removed from the Latin American country in a "humanitarian operation" in order to save him "from the corrupt prosecution and imprisonment he was suffering in Bolivia."
The Bolivian Government, meanwhile, is calling the New Jersey native a "fugitive" and remains guilty of the crimes for which he has been accused of committing, including money laundering.
"Bolivia is considering requesting his extradition from the United States, Bolivian Justice Minister Cecilia Ayllon said at a news conference, the AP reported. Bolivia and the U.S. are party to an extradition treaty," JTA reported.
Ostreicher, who had a flooring business in New York, "invested money with a group involved in a rice-growing venture in Bolivia and was managing the business when he was arrested on suspicion of money laundering. He also was accused of doing business with drug traffickers," according to news reports.
Ostreicher, a Haredi Orthodox Jewish father of five, has generated attention from leading lawmakers in Congress, including Representatives Chris Smith and Jerrold Nadler who have all called for his release.
Sean Penn, however, has been vocal and present in seeking Ostreicher's release.
"Penn has served as an intermediary between the government of Bolivia and the United States, as relations between the two countries remain strained over the 2008 expulsion of the U.S. ambassador to Bolivia," JTA reported.
Penn appeared on Capitol Hill in May where he testified to lawmakers about the importance of freeing Ostreicher.
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