He Allegedly Messaged Woman 'So I Raped You' and Then Fled Overseas for 3 Years. Now He's Back in the U.S.

A man accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and years later sending her a Facebook message admitting to raping her has been extradited to the U.S. from France this week, authorities said.

Ian Cleary was sent to the U.S. on Thursday, Jan. 16, on a flight that left from the Charles de Gaulle Airport just outside Paris, France, officials confirmed to the Associated Press and The New York Times. 

Cleary, 31, of Saratoga, Calif., had been wanted by authorities for three years before his April 2024 arrest in Metz, France, the outlets report. 

Adams County District Attorney Brian Sinnett filed a felony arrest warrant charging Cleary with sexual assault in 2021, weeks after Shannon Keeler spoke to the Associated Press for a story about how difficult it is to prosecute sex crimes on college campuses.

According to a probable cause affidavit previously obtained by PEOPLE, authorities allege Keeler was raped by Cleary, then 20, when they were both students at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., in December 2013. Cleary allegedly stalked Keeler at a party and made his way into her dorm before sexually assaulting her.

The affidavit states Keeler texted friends saying, “Help please” and “OMG please Help me,” before the alleged assault.

Keeler reported the alleged attack to police, underwent a rape kit test and found witnesses who saw Cleary that night, according to the affidavit. But nothing came of it after Keeler had spent years trying to convince authorities to arrest Cleary.

Years later, Keeler claims Cleary sent her chilling messages on Facebook admitting to the sexual assault. “So I raped you,” Cleary allegedly wrote, per the affidavit. Police later allegedly linked Cleary’s Facebook account with a matching cell phone number.

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After the warrant was issued for Cleary’s arrest, Keeler said in a statement shared with PEOPLE through her attorney, Laura Dunn, that “While I am moved to tears by this result, which I have waited for (for) over seven years, I am mindful that this moment came because I went public with my story, which no survivor should have to do in order to obtain justice.”

PEOPLE couldn’t immediately identify a current attorney for Cleary.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.