The U.S. Department of Justice this week issued a federal warrant for the arrest and extradition of fugitive St. Thomas real estate broker Rosemary Sauter.
The warrant raises the stakes in a five-week hunt for Sauter and the roughly $2.5 million that local real estate agents say went missing when the owner and broker of RE/MAX Dream Properties disappeared in February.
“At this time an Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution arrest warrant has been issued,” said Agent Harry Rodriguez, spokesman for the FBI in Puerto Rico.
“If she is found and arrested, she will be extradited from anywhere … in the world to face local charges,” Rodriguez said.
Last month, V.I. Justice officials issued a warrant for Sauter’s arrest after agents from the St. Thomas Board of Realtors complained that the money deposited into Sauter’s escrow accounts was missing or that they did not have access to the money to close on property sales.

That original local warrant, as well as the federal warrant filed by the U.S. Attorney’s office on St. Thomas Tuesday, remains sealed, and any charges have not been disclosed.