It has taken three years, but the long arm of the law has finally caught up with former jet-setting Umhlanga lawyer Ian Stokes.
On Friday, the 38-year-old Northlands High School old boy was in custody in Atlanta.
On Thursday afternoon he was arrested by detectives from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, triggering a process that should see him in court in Durban within a week, facing charges relating to the theft of about R28-million.
According to Elana van Zyl, a senior state advocate in the office of the KwaZulu-Natal Directorate of Public Prosecutions: "I have just received written confirmation from the FBI that Ian Stokes was arrested at 4pm South African time on Thursday. If he does not appeal against the extradition process, he should be in the Durban High Court within a week."
Van Zyl said there were "lots" of complainants against Stokes.
"I don't have the docket in front of me now, but the figure (theft) was about R26-million. The complainants include the Attorneys' Fidelity Fund and the Road Accident Fund."
The investigating officer who has been on Stokes's tail since he fled is Commercial Branch detective Max Robertson.
Stokes has been a fugitive since December 2000 when the frantic attorney called his wife from Johannesburg airport before jumping on a hastily booked flight to London. He had left Durban that morning.
He sobbed into the phone, telling his wife Carla his legal practice in Umhlanga was in deep trouble and that he feared for his life.
Stokes said to Carla, then eight months pregnant with their only child: "My life is threatened. I'm sure someone will explain it all to you. Hang in there."
While Stokes was in Britain, all hell broke loose in Durban and some of his business deals started unwinding.
Stokes had persuaded wealthy businessmen and clients to invest millions in a company specialising in making claims to the Road Accident Fund.
It was a scheme that envisaged massive profits and caught the attention of the authorities, who launched a fraud probe.
Stokes had got wind that he was to face a lie detector test.
He approached his friend and best man at his wedding, Garth O'Connor.
O'Connor told newspapers afterwards: "Suicide was the priority. He asked me to look after Carla.
"He was ready to jump. He was crying, I was crying. He was petrified."
O'Connor claimed that Stokes had stolen R6.5-million from him.
Peter Schoerie, the man appointed to liquidate Stokes's estate, discovered the fugitive had accounts in the Channel Islands.
Stokes had a long list of colourful creditors, including former cops, a gambling boss, former Springbok rugby player Stefan Terblanche and a host of local businessmen.
Schoerie took possession of jewellery worth about R200 000 which Stokes had given Carla, as well as two 4x4s and a BMW.
Carla is believed to have joined Stokes in Atlanta with their daughter.
Stokes was tracked with the assistance of Interpol after he applied for a visa.
According to a source, Stokes worked for a legal firm in the US, although he had been disbarred by the KwaZulu-Natal Law Society soon after he fled Durban.
Approached for comment on Friday, Stokes's brother, Durban advocate Andre Stokes, said: "I don't want to discuss this".
Stokes's arrest represents a victory for the authorities as the disgraced attorney was No 1 on the SAPS list of "most wanted" white collar crime suspects.
"I think it is spectacular news," said David Randles, chairperson of Attorneys' Fidelity Fund, which reimburses clients if lawyers steal their money.
"I'm over the moon."