LANSING – Yesterday, a Hillsdale County jury convicted Vincent Allen Payne, 60, of Valrico, Florida, of one count of First-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct for sexually assaulting a minor relative in 2004-2008, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Payne was extradited to Hillsdale County last year by the U.S. Marshals Service as part of Operation Survivor Justice. Operation Survivor Justice is a partnership between the Michigan Department of Attorney General, local county prosecutors, and the U.S. Marshals Service to locate, apprehend, and return to Michigan fugitive offenders with outstanding sexual assault warrants. 

Payne sexually assaulted his minor relative, when the victim was under the age of 15, from 2004-2008 while he was living in the same home in the city of Hillsdale. He was charged by the Hillsdale County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in January 2010. 

“My office, and prosecutors across the State, are able to secure accountability for sexual predators across state lines and decades, by our continued efforts under Operation Survivor Justice,” Nessel said. “I am grateful for the tireless work of the U.S. Marshalls Service, the Hillsdale County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and the dedicated prosecutors in my office that brought about justice for this victim, so many years after her assault.” 

Payne is scheduled to appear for sentencing on March 2. 

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