A man accused of sadistically murdering and torturing thousands is in American custody.

But the jury is out on whether he'll be forced to pay for his crimes.

American born and educated Chuckie Taylor is being arraigned this morning on charges of passport fraud.

But human rights groups say his real crimes are far worse. Chuckie is the son of Charles Taylor, the brutal dictator of Liberia and, like his father, stands accused of mass rape, torture and murder.

"These are also crimes under U.S. domestic legislation.  That means prosecutors have the authority under domestic law to prosecute Chuckie Taylor," says Richard Dicker, Director of the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch.

Under federal law, any U.S. citizen who commits torture and war crimes abroad can be prosecuted, but Dicker says it hasn't happened yet. The DOJ has refused to comment on whether it's investigating Taylor for violating the law.

Dana Hughes contributed to this report.