A disbarred Manhattan lawyer who pleaded guilty to statutory rape has sued the American Express Co. for giving police credit card information he says led to his capture.

James Colliton was arrested in February 2006 near Toronto, where prosecutors say he fled after being indicted on charges of having sex with underage girls.

The 44-year-old Colliton said Monday that American Express violated its agreement to withhold customer information from third parties. The lawsuit seeks an unspecified sum.

American Express spokeswoman Joanna Lambert says company officials haven’t seen the lawsuit and can’t comment.

Colliton pleaded guilty in October 2007 and was sentenced to three concurrent one-year terms.