WebProNews

Tag: extradition

  • Christy Mack Alleged Attacker, War Machine, Extradited to Vegas to Face the Music

    Somebody beat the daylights out of porn star Christy Mack, leaving her hospitalized with 18 broken bones, a broken nose, ruptured liver, fractured rib, multiple stab wounds, and numerous missing and broken teeth. Christy Mack says it was her ex-boyfriend, a mixed martial arts fighter who calls himself War Machine.

    After the attack, Mack posted pictures of her injuries, along with a detailed account of the incident, to her Twitter account.

    According to Mack, War Machine cut off her hair with a kitchen knife, poked her in the ear with the knife, hand, and head, and then threatened her with the blade when the knife handle broke off.

    “He has beaten me many times before,” she wrote, “but never this badly. He took my phone and canceled all of my plans for the following week to make sure no one would worry about my whereabouts. He told he was going to rape me, but was disappointed in himself when he could not get hard.”

    Mack says she managed to get out of the house while War Machine rummaged through kitchen drawers, presumably looking for another knife.

    The whole incident went viral quickly. Even Dog the Bounty Hunter got in on the action, promising to hunt down War Machine and bring him to justice.

    But War Machine was picked up without incident in a California hotel munching on pizza. And now he is headed back to Vegas, where the attack took place, to face charges.

    The police report lists the charges against War Machine, a.k.a. Jon Koppenhaver, as:

    – Attempted Murder
    – Battery with Substantial Bodily Harm
    – Kidnapping
    – Open and Gross Lewdness

    War Machine is also charged with Battery with Substantial Bodily Harm against Corey Thomas, Mack’s male friend who War Machine found at her house that fateful night.

    For his part, War Machine says he is “cursed” and ended up “fighting for [his] life” that night.

    The police report does vary from Mack’s Twitter-posted story in that it says she was in bed with Corey Thomas, while she said he was completely clothed.

  • Joran Van der Sloot: Natalee Holloway Suspect to Be Extradited in 26 Years

    Joran Van der Sloot is the primary suspect in the disappearance of American Natalee Holloway from Aruba in May of 2005. Now the Peruvian court system says they will extradite him to the United States–but not for 26 more years. He must finish serving a 28 year sentence that was imposed upon him for the murder of Stephany Flores in 2012. He confessed to murdering the 21-year-old in his Lima hotel room.

    Natalee Holloway was just 18 years old when she disappeared in Aruba while there on a school trip. The teenager’s body was never found and she was declared legally dead in 2012–seven years after her disappearance. Investigators believe Joran Van der Sloot killed Stephany Flores because she discovered something on his computer while in his hotel room that connected him to Natalee Holloway’s disappearance.

    Van der Sloot has been indicted in the U.S for both extortion and wire fraud. He is accused of extorting money from Natalee Holloway’s mother, Beth Holloway Twitty, in exchange for offering her information about her daughter’s whereabouts.

    It is reprehensible to think a court system would prevent a murderer from facing a judge about other serious and potentially related crimes. He has been convicted of murder and likely was involved in the death of Natalee Holloway. If he was returned to the United States to face his charges there, who knows what someone might unearth during his questioning? It might be the answer that Natalee Holloway’s family has waited almost seven years for. They know their daughter is dead. They desperately need and deserve some closure.

    Joran Van der Sloot confessed during a hidden camera interview to being involved in the Natalee Holloway case.

    It seems ludicrous that the Peruvian courts won’t send Joran Van der Sloot packing. He wouldn’t get out of his sentence in Peru if he was extradited. He would simply serve it elsewhere.

    Do you think their decision to extradite him in 26 years is a done deal or might there be room for negotiation?

    Image via YouTube

  • Joran Van Der Sloot To Be Extradited To The U.S. In 2038

    The Peruvian government has agreed to transfer Joran van der Sloot, a Dutch national, to the U.S. after he has served his sentence on a murder conviction in Peru, which will end in 2038. The news was published in one of Peru’s official gazette.

    Van der Sloot is currently serving his sentence in Peru after he was convicted of robbing and murdering Stephany Tatiana Flores Ramirez, a 21-year old Peruvian student that he met in 2010. In 2012, van der Sloot was given a 28-year sentence in prison for the murder charge, just 2 years less than the maximum sentence.

    In the United States, Van der Sloot was indicted on accounts of extortion and wire fraud related to the disappearance of 18-year-old Natalee Holloway. United States authorities have accused Van der Sloot of extorting $25,000 from the mother of Holloway. He said that he would give valuable information on the whereabouts of her missing daughter in exchange for the money. The incident happened in 2010, just before Van der Sloot went to Peru.

    Holloway, an Alabama-native, disappeared on May 30, 2005 and she was last seen leaving, Carlos’n Charlie’s, a bar in Aruba, with three men. One of them is said to be Van der Sloot. Holloway was on a trip to the Caribbean with 100 of her classmates to celebrate their high school graduation. Nobody was ever convicted for the crime and Holloway’s body was never found. She was declared dead in 2012 by a judge.

    Investigators believe that Van der Sloot killed Ramirez after she found something related to the disappearance of Holloway on his computer. The murder happened exactly five years after Holloway’s disappearance.

    Van der Sloot has confessed to robbing Ramirez and killing her. He also used the victim’s vehicle in order to leave the country. After the incident, he flew to Chile and was apprehended by the authorities a few days after he arrived.

    Joran van der Sloot sentencing

    Image via YouTube

  • New Zealand Court Orders FBI To Show Kim Dotcom Evidence

    It was only last month that a New Zealand court ruled that the FBI broke the law by moving its evidence against Kim Dotcom overseas. The court also ruled that the FBI must give all the evidence they have on the Megaupload to him. The FBI refuted the order and said that they wouldn’t give him anything. The New Zealand High Court upheld the previous ruling today in court.

    The NZ Herald reports that Justice Helen Winkelmann told the FBI in court today that they must present the evidence they have against Kim Dotcom. She also said that the evidence must prove that they have a case against the Megaupload founder after she found that the legal document requesting his extradition violated New Zealand law.

    Justice Winkelmann said that Dotcom must be allowed to see the evidence against him so that he can prepare his defense for the upcoming extradition trial that’s scheduled for March. Without the evidence, she said that Dotcom would be “significantly constrained.”

    Today’s ruling is just the latest blow to the FBI and the local authorities that worked together to bring down Dotcom and Megaupload. It was revealed last week that the FBI convinced New Zealand’s anti-terrorism squad to raid Dotcom’s home because he had a “Doomsday device” that could wipe all evidence of piracy from servers around the world. Anybody with a shred of intellect would know that such a claim is at best laughable. They also claimed that Dotcom assaulted a police officer with his stomach.

    At this point, it seems like the authorities are looking for any way to defend their exaggerated response during the raid on Dotcom’s house in January. They want to keep the odds stacked against Dotcom throughout the entire process, but the New Zealand court thinks otherwise.

    The court also heard arguments for having Dotcom’s funds unfrozen. The legal bills are mounting and he needs the money to pay his lawyers. The court has not made a decision on that yet, but precedents don’t inspire confidence.

  • Julian Assange To Find Out If He’s Being Extradited Next Week

    It’s been a long time since Julian Assange was arrested for an alleged rape and sexual assault in Sweden. According to Wikileaks, he’s been detained in house arrest for 533 days. He’s been in and out of court hearings, starting a TV show, running for Australian government positions and even guest starring on the Simpsons. It’s those court hearings that are the most important though and we should finally hear a verdict next week.

    The Guardian is reporting that the U.K. supreme court will finally decide on whether or not Assange should be extradited to Sweden. The verdict is expected to come Wednesday, but they’ve been putting off this verdict for long enough already. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was delayed once again.

    For those who are just joining us, the case is pretty simple. Swedish prosecutor Marianne Ny issued the original European Arrest Warrant for Assange. The Wikileaks founder’s lawyers argue that Ny outstepped her authority to issue such a warrant. During the appeal proceedings in February, the defense argued that Ny “lacks the impartiality and the independence from both the executive and the parties which constitute essential features of the exercise of judicial authority under domestic and European law.”

    The Swedish authorities argue that they don’t need to be “independent and impartial” when in the “preliminary stages of an investigation.” Sweden apparently thinks that extraditing an Australian citizen from the U.K. to Sweden is part of a preliminary investigation. I don’t know what preliminary means in Sweden, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t mean a full-fledged extradition that assumes Assange is guilty without trial.

    Seven justices will be deciding the Assange case according to The Guardian. They speculate that the large number of justices means that the U.K. is taking the issue very seriously. That could be why they have taken so long to decide this particular case.

    If Assange does lose the appeal, he still has one avenue available to him. He can take the case up to the European Court of Human Rights which only has 14 days to respond to the appeal. This isn’t the first time the ECHR has shown up recently as one of the founders of The Pirate Bay has appealed to it as a last ditch effort to avoid fines and a prison sentence.

    If the U.K. Supreme Court does deliver a verdict next Wednesday, we’ll be sure to let you know. The outcome of this case has a lot riding on it. Not only will the outcome immediately affect Assange, but it could have an effect on future extradition proceedings.

    [lead photo courtesy of acidpolly on flickr]

  • Kim Dotcom To Have $750,000 Returned To Him

    We brought you word a few months ago that Kim Dotcom, founder of Megaupload, was on his way to getting some of his possessions back. It seems that the news has finally become reality as Dotcom had about $750,000 worth of possessions returned to him.

    Stuff is reporting that the New Zealand High Court has agreed to return some money to Dotcom and his family in the form of a bank account worth $301,000, a Mercedes Benz worth $250,000 and he retains his $20,000 a month spending budget. Unfortunately, the court mostly sided with the District Court so that Dotcom won’t be seeing the majority of his funds returned to him. His other belongings could be held by the authorities for up to two years as Dotcom’s extradition case is heard.

    Dotcom’s wife will also see some benefits from the ruling. She will be getting a monthly allowance, money for her medical bills and a car for personal transportation. When Dotcom was waiting to get out on bail, he argued that he wanted to get out to help his wife who was pregnant. The extra money should definitely help in that respect.

    In other possible good news for Dotcom, the judge in the case said that he could bring further legal action to see more of his belongings returned to him. Dotcom’s lawyers are arguing that New Zealand should investigate whether or not the restraining order against his property should even be honored. While the court said that they don’t have to see if the order from the U.S. is legitimate, the door is open for further legal action.

    All of this would be for naught, however, if Dotcom is extradited. The current extradition hearing is scheduled for September. At that time, it will be decided if Dotcom actually committed an offense worthy of being extradited over. According to Dotcom’s lawyer, Ira Rothken, he’s confident that they will have a “good result in New Zealand.”

    This comes on the news that there might not even be a case against Megaupload. The U.S. judge in the case against MegaUpload said that the FBI never properly filed a criminal complaint against the company. If this is the case, the trial might never happen. Of course, Dotcom feels that the damage has already been done and that he’s now fighting to reveal what he feels was a conspiracy against him backed by Hollywood and the U.S. government. I’m sure having the extra money is definitely going to help with that.

    [h/t: TorrentFreak]

  • Natalee Holloway Suspect To Be Extradited To U.S.

    Joran Van Der Sloot, the prime suspect in the disappearance of American Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005, will soon be extradited to the U.S. to face charges of extortion. He is currently in Peru serving 28 years for the 2010 murder of Stephany Flores, who was stabbed to death in his hotel room. Van Der Sloot confessed to the murder as well as robbery, saying he took cash and the victim’s car in which to escape.

    The 24-year old was the last person to see Natalee Holloway alive and told authorities he would lead them to her body and reveal how she died in exchange for $250,000. He was allegedly given $25,000 by Holloway’s mother, Beth, which he used to travel without revealing any of the promised information. He faces a sentence of 25 years if found guilty of extortion, and the extradition will commence within the next few months.

    But some think the U.S. courts want Van Der Sloot here in the states so that a trial can be held regarding Holloway’s death, which will be difficult since her body has never been found. She has, however, been declared legally dead, and officials believe Van Der Sloot murdered Stephany Flores because she found incriminating evidence on his computer.

    “The key to that is that the U.S. has jurisdiction over anybody, anywhere in the world, who kills or injures a U.S. citizen,” said Michael Griffith, senior partner for the International Legal Defense Council.

    On Van Der Sloot’s future, his Peruvian attorney, Maximo Altez, said, “I think he will be extradited within the next three months. He will go to trial in the United States. Once he is sentenced, he will return to Peru to finish serving his 28 years, and then go back to the States to serve whatever sentence he gets there.”

  • Anonymous Attacks UK Home Office Web Site

    Anonymous Attacks UK Home Office Web Site

    Anonymous may be waging a war against China’s censorship of the Internet, but they are also fighting something a bit closer to home. That is, if you count the UK as being closer to home.

    The Anonymous UK Twitter account announced over the weekend that the Home Office was taken offline due to a DDoS attack. They also took down the Web site for UK PM David Cameron. This is all part of an operation called #OpTrialAtHome. It seeks to stop the extradition of UK citizens to the US where they face charges of hacking into US government Web sites and other Internet crimes.

    The BBC News story reporting on the attacks claimed the hack was in response to not only extradition, but also the proposed surveillance laws that are to be presented in May during the Queen’s Speech. Anonymous UK refutes this saying this latest hacking attack is squarely opposed to current extradition laws, but the group did announce that they would be starting ops against the surveillance laws soon.

    One interesting thing to note is that a UK government spokeswoman told BBC that the Home Office Web site was the “subject of an online protest last night.” This is interesting as it may be the first time a government official has called an DDoS attack a protest, instead of a hacking attack. As Anonymous and most net savvy people would tell you, DDoS isn’t hacking as it so much just overloading a server with too many requests that it forces the site offline. Many online protesters compare DDoS attacks to the sit-in protests that Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. used for non-violent protests.

    Just like with China, this particular movement isn’t over. Alongside the extradition protests, Anonymous will carry out ops in protest against the aforementioned surveillance laws. We’ll keep you updated on any developments in this and all other Anonymous stories.

  • MegaUpload: Extradition Papers Filed In Kim Dotcom Case

    Kim Dotcom is in for the fight of his life as his extradition hearing is now official.

    We reported a few weeks ago that Kim Dotcom was finally released on bail after being held in jail for almost a month after his company, MegaUpload, was seized by the feds for alleged copyright violations.

    The United States government has filed the extradition papers today according to the NZ Herald. They are seeking to have Kim Dotcom and three of his associates extradited to the U.S. to be charged for their crimes.

    Crown Law will be handling the case for the U.S. government and confirmed that the papers had been filed with the North Shore District Court.

    In his first TV interview since being arrested, Dotcom said he has no plans to leave New Zealand. He will be taking his time to prepare for his upcoming extradition trial and staying with his wife who is currently pregnant with twins. Dotcom seems confident and says that he will win. He feels that he has done nothing wrong and the Internet seems to be on his side with this one.

    If the U.S. is successful in having Dotcom extradited, he will face charges of criminal copyright infringement among other serious charges.

    The extradition hearing has been set for August. We’ll keep you updated on any changes.

  • Richard O’Dwyer’s Mom Speaks Out Against US Control of the Internet

    In case you forgot, the story of Richard O’Dwyer fits right into the anti-SOPA/PIPA mood that permeates across the Internet, save for the United States government, of course. O’Dwyer ran a site called TVShack.net which posted links to downloadable copyrighted material, including, as the name suggests, television shows.

    For his actions, O’Dwyer was arrested by British police and was ordered to be extradited to the United States where he’ll face punishment for his site’s existence, even though, as his lawyer pointed out, O’Dwyer did not store the copyrighted content on any of his hard drives. Essentially, the Pirate Bay/we’re just like Google defense was used, which clearly fell on deaf ears. When O’Dwyer’s mother, Julia, learned of the sentence, she called the extradition treaty between the US and the UK “rotten.”

    But the matriarch didn’t stop there. In an interview with the World Socialist Web Site, Julia unloaded on the decision against her son with both barrels, and one of her primary targets was the U.S. government. Any emphasis added is ours:

    WSWS: There is a wider political issue in Richard’s case—and that is the attempts of the US government to clamp down on the freedom of the Internet and bring in new laws like SOPA, PIPA.

    Julia: I don’t know the detail of these laws, but I can see that it’s about America trying to control and police the Internet. Well, it doesn’t belong to them, does it? It’s wrong that America should lay laws down on the Internet for other countries. I don’t think America should rule the world.

    It’s like the case of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. They’re trying to get him, aren’t they? Because he exposed all their corruption and the evil things they were doing. Not just America, different governments. You know, you vote these people into power, and then you don’t really know what they’re getting up to until someone like Assange comes along and tells us their dirty little secrets. I don’t like these oppressive government regimes trying to take over the world, trying to take over the Internet.

    Would a “here, here” be overplaying my hand?

    Julia also points out that the extradition treaty between the two countries may have been improperly applied to her son:

    WSWS: Richard has never broken any law in this country? [the UK]

    Julia: We have been led to understand that it’s not a crime in this country. To be extradited to America, the offence has to be a crime in both countries. When they ask for your extradition, they say, “What’s the equivalent charge in the UK?” So they’ll just write copyright infringement.

    We have to prove what he did is not a crime in this country. The problem is the judges in the extradition court—they are not interested. Consequently, we lost that first fight at court. Richard’s barrister made the legal arguments in November, and the judge said, “You’ve got a good strong argument.” So did the prosecutor for the Americans. Then two hearings later, the judge tossed all that out of the window.

    Is this how the United States loses its postion as a world power? When the rest of the world revolts against US-led regulations that gut the Internet while making citizens of other countries criminals in the United States?

    If so, expect Julia O’Dwyer to be up in front.

  • Wikileaks Founder Supreme Court Appeal Begins

    Wikileaks editor Julian Assange is appealing to the Supreme Court in the U.K. to prevent extradition to Sweden.

    ZDNet is reporting that Assange’s lawyers are laying out their arguments today to the seven law lords of the Supreme Court. The basis of their argument is that Swedish prosecutor Marianne Ny acted beyond her powers in issuing a European Arrest Warrant. They say that the High Court made a bad judgment in recognizing the EAW as valid.

    The argument states that Ny “cannot act as judicial authority” when issuing an EAW. They go on to argue that she “lacks the impartiality and the independence from both the executive and the parties which constitute essential features of the exercise of judicial authority under domestic and European law.”

    In court, the defense attorneys gave the judges 15 volumes of legal findings to back up its arguments. The key point is for the judges to consider the the definition of “judicial authority.”

    For those just joining us, Assange is battling extradition to Sweden over two charges of sexual assault.

    This of course has sprung up conspiracy theories that the U.S. is pulling the strings of Sweden’s push for extradition. It’s not hard to see why when you take into account the embarrassment the U.S. suffered last year when Wikileaks leaked thousands of U.S. embassy documents.

    If his Supreme Court appeal fails, he can appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. The ECHR has 14 days to respond. If the appeal is rejected, Assange will be extradited. If the appeal is accepted, he will remain in the U.K. until the case is resolved.

    We’ll keep you updated on any changes, including the decision, as they happen.

    [lead photo courtesy of acidpolly on flickr]