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International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Friday, 29.03.2024, 08:10

Request for Lithuanian scam suspect's extradition to US lacks necessary info

BC, Vilnius, 12.05.2017.Print version
The US extradition request for Evaldas Rimasauskas, a Lithuanian national who is reportedly suspected of defrauding US-based Internet giants Facebook and Google of 100 million US dollars, fails to provide the necessary information required by Lithuanian laws, the suspect's lawyer said LETA/BNS on Friday.

Linas Kuprusevicius said that the request fails to specify from where and how much money was tried to be stolen and how much was actually stolen, noting that his client has the right to know what he is charged with.


"This extradition request does not name a single company. It is only from media reports that we know about the companies you mentioned. Neither victim companies nor companies to whose accounts the money was allegedly transferred are named," he told reporters after the Vilnius Regional Court's hearing on the extradition request.


The BBC has reported recently that Google and Facebook have confirmed that they fell victim to an alleged 100-million-dollar scam orchestrated by Rimasauskas.


Kuprusevicius on Friday filed a number of requests with the court regarding certain material that he says is necessary for the court to examine the extradition request.


The court is to decide on the validity of the defense lawyer's requests on May 18.


Prosecutor Rozita Pozarskiene of the Lithuanian Prosecutor General's Office, which formally asked the court to extradite the man to the US, refused to comment on Friday's hearing.


Kuprusevicius says that his client denies having pocketed any money.


The Vilnius Regional Court decided on Friday to hear the prosecutors' request behind closed doors so as to respect the suspect's presumption of innocence. A pre-trial investigation regarding Rimasauskas, who is currently under arrest, is still ongoing and no court proceedings have started yet.


The Vilnius court will not look into whether Rimasauskas is guilty or not. The court will only decide if there are no obstacles to handing the Lithuanian citizen over to another country.


Rimasauskas was detained in mid-March and the US request for the man's extradition reached Lithuania around a month later.


US law-enforcement officials have reportedly brought fraud, money laundering and identity theft charges against the Lithuanian citizen.


The US Department of Justice has said in a press release that Rimasauskas orchestrated the fraudulent scheme between 2013 and 2015.






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