FIRST LITHUANIAN EXTRADITED TO THE UNITED STATES

UNCLAS VILNIUS 001312 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR DS/CR/CIL, CA/OCS/ACS - M. URBINA MITTNACHT, AND L/LEI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC CJAN KCRM LH SUBJECT: FIRST LITHUANIAN EXTRADITED TO THE UNITED STATES REF: STATE 165710 ¶1. On December 8, 2005, Anjei Iantsevitch became the first Lithuanian extradited to the United States. He was arrested in on November 8 2005 at his home in Vilnius. ¶2. Iantsevitch is the subject of a criminal indictment of the Northern District of New York on counterfeit securities charges. The indictment charges him with 25 counts of uttering a counterfeit security, in violation of 18 USC 513(a). A warrant for his arrest had been issued on August 20, 2003, by a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the district named above. He stands accused of embezzling over $148,000 from his former employer, Liberty Premium Acquisition Corporation, by fraudulently creating checks made payable to himself drawn on the bank account of the corporation. Iantsevitch could face up to 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. ¶3. His provisional arrest was executed by Lithuanian police, pursuant to Article 11 of the extradition treaty between the United States and Lithuania (signed October 23, 2001). The U.S. Marshals Service took custody of Iantsevitch and transported him from Vilnius to the United States on December ¶8. ¶4. COMMENT: While the GOL has previously facilitated extraditions of American Citizens from Lithuania, this landmark extradition is an encouraging sign of the GOL's seriousness in law enforcement cooperation with the USG. We will work to ensure that future extraditions of Lithuanian citizens to the United States are as expeditious and successful. MULL