Australia, I am very upset with you

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http://www.cybercrime.gov/griffithsExtradition.htm

way way back in 2001 was one of the very first big time piracy sting operation by the US DOJ. the target was a software piracy group called Drink or Die (DOD), mostly infamous for cracking and releasing Windows 98 (I think? maybe it was a different version) about 3 months before store retail. (side note: this was the first operation that eventually lead to my own legal troubles. guys in these group knew guys who knew, etc, etc.) the leader of the group was an Australian guy. the US tried to extradite him to try him in our courts here, but Australia fought it.

it's been six years and Australia just handed him over. 'bandido' is just plead guilty in my very favorite town, Alexandria, Virginia. imagine. this guy dealing with this situation for 6 years now. christ. dude is going to get some very, very serious prison time. an American co-leader of the same group got 5 years, largest piracy sentence to date.

― modestmickey, Monday, 26 February 2007 03:36 (eighteen years ago)

Yeah I only read about this recently and was appalled for many reasons: holding him in custody for SIX YEARS because of the extradition was completely WTF. But that the US can just say "hey, yr ass is mine" to a citizen of another country like this over this kind of thing... rargh.

I hadn't heard they'd actually extradited him though :(

This is like the David Hicks bullshit - er, without the Al-Quaeda angle, obv.

― Trayce, Monday, 26 February 2007 03:40 (eighteen years ago)

trayce, if you want to explore the al-qaeda angle, he's being tried in the same court that zacharias moussaoui (sic probably) was. less dramatic effect being that that case ended long ago, though.

― modestmickey, Monday, 26 February 2007 03:42 (eighteen years ago)

Heh, interesting.

Hicks hasnt even had a trial yet :/

― Trayce, Monday, 26 February 2007 03:53 (eighteen years ago)

How long has he been held for now?

― Kate, non masonic, Monday, 26 February 2007 05:33 (eighteen years ago)

According to Wiki he's been in US custody in some form since mid-2003, so its coming up 5 years.

― Trayce, Monday, 26 February 2007 06:17 (eighteen years ago)

From the original article: The charges contained in the indictment are allegations only and the defendant is presumed innocent until convicted at trial.

So why keep him locked up all this time then?

― StanM, Monday, 26 February 2007 08:47 (eighteen years ago)

He was locked up in Aus rather than the US (he is an Aus citizen and resides here) - apparently our law is such that once someone here is indicted for extradition, they have to remain in custody until the extradition. Some have argued that it is this guy's own fault that he's been in the clink as long as he has because he's been fighting being extradited all this time (absurd circular logic but you know). I know little about the story apart from that but from what Mickey's saying he was a bit of a big cheese.

Having said that - a big cheese in fucking shitty pirate software ffs. Rapists get suspended sentences, theives get good behaviour bonds, and this guy gets 5 years in limbo that probably wont even be counted by the US when he is sentenced!

― Trayce, Monday, 26 February 2007 09:00 (eighteen years ago)

Wait, is extradited a word? It is now!

― Trayce, Monday, 26 February 2007 09:01 (eighteen years ago)

If he's been extradited from Australia, has he been intradited into the US?

― StanM, Monday, 26 February 2007 09:27 (eighteen years ago)

Oh well look it's all OK cause DICK Cheney said just a few days ago that Hicks is "top of the list" to be tried. Since he's been rotting in Gitmo for 5 years now at the pleasure of the world's greatest DEMOCRACY <cough> without charge, he's got to surely be in a better situation than those that aren't "top of the list", now doesn't he?

― SeekAltRoute, Monday, 26 February 2007 09:46 (eighteen years ago)

'extradited' is definitely a word. StanM, er, I don't think so.

― modestmickey, Monday, 26 February 2007 14:17 (eighteen years ago)

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