Ex-US Soldier Charged in 'International Crime Spree' Extradited From Ukraine, Officials Say

In a U.S. Department of Justice news release, authorities noted that 34-year-old Craig Austin Lang has faced federal indictments in Florida, North Carolina and Arizona since 2019. The Federal Bureau of Investigation brought Lang from Ukraine to the United States after the European Court of Human Rights rejected his claim challenging extradition, the release said. Lang, a U.S. citizen from Surprise, Arizona, pleaded not guilty in Florida on Monday, according to court documents.

Lang faces a bevy of charges in the three cases. They include using a gun during a deadly violent crime in Florida, and violating the Neutrality Act and conspiring to kill people in a foreign country for his plans in Venezuela, which is a country with whom the U.S. is at peace, the indictment notes.

Several months after the alleged Florida killings, in North Carolina, Lang traded a military smoke grenade, guns and cash to use someone's identity to apply for a U.S. passport, another indictment claims. And in Arizona, he is charged with showing a U.S. passport to Mexican authorities in September 2018 to try to get a Mexican visa in violation of the passport's restrictions.

“Lang’s alleged conduct is shocking in its scope and its callous disregard for human life,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Associated Press | By Jonathan Mattise

Published June 03, 2024 at 9:20pm ET

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/06/03/ex-us-soldier-charged-international-crime-spree-extradited-ukraine-officials-say.html