|
Paul Ceglia, 45, a wood pellet salesman, faced charges of mail
fraud and wire fraud over his alleged forging of documents to
extort Facebook and Zuckerberg. In March 2015, he removed his
ankle bracelet and disappeared with his wife, two kids and dog.
His arrest in Ecuador was announced on Thursday.
Ceglia in a court hearing on Saturday said he did not want to be
extradited, arguing his life was at risk.
"The judge's resolution indicates that the extradition process
continues and that he his still detained," said Ceglia's lawyer
Roberto Calderon by telephone. "I think the process will last 45
days."
He said the extradition treaty between the United States and
Ecuador does not cover the crimes of which Ceglia is accused.
The criminal case arose from Ceglia's conduct related to a2010
civil lawsuit he had filed against Zuckerberg.
Ceglia claimed that Zuckerberg had, while a student at Harvard
University, signed a 2003 contract giving him half of a planned
social networking website that later became Facebook.
U.S. District Judge Richard Arcara in Buffalo dismissed Ceglia's
lawsuit after another judge said the contract was doctored.
The market value of Menlo Park, California-based Facebook is
about $500 billion, and Forbes magazine said Zuckerberg's own
net worth is about $64.8 billion.
Ceglia was criminally charged in November 2012.
(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia, writing by Brian Ellsworth)
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
