Ex-US soldier charged in ‘international crime spree’ extradited from Ukraine, officials say

By JONATHAN MATTISE
Associated Press

Federal prosecutors say that a former U.S. soldier has been extradited from Ukraine on years-old charges in an alleged “international crime spree,” including the 2018 killings and robbery of a couple in Florida to fund travel plans to Venezuela to wage military-style raids against its government. 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. Federal prosecutors say the FBI brought Lang from Ukraine to the United States after his claim challenging extradition was rejected. Court documents show Lang, a U.S. citizen from Surprise, Arizona, pleaded not guilty in a Florida court on Monday.