Eugeni Tsvetnenko abandons legal fight against attempts to extradite him to the US
Perth tycoon Eugeni Tsvetnenko has abandoned his legal fight
against attempts to extradite him to the United States to face charges of
defrauding mobile phone users out of $US20 million.
Mr Tsvetnenko, who is also known as Zhenya Tsvetnenko, has
been behind bars since December 2018 when he was arrested at his home in the
riverside Perth suburb of Applecross, after a warrant was issued by a judge in
the Southern District of New York.
Documents submitted to the Perth Magistrates Court at the
time alleged he had engaged in "unlawful activity" in the US, including
conspiracy to commit wire fraud, identity theft and money laundering — offences
which carried maximum jail terms of 20 years.
The alleged offences were said to have occurred in 2012 and
2013 and involved a multi-million dollar scheme to defraud mobile phone
customers by placing unauthorised charges for premium text messaging services
on their bills — otherwise known as auto-subscribing.
It was claimed the scheme resulted in hundreds of mobile
phone users being auto-subscribed, bringing in $US20 million, of which it was
alleged Mr Tsvetnenko kept 70 per cent.
Mr Tsvetnenko has indicated for the past three and a half
years that he would fight attempts to extradite him and he was due to face a
three-day hearing in the Perth Magistrates Court to decide his fate.
However at the start of proceedings today Magistrate Evan
Shackleton asked Mr Tsvetnenko if he now consented to "being
surrendered" on all matters, to which he replied "Yes I do".
Magistrate Shackleton then ordered Mr Tsvetnenko be
"committed to a prison" while the federal Attorney-General considers
the US arrest warrant and whether he should be extradited.
After his arrest in Perth, Mr Tsvetnenko made numerous
attempts to be released on bail with his lawyers arguing there were special
circumstances which meant he should not be kept in custody.
They included his relationship with his two young children —
their mother is Perth identity Lydia Tsvetnenko from whom he separated in 2018
— and also concerns about his mental and physical health.
It was also argued Mr Tsvetnenko had known about the
possibility of charges being laid against him since 2016, but he had not made
any attempt to flee to a country which does not have an extradition agreement
with the US.
However all his bail applications were unsuccessful and he
has remained detained at Hakea Prison in Perth's east.
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