Phuket kidnapping extradition approved

[Lite Beer]

Phuket kidnapping extradition approved

A US judge has granted an order to extradite to Thailand a Florida man accused of kidnapping and extortion in Phuket.



However, the final decision to extradite Shawn Abraham Shaw will rest with Secretary of State John Kerry, and legal appeals are also possible in the meantime.



Mr Shaw, 43, who has been in jail since he was arrested at his girlfriend’s condominium in Palm Beach, Florida in late November, is accused of committing a bizarre set of crimes in Thailand.



They include kidnapping, extortion and robbery of a man who had been his friend for years, according to the Palm Beach Sun Sentinel, which has been covering the case since it began.



The alleged victim, a millionaire who divides his time between Las Vegas and Phuket, is said to have close ties to senior figures in Thailand. He was able to persuade Thai prosecutors and police that Mr Shaw should be brought back to the country for trial.



Thai authorities sent a provisional arrest warrant to the United States in October last year.



Mr Shaw has maintained that he could face the death penalty in Thailand, even though the Thai government has told the US court that he would not.



US Magistrate Judge William Matthewman ruled that issue was irrelevant and would be left to the sole discretion of the US government’s executive branch and Mr Kerry.



Mr Shaw has been representing himself since March. His former defence lawyer, Jason Kreiss, would not comment on the judge’s decision but said he was sure Mr Shaw would appeal the ruling.



The alleged victim, Antonio Accornero, told authorities in Thailand that Mr Shaw had drugged him at a bar in December 2013.



He said Mr Shaw then kidnapped him and kept him bound and chained for several hours and demanded a ransom, which was to be paid after Mr Shaw returned to the United States.



Mr Shaw denied the charges and argued that he was the victim of a legitimate business deal gone bad. He said he had travelled to Phuket in an attempt to sell an idea, potentially worth millions, to cash in casino chips that visitors take home from Las Vegas.



Mr Accornero filed a complaint stating that he and Mr Shaw went to a bar together and he began to feel “very strange” after drinking a couple of Diet Cokes, Thai investigators said.



A bartender told authorities that he knew the victim, noticed he was acting oddly and that Shaw either helped or carried him out of the establishment.



Mr Accornero told police that Shaw put him in a car and drove him past his Phuket mansion. Mr Shaw used plastic ties to restrain the victim by tying his neck to the headrest of the car and also tying his hands and legs, according to court documents.



Mr Accornero said Mr Shaw took him to a house where he was held overnight and the two negotiated a $3-million ransom, later reduced to $2 million, to be paid when Mr Shaw returned to the United States. The ransom, investigators said, was to be disguised as a business deal so that Mr Shaw could avoid taxes.



Mr Kreiss noted in an earlier court hearing that the alleged victim did not report the incident until 40 days after Mr Shaw returned to the United States.



Among his arguments against extradition to Thailand, Mr Shaw said the Thai push for prosecution was fabricated, and “purchased” by a wealthy alleged victim.



However, the judge said Mr Shaw had presented no evidence or testimony to support that argument.



Read original story here.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-kidnapping-extradition-approved-52553.php

-- Phuket News 2015-05-31

[Ulic]

I would like further information on this legitimate business deal gone bad.

Cashing in on casino chips that patrons take home as souvenirs ? Sounds

a little wonky to me..

[yougivemebaby]

I would like further information on this legitimate business deal gone bad.

Cashing in on casino chips that patrons take home as souvenirs ? Sounds

a little wonky to me..

Already have businesses that do that

[Nemesis7]

Let the justice be served

[steelepulse]

Two upstanding citizens involved in normal business activities.................