Court Sanctions Prosecutor For Surrendering Norwegian During Emergency Stay

On February 1, 2000, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit decided to sanction an assistant U.S. attorney who surrendered a Norwegian realtor despite the court?s emergency stay order. The case adjudicates the issue of when an extradition is complete and the standard of conduct expected from prosecutors in the circumstances of a pending appeal. In 1997, a Norwegian court convicted Lindstrom of fraud and sentenced him to prison. Before the trial ended, Lindstrom fled to the U.S. After the Norwegian court issued a warrant for his arrest, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois arrested him. U.S. Attorney Lori Lightfoot was assigned to handle the case. On October 29, 1997, pursuant to an arrest warrant issued under 18 U.S.C. §3184, Lightfoot was arrested. In June 1998, a magistrate judge issued the certification of extraditability together with an order of commitment directing that Lindstrom be placed in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service ?pending final disposition of this matter by the [U.S.] Secretary of State and the arrival of agents of Norway for the purpose of his return to Norway??[more]