American Army Vet Fighting as a Mercenary for Ukraine Extradited to US, Prosecuted for Murders in ‘a Three-State Crime Spree’

A US Army veteran who became a mercenary fighter has been charged with murder and fraud in a ‘three-state crime spree’ after being extradited from Ukraine by the FBI, according to federal prosecutors.

The New York Post reported:

“Craig Austin Lang, 34, who fought as a mercenary in Venezuela, Africa and Ukraine, made his first appearance in federal court on charges that he and his cohorts allegedly pulled off a double murder in Florida and falsified passports in Arizona and North Carolina before fleeing overseas, federal prosecutors said.

‘Lang’s alleged conduct is shocking in its scope and its callous disregard for human life’, Nicole Argentieri, principal deputy assistant of the Department of Justice criminal division, said in a statement.

‘His wrongdoing, however, was no match for the efforts of dedicated law enforcement personnel and prosecutors in the United States and abroad’, Argentieri said.”

Prosecutors say that, in April 2018, Lang and fellow army vet Alex Jared Zwiefelhofer posted an online ad to sell a cache of weapons.

But the two men ended up killing the couple who turned up responding to the ad, and stole the $3,000 they brought for the purchase.

Zwiefelhofer and Lang met in Ukraine in 2017. Both men were fighting Russian separatists in the Donbas.

They planned to use the stolen money from the murdered couple to travel to Venezuela and fight against the country’s socialist regime.

Zwiefelhofer was convicted by a federal jury in Florida and will be sentenced on Aug. 6.

“In September 2018, Lang and another cohort allegedly cut a deal with two others in North Carolina to use their identities to falsify US passports, paying them off with $1,500 in cash and a suitcase ‘containing multiple firearms’ and a military-grade smoke grenade, the feds said.”

Lang allegedly used a US passport to obtain a Mexican visa, violating the conditions of possessing a US passport.

Lang ended up detained in Ukraine, and was extradited back to the US.

The European Court of Human Rights rejected his human rights appeal, and he was taken back under FBI guard.

According to prosecutors, Lang faces life in prison if convicted of the Florida murders.

If convicted of the North Carolina and Arizona fraud charges, he can get up to 35 years behind bars, the Justice Department said.

Dear Reader – The enemies of freedom are choking off the Gateway Pundit from the resources we need to bring you the truth. Since many asked for it, we now have a way for you to support The Gateway Pundit directly – and get ad-reduced access. Plus, there are goodies like a special Gateway Pundit coffee mug for supporters at a higher level. You can see all the options by clicking here – thank you for your support!