Chained and cuffed, and escorted by Israeli police, Itzhak Abergil, a known mafia druglord, arrived in Israel last week to serve the remainder of his 10 year U.S. prison sentence in an Israeli prison. Abergil is an Israeli citizen who was extradited from Israel to the U.S. in 2011 to stand trial for federal criminal offenses, including murder, money laundering, and drug trafficking.
Upon his extradition to the U.S., federal prosecutors prepared to put Abergil on trial in a United States District courthouse in Los Angeles, where Abergil would be facing at least 20 years in prison. Instead, in a January 2012 plea agreement, Abergil pled guilty to charges including racketeering conspiracy to commit extortion and murder and conspiracy to import ecstasy into the United States, and he was sentenced to the 10 years in prison. This past Thursday, Abergil returned back to Israel to serve the remainder of his sentence.
Such an arrangement – the return of an extradited person back to Israel - is not unique to Abergil. Under Israel’s extradition law, Israel requires a number of conditions for extradition, among them including a special requirement pertaining to Israeli citizens who are also residents at the time they allegedly committed the extraditable offenses. The special requirement demands that the requesting country make a commitment to allow the extradited person to return to Israel if convicted and if sentenced to prison, should the person subsequently request to be so transferred.
At the time Abergil committed the extraditable offenses, Abergil was also considered an Israeli resident. These factors, his residency and nationality status, likely contributed to the circumstances of Abergil’s extradition and prisoner transfer agreements, which also likely facilitated his return to Israel to serve the remainder of his prison sentence in Israel.
Upon his extradition to the U.S., federal prosecutors prepared to put Abergil on trial in a United States District courthouse in Los Angeles, where Abergil would be facing at least 20 years in prison. Instead, in a January 2012 plea agreement, Abergil pled guilty to charges including racketeering conspiracy to commit extortion and murder and conspiracy to import ecstasy into the United States, and he was sentenced to the 10 years in prison. This past Thursday, Abergil returned back to Israel to serve the remainder of his sentence.
Such an arrangement – the return of an extradited person back to Israel - is not unique to Abergil. Under Israel’s extradition law, Israel requires a number of conditions for extradition, among them including a special requirement pertaining to Israeli citizens who are also residents at the time they allegedly committed the extraditable offenses. The special requirement demands that the requesting country make a commitment to allow the extradited person to return to Israel if convicted and if sentenced to prison, should the person subsequently request to be so transferred.
At the time Abergil committed the extraditable offenses, Abergil was also considered an Israeli resident. These factors, his residency and nationality status, likely contributed to the circumstances of Abergil’s extradition and prisoner transfer agreements, which also likely facilitated his return to Israel to serve the remainder of his prison sentence in Israel.
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