During his civil trial, Michael J. Pratt picked up and ran. He claimed he was going on a vacation in Tijuana, Mexico and from there took off for his homeland, New Zealand.
The question is, can we force him back to the US?
In 1970 the US signed an extradition treaty with New Zealand, that says any person who attempts to commit, conspired to commit or participates in or incites counseling, or attempt to produce any person to commit or is an accessory after the fact to any of the following offenses …
- Murder; attempted murder, comprehending the crime designated under law in the United States as assault with intent to commit murder.
- Manslaughter.
- Aggravated wounding, injuring or assault; wounding or injuring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
- Unlawful throwing or application of any corrosive or injurious substances.
- Rape; indecent assault; sodomy.
- Abortion.
- Unlawful sexual acts with or upon children under the age specified by the laws of both the requesting and requested parties.
- Procuring sexual intercourse.
- Willful abandonment of a minor under the age of six years when the life of that minor is or is likely to be injured or endangered.
- Bigamy.
- Kidnapping; child stealing; abduction.
- Robbery; assault with intent to rob.
- Burglary; housebreaking or shopbreaking.
- Larceny.
- Embezzlement.
- Obtaining property, money or valuable securities by false pretenses or by conspiracy to defraud the public or any person by deceit or falsehood or other fraudulent [*3] means, whether such deceit or falsehood or any fraudulent means would or would not amount to a false pretense.
- Bribery, including soliciting, offering and accepting.
- Extortion.
- Receiving and transporting any money, valuable securities or other property knowing the same to have been unlawfully obtained.
- Fraud by promoter, director, manager or officer of any company, existing or not.
- Forgery, comprehending the crimes designated under law in the United States as the forgery or false making of private or public obligations and official documents or public records of the government or public authority or the uttering or fraudulent use of the same; uttering what is forged.
- The making or the utterance, circulation or fraudulent use of counterfeit money or counterfeit seals and stamps of the government or public authority.
- Knowingly and without lawful authority, making or having in possession any instrument, tool, or machine adopted and intended for the counterfeiting of money, whether coin or paper.
- Perjury; subornation of perjury.
- False swearing.
- Arson and damage to property, utilities, or means of transportation or communication by fire or explosive.
- [*4] Any malicious act done with intent to cause danger to property or endanger the safety of any person in connection with any means of transportation.
- Piracy, by statute or by law of nations; mutiny or revolt on board an aircraft or vessel against the authority of the captain or commander of such aircraft or vessel; any seizure or exercise of control, by force or violence or threat of force or violence, of an aircraft or vessel.
- Malicious injury to property, comprehending willful damage to property under New Zealand law.
- Offenses against the bankruptcy laws which are punishable by more than three months’ imprisonment.
- Offenses against the laws relating to the importation, exportation, supply, or possession of narcotics including dangerous drugs; abetting offense against corresponding law in another country.
- Unlawful obstruction of justice through bribery of judicial officers; corruption and bribery of heads of government departments or members of the Congress in the United States, or Ministers of the Crown or members of Parliament in New Zealand; corruption and bribery of law enforcement officers or government officials; fabrication of evidence; conspiracy to bring [*5] false accusation; corrupting juries and witnesses by threats, bribes, or other corrupt means.
