Former U.S. Soldier Extradited from Ukraine to Face Charges in Alleged International Crime Spree

Craig Austin Lang, a former U.S. soldier, has been extradited from Ukraine to face charges related to an alleged "international crime spree," including the 2018 killings of a couple in Florida. 

The 34-year-old Lang, a U.S. citizen from Surprise, Arizona, is accused of orchestrating a series of crimes spanning multiple states and involving plans to carry out military-style raids in Venezuela. Federal prosecutors announced Lang's extradition on Monday, noting his involvement in federal indictments across Florida, North Carolina, and Arizona since 2019.

According to authorities, Lang allegedly committed a range of offenses, including using a gun during a deadly violent crime in Florida, violating the Neutrality Act, and conspiring to kill individuals in a foreign country, namely Venezuela, with which the U.S. is at peace. The indictments detail Lang's activities, which extend beyond the Florida killings to include trading weapons and cash for the use of someone's identity to apply for a U.S passport in North Carolina, and attempting to obtain a Mexican visa using a fraudulent U.S. passport in Arizona.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, described Lang's alleged conduct as “shocking in its scope and its callous disregard for human life.”

Lang's journey into criminality reportedly began after meeting another former U.S. Army soldier, Alex Jared Zwiefelhofer, in Ukraine in 2016. The pair claimed to be part of a volunteer battalion fighting Russian separatists before being detained in Kenya in 2017 while attempting to enter South Sudan. Subsequently deported to the U.S., Lang and Zwiefelhofer allegedly conspired to commit crimes, including the robbery and murder of a couple in Florida in April 2018.

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In Facebook Messenger conversations, Lang and Zwiefelhofer discussed various criminal activities, including traveling to Florida, purchasing body armor, committing robberies, stealing boats, and escaping to South America or Ukraine. Lang's whereabouts after the alleged crimes were tracked through social media posts, showing him in Ukraine while authorities found no record of him reentering the U.S. after leaving Mexico.

Zwiefelhofer was convicted by a jury in March on charges related to the Florida case and awaits sentencing. Meanwhile, several other individuals indicted alongside Lang in the Florida and North Carolina cases have already been convicted or pleaded guilty.

The extradition of Lang from Ukraine to face these charges marks a significant development in the ongoing investigation into the alleged crimes perpetrated by the former U.S. soldier. Lang pleaded not guilty in Florida on Monday, as confirmed by court documents. Efforts to reach Lang's attorney for comment on the charges and extradition were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.

The Associated Press also reached out to an attorney listed for Zwiefelhofer for comments on the latest developments in the case involving Lang.