Cape Town - Accused fraudster and crypto developer Riccardo ‘FluffyPony’ Spagni’s days are numbered as final arrangements are under way to finalise his extradition from the US to face criminal trial in South Africa.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said Spagni had launched a number of unsuccessful applications in the Western Cape High Court in the interim in an effort to resist his extradition.
He confirmed that Spagni was arrested in the US on July 21, 2021, “pursuant to the request for provisional arrest”. South Africa subsequently sought his extradition from the US.
“In the interim, Spagni launched various unsuccessful applications in the High Court of South Africa: Western Cape Division in his efforts to resist his extradition. On the eve of his extradition hearing in the US scheduled for May 25, 2022, he waived his rights and agreed to co-operate with the authorities. Arrangements between SAPS and the US Marshals are under way to have him brought back to South Africa to attend his criminal trial.”
According to a Western Cape High Court judgment by Judge Philippa van Zyl, Spagni had sought orders that two warrants of arrest issued against him be declared invalid and unconstitutional, and that they be reviewed and set aside.
Enquiries to Spagni’s attorney had not been answered by deadline yesterday.
As a former employee of Cape Cookies, as their IT manager between October 2009 and June 2011, Spagni allegedly intercepted invoices from another company relating to information technology goods and services it had supplied to Cape Cookies.
Investigation evidence indicates that Spagni received R1 453 561.47, or roughly $99,185, as a result of his efforts to “defraud Cape Cookies”.
He faces charges of fraud, forgery and uttering and potentially faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment.
Spagni maintained his innocence in the charges brought against him in South Africa and pleaded not guilty but, after failing to appear in court on two occasions, a J50 warrant of arrest was issued and he was apprehended on a private charter jet in Tennessee.
In his attempts to evade facing the music, Spagni’s bail bid in the US also failed in August last year ahead of his extradition hearing.
High court documents show that Spagni currently remains in Nashville, within the jurisdiction of the Nashville court, as he had since been released on bail subject to stringent bail conditions.
Cape Times