Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.

The Justice Department has confirmed the extradition of a former US soldier from Ukraine on charges related to an extensive “international crime spree” that began over five years ago.

Craig Austin Lang made his initial court appearance yesterday and is facing multiple charges, including double homicide, armed robbery, making false statements in a passport application, and aggravated identity theft, among others. Lang previously worked as a mercenary in Venezeula, Africa, and Ukraine.

Lang now faces charges in the Middle District of Florida, the Eastern District of North Carolina, and the District of Arizona. In Florida, he and his co-defendant, Alex Jared Zwiefelhofer, are accused of murdering a couple during an armed robbery in 2018. The victims had allegedly intended to purchase firearms from Lang and Zwiefelhofer, but instead, the two men stole the $3,000 meant for the transaction.

In North Carolina, Lang faces charges of conspiracy to commit passport fraud and aggravated identity theft, as part of an effort to evade law enforcement while traveling internationally.

In Arizona, he is charged with passport misuse for allegedly presenting a U.S. passport to Mexican authorities to obtain a Mexican visa.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri said Lang’s alleged actions were “shocking in its scope.” She added that his actions were “no match for the efforts of dedicated law enforcement personnel and prosecutors in the United States and abroad to investigate, locate, arrest, and extradite Lang so he would face justice before courts in the United States.”

The extradition followed the European Court of Human Rights’ rejection of Lang’s bid to avoid being sent back to the US.