Kevin Dee at the stadium in Milan, where he was arrested shortly thereafter. – © rr
A lawyer trying to convict his client as quickly as possible? In the case of Malinois Kevin D. (27) it is a reasonable strategy. Because he is now at risk of 3 years in prison in his country for stealing American Airlines computers. The same facts would earn him up to 45 years in prison if extradited to the United States.
Quinn Boomers and Stijn Van de Sande
Free business class airline tickets on American Airlines. That’s what Malinois Kevin D. (27) kept to himself in 2017, thanks to his hacking skills at company computers.
He didn’t use tickets – “a childhood sin out of technical interest,” says his attorney. But the airline could not help but laugh at the piracy. American Airlines reported $200,000 in damages and filed a complaint with the US judiciary. The United States decided to send a signal to Kevin Dee internationally, but to no avail: our country does not extradite its citizens to the United States.
But European countries can extradite other nationals. While visiting Milan with his father, Kevin D was lifted from his hotel bed in October 2021. Since then, he has been in an Italian prison awaiting extradition to the United States, where he risks imprisonment for between 22 and 45 years, depending on the interpretation.
Until Belgium decided to sue Kevin D. Himself accused of hacking. Then our country will have priority over extradition. The case went to court in Mechelen on Wednesday – his lawyer, Frederic Thibaut, said in court: “It is self-evident that we prefer a judgment close to home and, moreover, there are possibilities as to the enforcement of the judgment.”
Kevin Dee, who has previously been convicted several times for hacking, is now sentenced to 3 years in prison in Belgium. Both parties agreed to this punishment. Especially the defense because you can’t be convicted twice for the same crimes. Thebet has asked the court to make a decision as soon as possible, which is due to be issued on Thursday. There is no longer any issue of extradition to the United States.
He may not be 22 or 45, but if convicted, he would also receive an effective prison sentence in Belgium. According to his attorney, Kevin D. Currently not good. “He had lost 25 kilos and was full of rashes when his parents visited him in June. He is suffering from impending depression, and the situation there is very appalling.”
Kevin Dee’s father died of a heart attack shortly after his visit to the Italian prison.
Read also. Flemish hacker risks 22 years in US prison for hacking the website: “They took him handcuffed, in his pajamas” (+)
