Mark R. Madler
A federal judge today might set a date for a hearing on whether a
Burbank man accused of embezzling millions from a bank in Lithuania
should be sent home to answer to the charges.
The case against Gintaras Petrikas, 43, goes before U.S.
Magistrate Judge Andrew J. Wistrich today in federal court for a
status hearing during which a date for the extradition hearing could
be set. Defense attorney Marc S. Harris said he will challenge
sending Petrikas back to Lithuania, but he declined to say on what
grounds.
When the extradition hearing takes place, Wistrich will rule
whether there is enough probable cause to suspect that Petrikas
embezzled the money.
A filing by prosecutors on June 30 laid out that the government
had met all elements of extradition.
Witness statements and other evidence would show that Petrikas
arranged for bank loans that were never secured and not paid back,
prosecutors said.
Petrikas left Lithuania in the 1990s and was living in Burbank at
the time of his arrest by the FBI on May 4. At the request of the
Lithuanian government, a criminal complaint and arrest warrant were
issued for Petrikas.
Petrikas lived under the alias Alexander Davidoff and was part
owner of souvenir shops in Hollywood and Palm Springs, the FBI said.
As chairman of a bank, Lietuvos Valstybinis Komercinis Bankas,
Petrikas made unsecured loans to companies in which he had a
substantial or controlling financial interest, according to the
criminal complaint.
The loans were never repaid, and Petrikas and his associates
directly benefited from the loans, which totaled $10 million,
according to the complaint.
Petrikas is being held without bail in the Metropolitan Detention
Center downtown.
