Fighting Extradition with Proven Strategies

Extradition is one of the most complex and frightening legal situations a person can face. Whether you are a foreign national arrested abroad and facing surrender to the United States, or a U.S. citizen sought by a foreign government, the stakes cannot be higher. George J. Vila has extensive experience representing clients in extradition proceedings from countries across Latin America, Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean.

The firm has represented hundreds of clients from Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Italy, Israel, France, and many other countries in extradition-related proceedings in U.S. federal courts.

How Extradition Works

When the U.S. government seeks to extradite a fugitive from a foreign country, it works through the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) framework or bilateral extradition treaties. The fugitive has rights to challenge extradition in the host country's courts — and once in the U.S., has additional rights to challenge detention and the charges themselves.

Defenses Against Extradition

• Treaty-based defenses — not all offenses are extraditable under all treaties
• Dual criminality challenges — the conduct must be criminal in both countries
• Political offense exception
• Statute of limitations
• Double jeopardy / ne bis in idem arguments
• Human rights and humanitarian defenses
• Challenging the sufficiency of the foreign country's evidence
• Specialty doctrine violations

Post-Extradition Defense

Even after extradition occurs, significant defense opportunities remain. George J. Vila has achieved dismissals of charges against clients who were extradited — challenging the government's evidence after the international process is complete and negotiating resolutions that avoided lengthy prison sentences.