Posted on 12/05/2006 9:45:14 AM PST by jmc813
HONOLULU -- Duane "Dog'' Chapman is waiting to hear whether a Mexican federal court will set him free or order his pending extradition and criminal case to proceed.
The 53-year-old TV bounty hunter is charged under Mexican law with "deprivation of liberty'' for his June 2003 capture of fugitive convicted rapist Andrew Luster, the Max Factor heir, in Puerto Vallarta.
Sunday night, Chapman, his wife and his attorney appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" program to plead his case.
Chapman said that he was approached before the extradition by a lawyer in Mexico who arranged his release and was asked for more than $250,000 as a payment. Chapman said he was told by the lawyer that things "would not go well" if the payment wasn't made.
The three were also joined by Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo is urging Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice not to extradite bounty hunter Chapman to Mexico.
Tancredo said he was told by state department officials that a letter from 29 congressman about the Chapman case "was on Rice's desk" but not yet read by Rice.
Tancredo also questioned why the administration agreed to consider Chapman's extradition on what he called a misdemeanor charge in Mexico.
"Inside, I'm dying,'' Chapman said in an interview with The Associated Press at his spacious ocean-view home last week. "On the outside, I'm a Hawaiian citizen.''
His attorney, Bill Bollard, will present arguments starting Monday. Chapman will not attend the closed hearing in Guadalajara.
"We consider this a critical hearing because it could resolve the matter,'' Bollard said. "We're putting a lot of eggs in this basket because if we can cut it off at the path, the (criminal) trial never takes place.''
Chapman was arrested Sept. 14 along with his son and another associate and is free on $300,000 bail. He has been aggressively fighting extradition.
"It's been the most nervous week by far in many years," he told the AP. "In Mexico, you're guilty until proven innocent. It's not like America. You must prove your innocence. That's their law. It's nothing bad or good. That's just their law."
Chapman faces up to four years in a Mexican jail if convicted.
"It's very ironic isn't it?" said his wife, Beth Chapman. "He may go to jail for catching a rapist. We're in trouble because we caught America's escaped prisoner."
Chapman's capture of Luster catapulted the Honolulu-based bounty hunter to fame and led to the A&E reality series "Dog the Bounty Hunter."
Luster jumped a $1 million bond and disappeared during his trial in California's Ventura County on charges that he drugged and raped three women. The disappearance set off a national and international manhunt by police, FBI and bounty hunters trying to recoup some of the bond money. Luster is now serving a 124-year prison term.
Chapman said he was never paid for Luster's capture.
Chapman also told King he feared for his safety in any jail since he caught more than 6,000 fugitives in his career.
Dog The Bounty Hunter premiered on A&E August 30, 2004.
The right bung in the right greasy palms.
Case closed.
bttt
Our government can't be stupid enough to actually honor Mexico's little rigged, corrupt justice system, can it?
Of course it can. We already let them dictate how we conduct our borders and allow them more influence over immigration policy than the voting citizens in the USA.
Proving that all threads lead to illegal immigration, and ultimately to Elian Gonzalez.
Mexico harbors an American felon rapist and demands America send back an American Citizen for a misdemeanor of catching said rapist in the first place. And America will continue the a&&kissing of Mexico while Mexico flips it's finger at America.
When will we learn?
LOL! What do the Mexicans have on Bush? Incriminating photos from his party days or what? There must be some reason he rolls over and barks for the Mexican government on command.
No, I misspoke maybe. My point is that the arrest, which NO ONE really heard about until the last 3 or 4 months DID NOT "catapult" him to fame. His show has been ongoing for at least the last 3 years. Go back and look at the timeline. He wasn't targeted by the Mexican govt for extradition UNTIL he got his show and some money.
See post 31.
Well, I live in California. The scene of Luster's horrendous crimes. Do you know that he was convicted of 174 rapes? He drugged his victims, and filmed the attacks. I learned of the capture by the Chapman's when it happened.
It certainly did catapault him to fame. Perhaps you weren't paying attention.
No way they send him back...I hope. I find "Dog" most interesting
My point is, that the arrest in Mexico didn't "catapult" him to fame. When did you first hear about the arrest? I've watched some of Dog's shows for the last 2 years and I never heard about the Mex arrest until a few months ago.
IOW, he was famous BEFORE the arrest came to light and he is being pursued now because of the fame he garnered since, not because of it.
He is a cool guy, works out at the same gym that I go to. You certainly would not want to mess with him.
He does look like he is carrying a heavy burden lately, stays to himself. This is really dragging him down.
He was famous because he arrested Luster.
The Luster case was closely followed in CA and was on the news all the time.
he became a celebrity because he brought Luster in and his flamboyant personality and entertaining interviews on the news got reality show execs interested in offering him a series.
It certainly did catapault him to fame. Perhaps you weren't paying attention.
Really? So a man was convicted of 174 rapes and you thought, "wow, that Dog Chapman is something else?" Do you always think first of the super law enforcement/bounty hunters first when horrendous people are caught? That is strange. So tell me, who captured that Ramirez guy that was a serial killer out there? Is he/she famous too now? No? Why not? Maybe because he didn't have his own TV show? If you don't know, I guess you weren't paying attention.
And guess what else? Maybe YOU weren't paying attention, but not everybody gives a big rat's ass what goes on in California.
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