Bond set for former Nazi guard

Jerusalem Post ^ | Jul. 31, 2003 | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

[yonif]

An immigration judge on Thursday set bond at $50,000 for a man accused of serving as a Nazi guard at a World War II concentration camp and lying about it on immigration papers.

The US Department of Justice intends to appeal Judge Larry Dean's ruling, said Gina Balaya, spokeswoman for the US attorney's office in Detroit.

Authorities arrested Johann Leprich, 77, at his home in Macomb County's Clinton Township north of Detroit on July 1. The federal government is seeking to deport him.

Leprich had been a fugitive since 1987, when his US citizenship was revoked because officials found he had misrepresented his military service on his application for naturalization, which was granted in 1958.

Leprich served during the war in the Nazi Death's Head Battalion and worked as a guard at the Mauthausen concentration camp, officials said.

Federal law forbids granting US citizenship to any concentration camp guard or worker.

His attorney, William Dance, did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.

Leprich will remain in custody until the appeal litigation is resolved.

[Texas_Dawg]

The federal government is seeking to deport him.

This guy needs to hire Pat Buchanan to come work to get him off. I'm sure PB would do it pro bono.

[.38sw]

Interesting. How are these guys found out? And what's this about: an immigration judge set bond for the man, but the US Dept. of Justice intends to appeal that ruling. Why would they do that?

[dennisw]

Interesting. How are these guys found out?.......


IIRC This guy moved to Canada but spent a lot of time in the USA. I think he could have been easily found out but the resources were not spent.

[KOZ.]

PB defended John demjanjuk, and rightfully so. And PB was vindecated several times. your comment is a low blow.

koz.

[thoughtomator]

The INS (now BCIS) probably doesn't want him to be permitted release on bond at all, hence the appeal of the bond ruling.

[bedolido]

Am I reading this correctly? At 77 they want to try him? He was a teenager when he was a guard. The law is the law. But some thought must be given to his age.

[Texas_Dawg]

PB defended John demjanjuk, and rightfully so. And PB was vindecated several times. your comment is a low blow.

If that was all Pat Buchanan ever did concerning this subject, I would say, "Fine." But oh, how far that is from the case: Just a few snippets of Pat Buchanan in all his Aryan glory.

[.38sw]

Possibly so. The article doesn't make that clear. I guessed that might have been the case, but it was only a guess.

[AppyPappy]

Actually, they rarely know if they were actually guards. After the war, they simply went after people who were in units that hah guards in them. They later sought prisoner's testimony to back the records.

[Texas_Dawg]

And there's more: With good old Pat, it goes on and on and on...

[joesnuffy]

Maybe CAIR can give him one of their lawyers

[thoughtomator]

The appeal is a challenge to the ruling on the bond. So the INS wants a different ruling.

If the INS wanted a lower bond (or not to require a bond for release), they would request a specific amount during the bond hearing - it would be very unlikely that the Immigration Judge chose a bond amount higher than either side in the case requested (it would be nonsensical, even negligent, for the defense to request a higher bond amount than the government); so for practical purposes we can assume that is not the case. A second option is that bond is ok with the INS, but the amount is too low. The third option is that the INS feels he is an unacceptable flight risk at any amount of bond and should be denied bond entirely.

I do work in the field of immigration law so I am familiar with the process. In my opinion the most likely motivation by the INS is that they do not want to risk the embarassment of a high-profile bond jumper putting egg on their faces. I'm sure there are enough Nazi sympathizers out there that would volunteer to help the defendant escape. (A Saudi 'charity', for instance, or some wacko supremacist group.)

[KOZ.]

interesting quotes, each one i'm sure can be debated on its own merit. however, your original comment had to do with john demjanjuk (unless i'm mistaken, correct me if i'm wrong), and that is what i am defending him on. when john was going through hell, PB was the ONLY politician to stand up for him, and support him, while most everyone else was against him. PB was proven right, and has been criticized greatly for it. that is why i dont think your comment was just.
koz.

[Texas_Dawg]

your original comment had to do with john demjanjuk (unless i'm mistaken, correct me if i'm wrong),

I was simply referring to the fact that this is something Pat would love to take on. He is never to quick to take up these cases. Like I say, Demjanjuk on its own would have been one thing (and I was a PB supporter back then through all of that), but he has gone so, so much farther than that since then.

[KOZ.]

TD,
thanks for the clarification. i dont follow PJB that much anymore, but do value his opinion and point of view as that of a learned and seasoned politician, and one with balls to say what he believes (one of very few).
thanks for the conversation...cheers.
koz.

[SJackson]

There's more info on him in this thread.

16 years after escaping deportation, Nazi guard found hiding in Michigan

He admits being a camp guard. He was stripped of his citizenship in 1987, but fled the US for Canada before he could be deported. He's been a fugitive since, frequently crossing the border.

[thoughtomator]

Well there you go. Because of the history of flight, the INS will present the argument to the appeals court that the risk of another flight by the defendant is very high. So this one will go to the Board of Immigration Appeals, which will likely sit on it for 8+ months then issue a one-line summary affirmation of the Immigration Judge's decision (since the BIA is way way too overloaded to give proper due process to its entire caseload).

At that point, his lawyer will appeal to the United States Court of Appeals (aka Circuit Court), and if it's not the Ninth, the bond order will be overturned and bond will be denied.

Given that it's mid-2003 now, the defendant will probably be deported sometime in 2007.

[SJackson]

The INS (now BCIS) probably doesn't want him to be permitted release on bond at all, hence the appeal of the bond ruling.

See the link in 17. He's been a fugitive since 1987, I suspect you're right about no bond.

[ZviTheWise]

Our tax dollars at work. Too bad it's not being spent on ousting illegal immigrants across the Rio Grande.