Joran van der Sloot to be Temporarily Extradited to U.S. to Face Charges of Extortion and Wire Fraud Related to Natalee Holloway Case

Joran van der Sloot, the Dutchman connected to the 2005 disappearance of American Natalee Holloway in Aruba, will be temporarily extradited to the U.S. to face charges of extortion and wire fraud, Peruvian authorities announced Wednesday.

Van der Sloot is currently serving a 28-year sentence for the 2010 killing of 21-year-old college student Stephany Flores in Lima. He is accused of attempting to extort Holloway’s family with promises of leading them to her body, which has never been found.

The U.S. Department of Justice has charged van der Sloot with extortion and wire fraud related to Holloway’s mother, Elizabeth Holloway, who goes by Beth. The charges stem from an alleged attempt to extort money from the family in exchange for information about the whereabouts of Natalee Holloway’s remains.

Van der Sloot is expected to be extradited to the U.S. in the coming weeks, where he will face the charges. It is unclear how long he will remain in the U.S. or if he will be returned to Peru to serve out the remainder of his sentence.

Natalee Holloway went missing in May 2005 while on a senior class trip in Aruba. Despite an extensive search, her body has never been found. An Alabama judge declared her dead in 2012. Van der Sloot has been the primary suspect in her disappearance since the beginning.