JAKARTA – Police in St. Petersburg, Russia, have arrested an Israeli-Canadian runner wanted by the United States on charges of fraud related to illegal online activities.
The man, Joshua Cartu, is wanted along with his brothers David and Jonathan and several others, for allegedly operating a fake binary trading system between 2013 and 2018 that defrauded investors of millions of dollars, according to a May 2020 release from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
The St. Petersburg judicial service said Cartu was arrested on August 19 at Pulkovo airport.
The statement identified him as a citizen of Israel and Canada and said Map wanted by the United States.
On Wednesday, the court extended his detention for 72 hours. Reuters could not confirm whether Cartu had a lawyer.
A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, the country’s foreign ministry, said it was aware of the arrest of a Canadian citizen in Russia.
Canadian officials have contacted local authorities to offer consular assistance.
The Israeli embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The court said Cartu could be charged under Russia’s fraud law, which carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
“The card does not work, he does not have a permanent residence in St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg, but he has a passport of a foreign citizen, which allows him (for him) to cross the borders of the Russian Federation without hindrance, thereby preventing extradition. consideration,” the court said.
Moscow and Washington do not have an extradition treaty.
The U.S. Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cartu was separately charged with fraud in Canada related to fraudulent binary options schemes targeting Ontarians, according to a September 2020 statement from the Ontario Securities Commission.
Cartu’s arrest comes less than a month after Russia and Western countries, led by the United States, carried out the largest prisoner swap since the Cold War, exchanging 16 people held in Russia and Belarus for eight Russians imprisoned in Western countries.
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