EXPOSED ON ANDREW-DRUMMOND.COM
An Australian con-man and former boiler room loader, who was exposed on this site last year when he was posing as a private investigator working with Cambodian military police has been arrested with a New Zealander for robbery with violence.
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| (Pic Eglitis on the left with Hastie (Cambodian Police Picture) |
James Guido Eglitis, 66,who at the time claimed to be running an investigation into the disappearance and death of Canadian journalist Dave Walker, was arrested together with New Zealand National Brett Michael Hastie, 44.
They are accused of robbing David Scotcher an English teacher in Siem Reap, northern Cambodia making off with only a passport and camera.
Eglitis is also wanted in Queensland for, kidnapping, two counts of deprivation of liberty, robbery with violence, impersonating an Australian Federal Police officer, and possessing restricted items – two sets of handcuffs and an extendable baton.
He was jailed in the United States for boiler room fraud.
During the hunt for David Walker – a personal friend of this site owner – Eglitis posed as an investigator and even convinced some journalists that he was the real deal.
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| David Walker |
But he was exposed here as a serial con man and man with a history of violence. He was claiming to be James An – but we uncovered him as Eglitis a boiler room operator with a long crime history in the United States and Australia – including having outstanding warrants for skipping his kidnap trial.
Eglitis warranted a whole chapter to himself in the book ‘Scams and Swindelers’ – true stories from the Australian Securities and Investment Commission.
For the original stories go to these links:
http://www.andrew-drummond.com/2014/05/exposed-escaped-kidnapper-lurking.html
http://www.andrew-drummond.com/2014/05/murder-and-mayhem-in-cambodia.html
(Thanks to Admin at Khmer 440)
Your story is somewhat incomplete, AD.
I appreciate that you cannot possibly "crystal ball gaze," but does the arrest of Eglitis for an alleged offence committed in Cambodia mean that he will be charged by the Cambodian authorities for that alleged offence?
Also, where does Eglitis stand regarding his being wanted by the Australian authorities?
Will he be extradited at the end of any sentence he will receive if he is charged and convicted in Cambodia?
As I say I appreciate you cannot predict the future, but are there any precedents in this type of case from which one can draw any ideas?
Well normal procedure is that he will go to trial and after conviction will be reported to Australia. If they prosecute he will be find guilty. Not guilty verdicts are rare in Cambodia of course unless payments are made. It is even less transparent than Thailand. The fact the the Aussie authorities have not pursued him is of course confirmation that the law has no real long arm unless the case is tasty and in the public eye. Most decisions on extraditions are based on cost, time and effort. Clearly Eglitis despite a nasty past is not worth the effort. My guess is you need to steal more than a million AUS$ to get AG/AFP to make applications for extradition, possible more – child sexual abusers excepted. Those cases are much more in vogue.
deported to Australia (correction) find (found)
Dave Walkers friend Peter Vronsky has a very well written account of the search for Dave… It's in a private fb group but very well written and worth a read
Two more pear shaped losers bite the dust. A nice lagging in a Cambodian jail will trim those guts up.