Joran van der Sloot, prime suspect in Natalee Holloway's 2005 disappearance, pleads not guilty to extortion charges
Joran van der Sloot, the prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway, pleaded not guilty on Friday to extortion and fraud charges in a Birmingham courtroom, CBS affiliate WIAT reports.
Van der Sloot, a Dutch national, was flown to Birmingham from Peru on Thursday where he is serving a 28-year sentence for murdering a Peruvian woman in 2010.
U.S. prosecutors say that more than a decade ago, van der Sloot reached attempted to extort $250,000 from the teen's mother to disclose the location of the young woman's body. A grand jury indicted him in 2010.
Van der Sloot is not charged with killing Natalee Holloway, who was declared dead several years ago.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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