A former U.S. soldier accused of going on an “international crime spree” appeared in his first court hearing in Florida on Monday after being extradited from Ukraine, where he had previously said he was part of a volunteer battalion fighting Russian separatists, according to U.S. authorities.
“Lang’s alleged conduct is shocking in its scope and its callous disregard for human life,” Nicole M. Argentieri, the head of the Justice Department’s criminal division, said.
Lang’s court-appointed counsel did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night. Lang pleaded not guilty during his appearance Monday, according to court documents.
Lang, of Surprise, Ariz., was dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 2014 and in 2016 joined the far-right Ukrainian nationalist militant group Right Sector, fighting pro-Russian separatists, The Washington Post reported. In Ukraine, he met a fellow former U.S. soldier Alex Jared Zwiefelhofer, now 27, with whom he allegedly traveled to East Africa, authorities said. The pair intended to fight the Islamist militant group al-Shabab, but were deported back to the United States for not possessing proper travel documents, according to a 2019 complaint.
Lang and Zwiefelhofer met up again in Florida in April 2018 as part of plans to travel to Venezuela to join the armed conflict against the government there. To finance their trip, they allegedly falsely advertised guns for sale for $3,000 cash and received an offer from 53-year-old Serafin Lorenzo, who agreed to meet up with Lang late at night for the transaction. Lorenzo and his wife were found dead the next morning with gunshot wounds, according to court documents.
Zwiefelhofer was convicted on several related charges in March.
Lang has been resisting extradition from Ukraine since 2019, but his latest legal challenge was rejected by the European Court of Human Rights in November.
