The United States Attorney’s Office has announced the extradition of Craig Austin Lang, a former U.S. military member from Ukraine, to face trial for his alleged involvement in a shocking double homicide and armed robbery that occurred in Florida in 2018.
Lang, along with his co-defendant Alex Jared Zwiefelhofer, stands accused of conspiring to commit robbery, discharging a firearm during a violent crime, and the murder of a couple from Brooksville, Florida.
Craig Austin Lang’s journey from a decorated U.S. military veteran to an accused murderer and foreign fighter is a disturbing tale of radicalization and violence.
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According to court documents, Lang and Zwiefelhofer, both former U.S. servicemen, met while traveling overseas to engage in fighting in Ukraine.
The two then traveled to Kenya, where they planned to join the conflict in South Sudan, before being arrested and deported back to the United States.
The indictment alleges that after returning to the U.S., Lang and Zwiefelhofer hatched a plan to rob a couple who were selling firearms online.
On April 10, 2018, the victims, S.L. and D.L., traveled from Brooksville to Estero, Florida, to complete the sale of several firearms. Tragically, the couple was ambushed, shot multiple times in the head and body, and killed during the armed robbery.
The investigation that followed the gruesome murders revealed that Lang and Zwiefelhofer were the primary suspects. Authorities were able to link the pair to the crime through evidence gathered at the scene and their subsequent activities, which included plans to travel to Venezuela to fight alongside others against the government.
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In a significant development, Zwiefelhofer was convicted on all charges related to the Estero murders in March 2024 and is awaiting sentencing. Meanwhile, Lang’s extradition from Ukraine to the United States has been a complex and drawn-out process. After the European Court of Human Rights rejected his challenge to the extradition, Lang was finally escorted back to the U.S. by the FBI to face trial.
Lang now stands accused of a litany of federal offenses, including conspiracy to commit robbery, discharging a firearm during a violent crime, robbery interfering in commerce, and the murder of the Brooksville couple.
Additionally, he faces charges for conspiring to kill, kidnap, or maim persons in a foreign country, as well as a violation of the Neutrality Act. If convicted on all counts, Lang could face a maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
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