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Accused Serial Arsonist's Alleged Free-Loader "Mutter" Being Extradited Back to Germany
Dorothee Burkhart (Screenshot)
Dorothee Burkhart, the fugitive from Germany and mother of accused serial arsonist Harry Burkhart, is closer to being extradited to face criminal proceedings in her homeland. Today, prosecutors filed the formal extradition package, which includes 17 charges levied against the elder Burkhart in Germany.Among the fraud and breach of trust accusations Burkhart, 53, faces are charges she became a tenant at apartments but did not pay rent, she posed as a landlady and falsely rented property to tenants, and had breast augmentation surgery she did not pay for. Two additional charges have been dropped, taking the initial total from 19 down to 17.
Burkhart appeared in court this week, and insisted she she remain in the U.S. in order to help defend her son, who has pleaded not guilty to 100 criminal counts in conjunction with 49 fires he allegedly deliberately set in Los Angeles during a four-night spree that began at the tail end of December 2011. Mrs. Burkhart insists her child has been framed by Nazis, and that she is the only one who can communicate with him, a contention authorities in Los Angeles deem unfounded.
Harry Burkhart allegedly was compelled to spark the arson blazes following an extradition hearing regarding his mother's return to Germany, from which she has been a fugitive since 2006. During that hearing, the younger Burkhart broke out into an angry tirade that caught the attention of authorities, who noted the obscenity-laced outburst. Information about Burkhart's outburst in court is what helped local law enforcement connect him with the series of blazes set around New Year's.
An order issued late yesterday by United States Magistrate Judge Charles F. Eick scheduled the extradition hearing for May 9, notes Thom Mrozek with the Department of Justice.
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