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Pataki won't extradite arrestee to Louisiana

October 1, 2006

A judge cleared a former British betting-company executive Friday to return to London after New York's governor declined to sign a warrant extraditing him to Louisiana, where he is charged with illegal online gambling.

Peter Dicks, the former chairman of Sportingbet PLC, was arrested Sept. 6 at Kennedy International Airport after customs officials discovered that he was wanted by Louisiana state police.

Dicks is not charged with a crime in this state. Louisiana is among eight states that have laws prohibiting Internet gambling.

In explaining why he didn't sign the warrant, Gov. George E. Pataki said his state's law permitted extradition only if the accused person was physically present where he is accused of breaking the law. Dicks hasn't been in Louisiana in decades, and the charges there revolved around his activities in Britain.

"The governor does support the effort to restrict illegal offshore gaming, but he does not have the legal authority to extradite Mr. Dicks," said Pataki spokeswoman Jessica Scaperotti.

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