A former U.S. Soldier has been taking matters into his own hands.
Craig Austin Lang recently appeared in court after being extradited in Ukraine. Prosecutors allege an "international crime spree," in addition to the federal indictments in Florida, North Carolina, and Arizona.
Soldier's Mercenary Plan Overseas
This all starts in 2018 when Lang and Alex Zwiefelhofer, another ex-soldier, list guns for sale in Florida. But rather than go through with the exchange, the two allegedly kill the buyers, stealing the $3,000 they had. According to the federal documents, this is all in their plan to wage war against the Venezuelan government. Additionally, they were preparing to fight an East African Islamist group al-Shabab.
A warrant for Lang is issued when he allegedly kills a Floridian couple, Serafin Lorenzo Jr. and Deana K. Lorenzo. In the years that followed, he fights extradition, trading guns, a grenade, and cash he cobbles together to acquire a fake ID.
Nicole Argentieri is principal deputy assistant attorney general of the Department of Justice's criminal division. She has this to say in a statement regarding the soldier's actions, "Lang's alleged conduct is shocking in its scope and its callous disregard for human life."
As for Lang's partner in crime, the jury convicts Zwiefelhofer of conspiracy to commit robbery for the 2018 event. Additionally, they charge him with murder with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to kill overseas. The court sentences him in August.
Lang himself faces a laundry list of crimes. In addition to the murders, passport fraud, identity theft, and conspiracy lie amongst his crimes. If convicted, he faces life in prison for the deaths and 25 years for the various counts of fraudulence.
Argentieri concludes her statement, applauding the justice system for catching the soldier when they did. "His (Lang's) wrongdoing, however, was no match for the efforts of dedicated law enforcement personnel and prosecutors in the United States and abroad to investigate, locate, arrest and extradite Lang so he would face justice before courts in the United States."
