Joran van der Sloot Charged in U.S. with Extortion
NEW YORK (CBS) The United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama charged Joran Van der Sloot Thursday afternoon with extortion and wire fraud, saying the Dutchman promised information on Natalee Holloway's whereabouts in exchange for $250,000, reports CBS News affiliate WHNT in Huntsville, Ala.
Read the criminal complaint here.
Van der Sloot, who has been the main suspect in the Holloway disappearance in Aruba five years ago, was arrested Thursday in the murder of a young woman in Peru. Stephany Flores, 21, was killed in a Lima hotel Sunday.
Witnesses saw van der Sloot and Flores together in a casino over the weekend and again, entering the hotel room together around 5 a.m. Sunday, reports CBS News correspondent Elaine Quijano.
Natalee Holloway's father told WHNT it was big relief that Van der Sloot was caught.
"There's no doubt van der Sloot's a bad kid," said Dave Holloway. "He screwed up and he needs to be locked up somewhere."
