Hinshaw's David S. Weinstein Discusses Arrest of Wikileaks' Founder Julian Assange

April 12, 2019

David S. Weinstein, a white collar attorney in Hinshaw's Miami office and a former federal prosecutor, was interviewed by a series of news organizations regarding the significance of the arrest yesterday of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Assange had been living in the Embassy of Ecuador in London since 2012, after having been granted asylum by Ecuador. He was arrested by U.K police on April 11, 2019, after Ecuador withdrew asylum protection.

On the same day as his arrest, an existing U.S. grand jury indictment charging Assange with a single count of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion was unsealed and the U.S. government sought his extradition to the United States.

Media coverage:

Law360: Hacking Charge Only Tip of Iceberg for Wikileaks' Assange

Weinstein talked to Law360 reporter Allison Grande about the arrest of Assange and his possible extradition to the United States. He noted that the Doctrine of Specialty could limit the ability of prosecutors to bring additional charges against Assange. Under the doctrine, individuals facing extradition can only face charges that have been approved by the country seeking extraditing of the person.

He also noted that Assange's legal team may be looking to drag out the process with the intent of seeing if additional charges materialize.

CBS Miami: Former U.S. Attorney David Weinstein Discusses Julian Assange, Michael Avenatti

Weinstein was also a guest on CBS4 Miami, where he discussed the Assange arrest. He noted that Assange was, at this point, charged with being part of a conspiracy to hack into a [U.S.] government computer, and predicted he will "in all likelihood" be brought [to the United States] to face these charges.

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