US won't step in to stop ex-Lithuanian judge's extradition
By MICHAEL TARM, Associated Press
Apr 26, 2018 11:53 AM CDT
This 2012 photo provided by Juozas Valiušaitis shows Neringa Venckiene in Lithuania. Venckiene, a former Lithuanian judge and parliamentarian jailed in Chicago at her homeland's request fears death if she's extradited because she helped expose a network of influential pedophiles in the country. Unless...   (Associated Press)

CHICAGO (AP) — The State Department won't intervene to halt the extradition of an ex-Lithuanian judge and parliamentarian wanted on charges stemming from her claim of a powerful pedophile network in Lithuania.

That word came in a Wednesday filing by Neringa Venckiene's (VEHN'-key-ehn-ayz) lawyers. Her attorneys say the 47-year-old could now be extradited at any time and want an urgent stay. She faces charges that include disobeying a court order.

She recently told The Associated Press from jail in Chicago she feared being killed by Lithuanians she angered if extradited.

She became engulfed in a drama that captivated the country. It included alleged vendettas and her election to parliament. She fled to suburban Chicago in 2013, working with legal documents as a florist. U.S. agents arrested her on a Lithuanian warrant in February.