Global Courant
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Beth Holloway said justice is finally on the horizon after Joran van der Sloot was charged in federal court Friday morning.
Van der Sloot is the prime suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba in May 2005 during a senior trip to Mountain Brook High School, Alabama.
During a Friday morning arraignment, the Dutchman pleaded not guilty to charges of extortion and telephone fraud in the US after he allegedly tried to sell Beth Holloway, Natalee’s mother, information about the location of her daughter’s body.
Federal prosecutors say Van der Sloot asked for $250,000 – $25,000 upfront for the information, with the remainder to be paid when Natalee Holloway’s body was positively identified.
However, Van der Sloot lied to Beth Holloway’s lawyer, John Q. Kelly, about the whereabouts of her daughter’s remains, US prosecutors said.
ZAK JORAN VAN DER SLOT: SUSPECTION OF NATALEE HOLLOWAY’S SUSPECTED WENT ‘EXACTLY AS EXPECTED’, EXPERTS SAY
Dutchman Joran van der Sloot is driven in a police vehicle from the maximum security prison Ancon I, a suburb of Lima, Peru, on Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
Van der Sloot confidently walked into the Birmingham courtroom with a grin on his face, with Beth Holloway’s eyes on him for most of the indictment.
“Now, 18 years later, the wheels of justice are finally turning for our family and we are getting our long-awaited day in court,” said Beth Holloway. “Now that the felony charge has been completed, the prosecution of this criminal case has officially begun. Joran van der Sloot’s plea not guilty is not discouraging to us, it just means that his legal team will try to get the state to prove the case against him. We are confident that the US Attorney’s Office in Birmingham, Alabama will succeed in securing a conviction, and we are deeply grateful to them for their hard work on this case.”
Beth Holloway is spotted arriving in Birmingham, Alabama. The Dutch Joran Van Der Sloot has to appear in court for extortion of the family of the American student Natalee Holloway. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)
“As I have said before, I was blessed to have had Natalee in my life for 18 years, and as of this summer I have lost her for exactly 18 years. She would be 36 years old now. It has been a very long and painful journey , but we are finally getting justice for Natalee,” she added.
ZAK JORAN VAN DER SLOT: SUSPECTED NATALEE HOLLOWAY PLEASE NOT GUILTY OF SUCTION, ACTION OF WIRE FRAUD
In this courtroom sketch, Joran van der Sloot is arraigned in federal court on Friday, June 9, 2023 in Birmingham, Alabama. (William J. Hennessy, Jr.)
According to federal prosecutors, the alleged extortion scheme took place between March 29, 2010 and May 17, 2010.
JORAN VAN DER SLOT CASE: PRIME NATALEE HOLLOWAY SUSPECTED TO BE CERTIFIED FOR WASTE REPORT
Natalee Holloway was last seen alive in Aruba on a high school field trip in Mountain Brook. (Federal Office of Investigation)
Van der Sloot then traveled to Peru and met Stephany Flores, 21, at a Lima casino owned by her father. Van der Sloot admitted to killing Flores and claimed he killed her on May 30, 2010, in a fit of rage after the 21-year-old discovered he was connected to Natalee Holloway’s disappearance.
While van der Sloot was originally sentenced to 28 years in prison for Flores’ murder, more time was added due to a drug smuggling scandal involving him while in prison.
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General view of the Hugo L. Black Federal Courthouse in Birmingham, Alabama on Friday, June 9, 2023. (Dana Mixer for Fox News Digital)
Charges against him in the US were filed by prosecutors in 2010, but officials in Peru did not approve Van der Sloot’s release into US custody until May, when a Peruvian court ordered the temporary transfer.
Adam Sabes is a writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter @asabes10.
