Joran van der Sloot, the prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway, pleaded not guilty on Friday to extortion and fraud charges in a Birmingham courtroom, CBS affiliate WIAT reports.
Van der Sloot, a Dutch national, was flown to Birmingham from Peru on Thursday where he is serving a 28-year sentence for murdering a Peruvian woman in 2010.
U.S. prosecutors say that more than a decade ago, van der Sloot reached attempted to extort $250,000 from the teen’s mother to disclose the location of the young woman’s body. A grand jury indicted him in 2010.
Van der Sloot is not charged with killing Natalee Holloway, who was declared dead several years ago.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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