Court filing hints at possible charges for WikiLeaks founder
Posted November 15, 2018 11:10 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department inadvertently named Julian Assange in a court filing in an unrelated case that raised questions about whether the WikiLeaks founder had been charged under seal.
Assange’s name appears twice in an August filing from a prosecutor in Virginia in a separate case involving a man accused of coercing a minor.
The prosecutor wrote the charges “would need to remain sealed until Assange is arrested in connection with the charges in the criminal complaint and can therefore no longer evade or avoid arrest and extradition.”
It wasn’t immediately clear why Assange’s name was mentioned. A Justice Department spokesman said the filing was made in error.
The Washington Post, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that Assange had indeed been charged. The Associated Press couldn’t immediately confirm that.
Eric Tucker, The Associated Press
