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Joran van der Sloot pleads not guilty to fraud, extortion in Holloway case

Dutch convicted murderer Joran van der Sloot, extradited from Peru, pleaded not guilty Friday to fraud and extorting the mother of Natalee Holloway. Van der Sloot was suspected but never charged in the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba. File Photo by Dinko Eichin/UPI
Dutch convicted murderer Joran van der Sloot, extradited from Peru, pleaded not guilty Friday to fraud and extorting the mother of Natalee Holloway. Van der Sloot was suspected but never charged in the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba. File Photo by Dinko Eichin/UPI | License Photo

June 9 (UPI) -- Joran van der Sloot pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of fraud and extorting the mother of Natalee Holloway in 2010 who disappeared in Aruba in 2005.

During the hearing, van der Sloot waived his right to a detention hearing and will remain in custody pending his trial.

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The judge on Tuesday also issued a protective order for evidence that contains "sensitive information" including addresses and bank account numbers.

Van der Sloot was extradited from a Peruvian prison to face the U.S. charges, arriving in Alabama Thursday. He was serving a sentence for the murder of another woman in Peru.

He was a suspect in Holloway's disappearance and was arrested but was never charged.

"I am confident that today was an important step toward accountability and hopefully, justice," Natalee's father, Dave Holloway said in a statement. "I am trusting that this prosecution will lead us to the truth about Natalee."

Van der Sloot allegedly told the attorney representing Holloway's family in 2010 that he would reveal the location of Holloway's body for $25,000.

The attorney, John Q. Kelly, met van der Sloot in an Aruba hotel and gave him $10,000. But van der Sloot never provided any information on Holloway's whereabouts.

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Holloway vanished on the Dutch Caribbean Island of Aruba while on a high school graduation trip on May 30, 2005.

Van der Sloot is temporarily in the United States to face the fraud and extortion charges, but after the case could be sent back to Peru. If convicted in the United States, there will be a consultation between the nations to determine where van der Sloot serves time first.

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