Frankel May Fight Extradition
By BURT HERMAN
04:52 PM ET 09/06/99
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) - Since his arrest, Martin Frankel has run and rerun
through his head the events of the last months: how it came to pass that he traded his
Connecticut mansion for a one-person cell in northern Germany. German attorney
Thomas Piplak visited Frankel, accused of bilking clients out of millions, in jail Monday
and described the man as depressed, exhausted and - above all - fearful that the people he
is accused of swindling might seek revenge. So great are Frankel's fears, Piplak said,
that he is considering fighting extradition to the United States.
``If we got the impression that he's not secure because there are strong,
powerful groups after him, of course we would do everything to keep him here,'' Piplak
said. ``He fears being attacked, because he knows a lot of things.''
Frankel was arrested Saturday night in Hamburg's Hotel Prem, ending a four-month
international manhunt for the 44-year-old alleged rogue financier. Police say he siphoned
at least $218 million from several insurance companies; a lawsuit by some of them puts the
loss at $915 million.
As much as $1.98 billion may also be missing from the St. Francis of Assisi
Foundation, which investigators say was established by Frankel in the British Virgin
Islands last August. When police used a spare key to open his hotel room on Saturday, they
say they found him with an unspecified sum of cash, diamonds, a computer and numerous fake
passports.
``He was surprised by being arrested; he didn't expect it,'' Piplak said.
Unshaven and appearing morose during the hour-long
meeting with his lawyer,
Frankel didn't elaborate on the who he thinks might pursue him.
Piplak suggested Frankel back up his concerns with a written statement for the
judge.
But Piplak said Frankel - who has been described by other acquaintances as a
pathological liar - is worried that people won't take him seriously.
``He's doubtful whether anybody will believe him,'' Piplak said. Prosecutors
have not yet received extradition papers from the United States, and Frankel is being held
on a German charge for possessing a fake British passport.
Hamburg's Holstenglacis prison, where Frankel can expect to pass the months
before his extradition case is decided, has a reputation as a tough place filled with drug
suspects awaiting trial. Piplak said Frankel is receiving no special treatment despite his
high profile.
Frankel has his own cell, with bath and toilet to accommodate an unspecified
organ disorder that requires him to drink lots of water, his lawyer said. For now, he
wears his own clothes - a blue shirt and khaki pants - and has requested kosher meals for
religious reasons.
But the isolation of the cell has made Frankel feel alone in a country where he
has no friends or family. Cynthia Allison, the 35-year-old woman who accompanied him in
Germany who was also briefly arrested then released, is nowhere to be found, Piplak said.
``He has no contacts, has no family,'' he said. Why Frankel chose to hide out in
Germany remains unclear to his lawyer. But even though fighting extradition would prolong
his stay in prison in a foreign land, Frankel's fears appear to be outweighing his sense
of isolation.
Piplak said it's not the criminal charges Frankel fears, it's his adversaries.
``He's not afraid to go back to the United States, he's afraid he won't be
secure,'' Piplak said. ``His main feeling is being frightened.''
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