Amdi arrested

 

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On February 17th 2002, Amdi Petersen was arrested by the FBI at Los Angeles International Airport  and held in custody pending extradition to Denmark.   He is currently in prison in LA.     This followed Danish police raids on Tvind offices and schools in Denmark in April 2001, where documents and computers were seized.    See information on the Danish police investigation into Amdi and six other named Tvind leaders.      Click here to read Jyllands-Posten's account of the arrest.

The Danish police charges against Amdi Petersen and six others:     Click here to read the Danish police case against Amdi Petersen (in English) (Acrobat reader required)   This document is dynamite, it details the specific charges against Amdi Petersen on four counts of embezzlement worth millions of dollars involving large, but entirely fictional, 'environmental projects', in just a small corner of his supposedly philanthropic empire.  This is a must read for anyone who has followed the Amdi story, and includes names, dates and charts of companies.  Police are investigating the rest of the empire.

Amdi Petersen is resisting extradition and has hired Robert Shapiro, the lawyer who represented O J Simpson, to lodge an appeal.  The next hearing is on August 19th 2002.

As the court case progresses Tvind Alert will publish regular bulletins below.

To receive updates by email, add your e-mail address here   and 

 

Denmark, July 16th 2002:   Judge commits Amdi to Danish prison

The judge agreed with the police and Amdi is located in the jailhouse of
Ringkbing until the 11th of October 2002 unless the superior Court thinks
differently.

 

Denmark, July 15th 2002:    AMDI APPEARS IN COURT IN DENMARK

Amdi Petersen appeared in court in Denmark today (Sunday) after arriving at Copenhagen airport at noon on Saturday.   Hiding his face police rushed him from the airport to the court jail in Ringkoebing.   At the court hearing today Petersen pleaded not guilty.   He appears to be in good shape.  The courts decision - whether Amdi P. should stay in custody - will be published Monday morning.   (Visit Tvind Alert to find out the decision.)  (Source: Danish media)

Steen Byrner, a former economy manager of the Teachers Group, has sent a letter of support for Amdi Petersen to the court taking responsibility for some of the transactions in question.     Steen Byrner lives in Ecuador and now claims to have no connection with Tvind or the TG.      (Source: Ritzau news agency)

Preparations are well underway to situate the trial at the courts of rhus on the eastern coast of Jutland. There is also talk of an earlier date for the trial to begin (than Feb 19^th). (Source: Jyllands-Posten)

Politiken story: http://politiken.dk/VisArtikel.iasp?PageID=233441  (in Danish)

 

Denmark, Sept 15th:  Amdi flies back to Denmark under police guard.

AMDI PETERSEN IS BACK IN DENMARK

Amdi Petersen, the 63 year old founder of the Tvind (Humana) empire who police accuse of corruption and tax fraud, is back in Denmark to face charges.     Petersen arrived at Copenhagen Airport yesterday, Saturday (Sept 14^th) at 13.00h escorted by the Danish police. He must go before a judge within 24 hours from that time.   News of the return:

 

 

Belgium, 4th July 2002:      Eight members of Tvind accused in Belgium.   Danish TV, news agencies, 4th July 2002.        Here is a complete list of the 8 TG-members just accused in Belgium of whitewashing millions of Euros: Flemming Gustavson, Kirsten Fuglsbjerg (Christine Pipp), Joop Nagel, Anne Hansen, Birgitte Krohn, Birgitte Ring, Marlene Gunst, Else Jensen.    More details.

 

 

 27th May 2002:    Amdi Petersen appeals to a higher court.   from Jyllands-Posten, May 29, 2002, 10.30 PM       Mogens Amdi Petersen has once again appealed the decision to deny his bail request.   Twice earlier, Los Angeles court judges have ruled that Mogens Amdi Petersen is to remain in jail pending the outcome of the trial concerning his extradition to Denmark.   As reasons for their rulings, the judges have pointed to fears that Amdi Petersen would attempt to escape if released on bail.

But Robert Shapiro, (Amdi's) American attorney has now said that he has appealed the case to a higher court, the so-called Los Angeles Ninth Circuit.   Full story.

 

---

 

Friday March 29th:    Amdi's case not before court until August

It is going to be a long, long summer in the US prison system for
Tvind's leader, Mogens Amdi Petersen. Over the next six months,
he will have to come to terms with living behind thick, American, iron
bars.     Te case will not be heard until august 19th.   Meanwhile, Amdi stays in jail.

 

---

 

Thursday 28th March:     Bail refused again

Amdi Petersen was once again denied bail
at the hearing yesterday (reported by Danish newspapers Jyllands-Posten,
Berglingske Tidende and Politiken). Furthermore he is expected to be
moved in a few days to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles
from his oneman cell at Kern County Jail.

Kirsten Larsen was present at the court hearing. Amdi is said to have
been pale, crestfallen and silent.

The first meeting of the extradition case will be a "status conference"
today, Friday, during which the lawyers together with judge Victor
Kenton, will schedule the court case proceedings. It isn't yet decided
when the proceedings then will begin.  (Anna)

---

 

Tuesday/Wednesday 26/27 March:  The court case has been postponed to Thursday
afternoon (Los Angeles time).

Orla Borg at Jyllands-Posten writes today:

The case in the U.S.

Later this week Tvind will appear in court at two occasions in the U.S.

Thursday afternoon - the night before Friday Danish time - Tvind's
founder, Mogens Amdi Petersen, will appear before judge Nora Manella in
the Los Angeles District Court. She will then listen to defense lawyer
Robert Shapiro's appeal to have Amdi Petersen released on bail, after
the first instance denied him bail last month.

On Friday the very case about extradition of Mogens Amdi Petersen will   start, also at a Los Angeles court.

Berlingske Tidene says today:

At 3 P.M. local time (midnight in Denmark) judge Nora Manella will
decide whether the 63 year old Tvind leader will be released on bail
while his extradition case is tried.

Earlier judge Manella's colleague Stephen Hillman denied two
applications for bail from Petersen's lawyer Robert Shapiro. And the
expectation is that Nora Manella will agree with Hillman's decision,
which was based on two conclusions: that there is an obvious risk that
Mogens Amdi Petersen will try to escape, and that Petersen, despite his
frail health, doesn't meet the court's conditions for "special circumstances".

On Friday at 10 A.M. local time a so called "status hearing" will be
held, during which primarily the starting date will be established for
the very extradition case itself.

---

 

 

________________________________________________

 

Tuesday March 19th:     Court appearance, Los Angeles.    Amdi was denied bail again, although the case has gone to another judge for review.  Meanwhile Amdi is remanded in solitary confinement in Kern County Jail.   Full story from Jylland-Posten, Amdi refused bail again, March 20th

 

________________________________

 

________________________________

 

Sunday 24th Feb:   Now Amdi will only be able to se his girlfriend if they get married

Los Angeles: Today Mogens Amdi Petersen is still detained in the filthy
Kern County Jail in Bakersfield. But already tomorrow or the day after,
the Tvind leader will be taken to the infirmary of the far more
comfortable Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. And here he
might have to stay for months.   Berlingske Tidende.

 

__________________

 

Sat 23rd February:   The arresting of Amdi is a catastrophe for Tvind, reports Jyllands-Posten.      The continued custody
of Amdi which is pleasing the Holstebro police is not only a defeat for
the Tvind leader himself but a disaster for the empire which continues
its clandestine operation within houndreds of organisations all over the
world.    The arrest was a hard blow to Petersen's authority, says  Jes Fabricius Moller,, "he fell victim of a routine check at an airport. That is a blow
to his prestige and the invulnerability which his leadership is built
on. The magic surrounding him will disappear because of this".    A former member of Tvind's Teachers group says that the arrest
will undermine Tvind in the long run. "In the short run things will just
go on as usual. The groups are self-governing and run schools,
plantations, factories etc. But if a trial were to show that Amdi not
only has deceived the Danish tax authorities but also members of Tvind's
Teachers group by transferring money to himself, it will make the whole
Tvind system wobble",

_________________________________

 

Sat 23rd Feb:   Amdi Petersen's lawyer appeals.   "Tvind leader Amdi Petersens American top lawyer Robert Shapiro made a
last, almost desperate attempt to convince the judge that the
overwhelming body of evidence in the Tvind case would threaten to
overload the Los Angeles court.    There are 62 boxes of supplement material. It will have to be
translated. It is a tremendous work load", stated Shapiro minutes before
judge Hillman refused his request to release Amdi Petersen.........." Jylland-Posten.

________________________________________

 

Sat 23rd Feb    -   Amdi will stay in prison for a month (translated from Jyllands-Posten).  Description of the courtroom drama and Amdi Petersen's prison conditions.

__________________________________________

 

Sat Feb 23rd:    Accused Swindler Faces Extradition    Los Angeles Times report on Tvind and trial.

_____________________________________________

 

Sat Feb 23rd:     Mogens Amdi Petersen will have to spend the next few weeks in the jail in
downtown Los Angeles, where he initially was held. The judge did find reason
to suspect plans for Amdi to flee to a third country. He will stay in jail
until March 19th, when the court will decide on the extradition request by
Danish authorites.

Amdi's lawyer, Robert Shapiro, said he will appeal the decision. No word on
how long a process this would be.

The judge allowed for Amdi to be placed back in the downtown L.A. jail,
situated in connection with the court building, where he was initially held.
For the last couple of days he had been held in Kern County Jail, just
outside of Bakersfield, a few hours drive north of L.A. The initial reason
for the move here of Amdi had been somewhat vague, but could have been
caused by lack of space downtown.

Danish police has added a charge of fraud for even more money to the
charges, making the total amount in question more than DKK 100 mio.
Furthermore Danish tax authorities will be charging Amdi, and others of the
charged Tvind members, with tax fraud. Amdi has for years, while his address
until recently has been in Denmark, claimed a yearly income of only
50-70.000 DKK, but not claimed the value of his luxury life. The tax
authorities believe they have a very good case indeed. (Christoffer)

__________________________________________

Friday Feb 22nd:    Amdi was denied bail today which means that he will have to remain in prison until March 19 when the extradation case is to start. (Correspondent)

Mogens Amdi Petersen was denied bail at the court hearing last night.
The prosecution team presented Judge Hillman with documents showing
that Amdi had applied for both Brazillian and Zimbabwean citizenship,
thus convincing the judge that Amdi might try to flee the country if
released.  (Peter)

_____________________________________-

 

Thursday Feb 21st:    So why is this taking so long? A stamp. Amdi's lawyer Shapiro refuses
to allow the incriminating documents brought in from Denmark (by way
of the American Embassy in CPH where they were supposedly scanned
for "errors") to be used in the case because they don't have official
stamps on them...

________________________________

Sideline.   Feb 21st - reaction in Berlin:
The Manager of the German "Humana Kleidung fuer
Entwicklung gemeinuetzige GmbH" (clothing for
development), one of the three Humana companies in
Germany, Julia Breidenstein, upon being interviewed by
the German newspaper "Die Tageszeitung" states she has
no knowledge of there being a Mr. Peterson anywhere in
this world holding an office in one of the Humana
companies - at any rate not in Germany or at the world
Headquarters.
The only connection between Humana and the
Tvind-schools she knows of is the training of
volunteers working for the Humana projects in
third-world-countries taking place at the "travelling
High schools" of Tvind, financed by the profits of
selling used clothing.

____________________________________

Sideline. Feb 21st - reaction in Sweden.    Trond Narvestad, chairman of UFF Sweden, in a debate on Swedish Radio with Nuri Kino, insists UFF has nothing to do with the Teachers Group (or by implication Amdi).  He is torn apart by Nuri Kino, who has letters to prove it, and says the Swedish publis are being cheated.   Also, two Polish volunteers intend to report UFF //Humana People to People// to the police, reported in Dagens Nyheter, and insist that Amdi is the boss.

____________________________________

Thursday February 21: Second court hearing, scheduled for today, is
postponed until tomorrow, Friday February 22. Judge Hillman will then
decide whether or not to grant bail to Amdi. A new US prosecutor
(name unknown) will be leading the case against Amdi Petersen.

______________________________________

Feb 21st:      At the hearing on Tuesday it sounded like the judge was leaning towards Mr. Shapiro's wish to have Amdi released on bail, ($ 120 000), rather than keeping him in jail which is obviously what the authorities wants. The public prosecuter was poorly prepared, Danish press reported.

THere will be another court hearing either today Thursday or Friday. It will be very interesting to see if Amdi will be let out on bail. The extradition issue will be handled by the court in mid-March. (Christoffer)

________________________________________

Thursday Feb 21st  -   Evil cult boss nabbed in US - Copenhagen Post says although Petersen is unknown in the USA, the American media have started to characterise Tvind as the 'USA's fastest growing cult.'.       'This guy Amdi Petersen must have a hell of a lot of money if he can afford Shapiro, said LA Times reporter, Gill Leovu. 'And he must be in a hell of a lot of trouble.'

_____________________________________

Wednesday February 20, PM: Well-known Danish prosecutor Poul Gade
arrives in Los Angeles to assist the US authorities with the case.
Gade has priviously been up against some very high-profile lawyers in
Denmark over Tvind and won.

________________________________________

Tuesday Feb 19th 8.32 PM PST: Amdi Petersen is, for unknown reasons, transferred to the high-security Kern County Jail in Bakersfield, CA, 150 km north of LA. Here he shares a cell with "several" inmates.  (Peter Jensen)

_______________________________________

Feb 19th:    Amdi P. is sitting in a cell at the Metropolitan Detention Center as prisoner no 21047/112. See Los Angeles Times

_____________________________________

Tuesday February 19, AM: At the initial court hearing Danish journalists get their first live view of Amdi for nearly 30 years. The prosecutor, Kevin Lally does not make a too convincing case (to
be fair his wife had apparantly just given birth and he was suffering from sleep deprivation!) and Shapiro manages to get the judge, Stephen Hillman, to consider granting bail to Amdi, presenting him to the court as "a humanist, a gentleman, a great educator and a migraine sufferer". Judge Hillman asks both counsels to "prepare more evidence" to be presented at a new court meeting scheduled for
Thursday when a decision on whether or not to grant bail is to be made. At the hearing, two middle-aged, designer-clad ladies are spotted sitting in the back of the courtroom. When confronted by journalists they repeatedly claim, with thick Danish accents, to be "assistants to Mr. Shapiro". Some of the journalists speculate that the two are in fact Amdi's girlfriend Kirsten Larsten and Ruth
Sejere-Olsen, both members of the absolute elite within Tvind.

_______________________________________

Feb 19th:     According to Danish police Tvind was preparing for their leader to hide out somewhere in South America, as a replacement for his newly discovered hideout in Fisher Island, Miami, and his hideout in Zimbabwe.

Amdi's lawyer, Jrgen Quade Andersen of Herning, Denmark, was Monday on his way to meet with his client in Los Angeles.  A court hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday morning local time. If it's up to Mr. Andersen, it will be done behind closed doors.   (Danish correspondent)

_______________________________________

Tuesday Feb 19th:   According to the Danish newspaper websites, Amdi Petersen has hired Robert Shapiro, the controversial LA lawyer of O. J. Simpson "fame", for his defense.  (Danish correspondent)

_____________________________________

Sunday February 17, 1.30 AM PST: Amdi Petersen and his girlfriend Kirsten Larsen arrive at Los Angeles Int'l on a flight from London, intending to travel onward to Mexico. An alert INS officer notices
that Amdi Petersen is wanted in Denmark when he routinely scans Amdi's passport. The FBI is contacted and Amdi is placed under arrest.

Although Kirsten Larsen is also a major suspect in the Tvind case, there is for some reason no warrant out on her so she is free to go.    Amdi is transported to the Metropolitan Detention center in downtown
LA where he is placed in a two-person cell.  (Peter Jensen)

 

 

Friday March 29th:    Amdi's case not before court until August

It is going to be a long, long summer in the US prison system for
Tvind's leader, Mogens Amdi Petersen. Over the next six months,
he will have to come to terms with living behind thick, American, iron
bars.     Te case will not be heard until august 19th.   Meanwhile, Amdi stays in jail.

 

 

Thursday 28th March:     Bail refused again

Amdi Petersen was once again denied bail
at the hearing yesterday (reported by Danish newspapers Jyllands-Posten,
Berglingske Tidende and Politiken). Furthermore he is expected to be
moved in a few days to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles
from his oneman cell at Kern County Jail.

Kirsten Larsen was present at the court hearing. Amdi is said to have
been pale, crestfallen and silent.

The first meeting of the extradition case will be a "status conference"
today, Friday, during which the lawyers together with judge Victor
Kenton, will schedule the court case proceedings. It isn't yet decided
when the proceedings then will begin.  (Anna)

 

Tuesday/Wednesday 26/27 March:  The court case has been postponed to Thursday
afternoon (Los Angeles time).

Orla Borg at Jyllands-Posten writes today:

The case in the U.S.

Later this week Tvind will appear in court at two occasions in the U.S.

Thursday afternoon - the night before Friday Danish time - Tvind's
founder, Mogens Amdi Petersen, will appear before judge Nora Manella in
the Los Angeles District Court. She will then listen to defense lawyer
Robert Shapiro's appeal to have Amdi Petersen released on bail, after
the first instance denied him bail last month.

On Friday the very case about extradition of Mogens Amdi Petersen will   start, also at a Los Angeles court.

Berlingske Tidene says today:

At 3 P.M. local time (midnight in Denmark) judge Nora Manella will
decide whether the 63 year old Tvind leader will be released on bail
while his extradition case is tried.

Earlier judge Manella's colleague Stephen Hillman denied two
applications for bail from Petersen's lawyer Robert Shapiro. And the
expectation is that Nora Manella will agree with Hillman's decision,
which was based on two conclusions: that there is an obvious risk that
Mogens Amdi Petersen will try to escape, and that Petersen, despite his
frail health, doesn't meet the court's conditions for "special circumstances".

On Friday at 10 A.M. local time a so called "status hearing" will be
held, during which primarily the starting date will be established for
the very extradition case itself.

 

Today a Danish government institution, Erhvervs- og Selskabsstyrelsen, decided to start a fullscale investigation of the three principal Tvind-foundations in Denmark. It's Tvinds commercial foundations called Flleseje, Estate and Thomas Brocklebank. These three foundations owns nearly all Tvinds buildings, ships, cars, computers and whatever in Denmark - the foundations that way has values for at least 300 million Danish Kroner, probably more. The government institution suspect the TG-leadership of the foundations to have run business like in the humanitarian foundation. It means giving money to themselves - directed by Amdi Petersen. The investigation shall be finished at latest by the end of this year. In the meantime the foundations is not allowed to make larger economic transactions.

 

________________________________________________

 

Tuesday March 19th:     Court appearance, Los Angeles.    Amdi was denied bail again, although the case has gone to another judge for review.  Meanwhile Amdi is remanded in solitary confinement in Kern County Jail.   Full story from Jylland-Posten, Amdi refused bail again, March 20th

 

________________________________

 

The final countdown for Tvind in Denmark started today. The authorities informed the board in the three principal, commercial Tvind-foundations, that from today they are not allowed to decide over the money in the funds (aproximately 600 million DKR - most of the money bound in 40-50 buildings and ships). This is the first step in the authorities (Erhvervs- og Selskabsstyrelsens) planned investigation of the three foundations. They suspect the three foundations have done the same as the Humanitarian Foundation - directed by a man, who is not a member of the board of the foundations: Mogens Amdi Petersen. So from next week an independent attorney investigation of the foundations will start. It shall be finished before the end of this year. Until then the board of the foundations must ask for permission, if they want to use some of the money. 
Frede Jacobson
 

 

 

Sunday 24th Feb:   Now Amdi will only be able to se his girlfriend if they get married

Los Angeles: Today Mogens Amdi Petersen is still detained in the filthy
Kern County Jail in Bakersfield. But already tomorrow or the day after,
the Tvind leader will be taken to the infirmary of the far more
comfortable Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. And here he
might have to stay for months.   Berlingske Tidende.

 

__________________

 

Sat 23rd February:   The arresting of Amdi is a catastrophe for Tvind, reports Jyllands-Posten.      The continued custody
of Amdi which is pleasing the Holstebro police is not only a defeat for
the Tvind leader himself but a disaster for the empire which continues
its clandestine operation within houndreds of organisations all over the
world.    The arrest was a hard blow to Petersen's authority, says  Jes Fabricius Moller,, "he fell victim of a routine check at an airport. That is a blow
to his prestige and the invulnerability which his leadership is built
on. The magic surrounding him will disappear because of this".    A former member of Tvind's Teachers group says that the arrest
will undermine Tvind in the long run. "In the short run things will just
go on as usual. The groups are self-governing and run schools,
plantations, factories etc. But if a trial were to show that Amdi not
only has deceived the Danish tax authorities but also members of Tvind's
Teachers group by transferring money to himself, it will make the whole
Tvind system wobble",

_________________________________

 

Sat 23rd Feb:   Amdi Petersen's lawyer appeals.   "Tvind leader Amdi Petersens American top lawyer Robert Shapiro made a
last, almost desperate attempt to convince the judge that the
overwhelming body of evidence in the Tvind case would threaten to
overload the Los Angeles court.    There are 62 boxes of supplement material. It will have to be
translated. It is a tremendous work load", stated Shapiro minutes before
judge Hillman refused his request to release Amdi Petersen.........." Jylland-Posten.

________________________________________

 

Sat 23rd Feb    -   Amdi will stay in prison for a month (translated from Jyllands-Posten).  Description of the courtroom drama and Amdi Petersen's prison conditions.

__________________________________________

 

Sat Feb 23rd:    Accused Swindler Faces Extradition    Los Angeles Times report on Tvind and trial.

_____________________________________________

 

Sat Feb 23rd:     Mogens Amdi Petersen will have to spend the next few weeks in the jail in
downtown Los Angeles, where he initially was held. The judge did find reason
to suspect plans for Amdi to flee to a third country. He will stay in jail
until March 19th, when the court will decide on the extradition request by
Danish authorites.

Amdi's lawyer, Robert Shapiro, said he will appeal the decision. No word on
how long a process this would be.

The judge allowed for Amdi to be placed back in the downtown L.A. jail,
situated in connection with the court building, where he was initially held.
For the last couple of days he had been held in Kern County Jail, just
outside of Bakersfield, a few hours drive north of L.A. The initial reason
for the move here of Amdi had been somewhat vague, but could have been
caused by lack of space downtown.

Danish police has added a charge of fraud for even more money to the
charges, making the total amount in question more than DKK 100 mio.
Furthermore Danish tax authorities will be charging Amdi, and others of the
charged Tvind members, with tax fraud. Amdi has for years, while his address
until recently has been in Denmark, claimed a yearly income of only
50-70.000 DKK, but not claimed the value of his luxury life. The tax
authorities believe they have a very good case indeed. (Christoffer)

Friday Feb 22nd:    Amdi was denied bail today which means that he will have to remain in prison until March 19 when the extradation case is to start. (Correspondent)

Mogens Amdi Petersen was denied bail at the court hearing last night.
The prosecution team presented Judge Hillman with documents showing
that Amdi had applied for both Brazillian and Zimbabwean citizenship,
thus convincing the judge that Amdi might try to flee the country if
released.  (Peter)

_____________________________________-

 

Thursday Feb 21st:    So why is this taking so long? A stamp. Amdi's lawyer Shapiro refuses
to allow the incriminating documents brought in from Denmark (by way
of the American Embassy in CPH where they were supposedly scanned
for "errors") to be used in the case because they don't have official
stamps on them...

Sideline.   Feb 21st - reaction in Berlin:
The Manager of the German "Humana Kleidung fuer
Entwicklung gemeinuetzige GmbH" (clothing for
development), one of the three Humana companies in
Germany, Julia Breidenstein, upon being interviewed by
the German newspaper "Die Tageszeitung" states she has
no knowledge of there being a Mr. Peterson anywhere in
this world holding an office in one of the Humana
companies - at any rate not in Germany or at the world
Headquarters.
The only connection between Humana and the
Tvind-schools she knows of is the training of
volunteers working for the Humana projects in
third-world-countries taking place at the "travelling
High schools" of Tvind, financed by the profits of
selling used clothing.

____________________________________

Sideline. Feb 21st - reaction in Sweden.    Trond Narvestad, chairman of UFF Sweden, in a debate on Swedish Radio with Nuri Kino, insists UFF has nothing to do with the Teachers Group (or by implication Amdi).  He is torn apart by Nuri Kino, who has letters to prove it, and says the Swedish publis are being cheated.   Also, two Polish volunteers intend to report UFF //Humana People to People// to the police, reported in Dagens Nyheter, and insist that Amdi is the boss.

Thursday February 21: Second court hearing, scheduled for today, is
postponed until tomorrow, Friday February 22. Judge Hillman will then
decide whether or not to grant bail to Amdi. A new US prosecutor
(name unknown) will be leading the case against Amdi Petersen.

______________________________________

Feb 21st:      At the hearing on Tuesday it sounded like the judge was leaning towards Mr. Shapiro's wish to have Amdi released on bail, ($ 120 000), rather than keeping him in jail which is obviously what the authorities wants. The public prosecuter was poorly prepared, Danish press reported.

THere will be another court hearing either today Thursday or Friday. It will be very interesting to see if Amdi will be let out on bail. The extradition issue will be handled by the court in mid-March. (Christoffer)

Thursday Feb 21st  -   Evil cult boss nabbed in US - Copenhagen Post says although Petersen is unknown in the USA, the American media have started to characterise Tvind as the 'USA's fastest growing cult.'.       'This guy Amdi Petersen must have a hell of a lot of money if he can afford Shapiro, said LA Times reporter, Gill Leovu. 'And he must be in a hell of a lot of trouble.'

_____________________________________

Wednesday February 20, PM: Well-known Danish prosecutor Poul Gade
arrives in Los Angeles to assist the US authorities with the case.
Gade has priviously been up against some very high-profile lawyers in
Denmark over Tvind and won.

Tuesday Feb 19th 8.32 PM PST: Amdi Petersen is, for unknown reasons, transferred to the high-security Kern County Jail in Bakersfield, CA, 150 km north of LA. Here he shares a cell with "several" inmates.  (Peter Jensen)

_______________________________________

Feb 19th:    Amdi P. is sitting in a cell at the Metropolitan Detention Center as prisoner no 21047/112. See Los Angeles Times

Tuesday February 19, AM: At the initial court hearing Danish journalists get their first live view of Amdi for nearly 30 years. The prosecutor, Kevin Lally does not make a too convincing case (to
be fair his wife had apparantly just given birth and he was suffering from sleep deprivation!) and Shapiro manages to get the judge, Stephen Hillman, to consider granting bail to Amdi, presenting him to the court as "a humanist, a gentleman, a great educator and a migraine sufferer". Judge Hillman asks both counsels to "prepare more evidence" to be presented at a new court meeting scheduled for
Thursday when a decision on whether or not to grant bail is to be made. At the hearing, two middle-aged, designer-clad ladies are spotted sitting in the back of the courtroom. When confronted by journalists they repeatedly claim, with thick Danish accents, to be "assistants to Mr. Shapiro". Some of the journalists speculate that the two are in fact Amdi's girlfriend Kirsten Larsten and Ruth
Sejere-Olsen, both members of the absolute elite within Tvind.

Feb 19th:     According to Danish police Tvind was preparing for their leader to hide out somewhere in South America, as a replacement for his newly discovered hideout in Fisher Island, Miami, and his hideout in Zimbabwe.

Amdi's lawyer, Jrgen Quade Andersen of Herning, Denmark, was Monday on his way to meet with his client in Los Angeles.  A court hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday morning local time. If it's up to Mr. Andersen, it will be done behind closed doors.   (Danish correspondent)

Tuesday Feb 19th:   According to the Danish newspaper websites, Amdi Petersen has hired Robert Shapiro, the controversial LA lawyer of O. J. Simpson "fame", for his defense.  (Danish correspondent)

Sunday February 17, 1.30 AM PST: Amdi Petersen and his girlfriend Kirsten Larsen arrive at Los Angeles Int'l on a flight from London, intending to travel onward to Mexico. An alert INS officer notices
that Amdi Petersen is wanted in Denmark when he routinely scans Amdi's passport. The FBI is contacted and Amdi is placed under arrest.

Although Kirsten Larsen is also a major suspect in the Tvind case, there is for some reason no warrant out on her so she is free to go.    Amdi is transported to the Metropolitan Detention center in downtown
LA where he is placed in a two-person cell.  (Peter Jensen)