If readers thought that the February 14 court date set in the case
against Canadian Neteller founders Stephen Lawrence and John Lefebvre
would produce new information they were disappointed. As USA Today
reported, the waiting game for thousands of U.S. patrons with money
tied up in the Isle of Man based online payment service currently
under federal investigation just got longer.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York extended
the deadline until March 16 to decide whether to indict the co-founders
of Neteller, an Internet money-transfer service popular among gamblers.
Stephen Lawrence and John Lefebvre were arrested in January on a charge
of conspiracy to transfer funds with the intent to promote illegal
gambling
For U.S. customers of the site, it was another delay in their efforts
to retrieve their money, which remains in Neteller segregated accounts
until the legal issues are resolved.
Neteller says U.S. authorities have frozen access to about $55 million
in U.S.-based accounts.
"As a result of the restrictions placed by third parties, court-ordered
seizures and related legal concerns, (Neteller) is unable to make
payments to U.S. customers," says a posting on the company's
website.
FBI agent Neil Donovan has said funds are being held in court as potential
evidence. He did not provide a timetable on when customers may get
their money back.