Irishman to be Extradited

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Irish Voice News

Irishman to be Extradited

January 11, 2008

By April Drew

A CO. Louth man and his family living in New York are devastated after discovering last week that he will be extradited back to Ireland in less than two months in relation to a robbery that took place in 1997.

Joe Byrne, living in Pearl River with his wife Eileen and five-year old daughter Mairead, received the news on January 2 after a judge ruled in November to allow the Irish government to extradite him.

Before coming to the U.S. in 1998, Byrne, whose father is a retired police sergeant in Dundalk, Co. Louth, was questioned by Gardai (Irish police) in connection with a robbery and burglary that took place in March 1997 in a bar in Dundalk, where £8,200 Irish punts were stolen from the pub while the 18-year-old daughter of the proprietor was tied up.

Byrne, a suspect, was held for 48 hours, during which time he was questioned and subsequently released without being charged.

Shortly after he came to the U.S., where he set up home in Queens, started his own construction business, met Eileen, had a daughter and moved to Pearl River.

In 2006 the Irish government issued a warrant for Byrne’s arrest. In July of that year, 20 U.S. federal marshals surrounded the Byrne home and arrested him.

Byrne, 39, spent six weeks in Valhalla federal prison in Westchester County before being released on $350,000 bail.

Eileen, who met her husband in January of 1998, is currently drawing disability after an accident, so she financially depends on her husband.

An emotional Eileen spoke to the Irish Voice on Friday explaining that she was distraught at the news of her husband’s extradition, but admitted that she is not giving up hope just yet.

“We are going to fight this till the end,” she said.

It has been a difficult few months for Eileen. Her mother, who used to live full time with the Byrnes, died in November. “It’s just all been so difficult,” she said.

On November 29, 2007, the court decided to grant Ireland’s extradition request for the return of Byrne. However, Byrne was not made aware of this until January 2.

His lawyer, who also discovered the ruling that day, called them to say that the extradition would take place on January 29.

“We were so mad when we found out. I just don’t understand. Why would the defendant in all this not be informed of the date he is to be extradited? The judge knew the ruling, the prosecutor knew the ruling, the State Department knew the ruling and Ireland knew the ruling on November 29,” said Eileen, who is suspicious that her husband wasn’t informed of the decision on purpose.

“I think this was a means to prevent Joe from fighting his case in the State Department.”

After receiving the news, Eileen was immediately on the phone to the State Department. Byrne was eventually given an additional month in the U.S., pushing his extradition date back to February 29. “We are thrilled with the extra time to continue to try and keep my husband here,” Eileen said.

In the interim she hopes to get an appointment with someone at the State Department to provide them with as much information as possible, including letters from various political figures in New York, members of the AOH and petitions that people have signed to keep her husband in the U.S.

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