An Israeli private investigator wanted by U.S. law enforcement for allegedly orchestrating an illegal “hacking-for-hire” operation on behalf of oil and gas major ExxonMobil has been denied permission to appeal against his extradition to the United States in the UK High Court of Justice.
As previously reported by DeSmog, Amit Forlit, who was arrested at Heathrow Airport under an Interpol red notice in April 2024, is charged with three offences by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), consisting of “conspiracy to commit computer hacking, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and wire fraud.” The offences carry maximum sentences of five, 20, and 20 years’ imprisonment, respectively. If found guilty, Forlit faces a potential 45 years in prison.
The decision to approve Forlit’s extradition was made by District Judge John McGarva, a judge at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in April 2025, and certified by the Home Secretary.
U.S. federal prosecutors contend that, between 2013 and 2018, Forlit was paid $16 million by a Washington D.C. lobbying firm to carry out cyberattacks and hacking aimed at discrediting individuals or groups working to bring climate litigation against the ExxonMobil. In a startling disclosure, Forlit’s defense named ExxonMobil and the lobbying firm DCI Group as the clients of Forlit’s alleged intelligence-gathering activities, according to official court papers filed in January last year.
Both Exxon and DCI have denied any involvement in the hacking operation and, in a deposition made public in 2022, Forlit, who did not agree to be cross-examined during the extradition proceedings, declared he had “never commissioned hacking and never paid for hacking.”
In requesting permission to appeal, Forlit’s lawyers argued that among other oversights, the judge’s decision had failed to properly scrutinise evidence of the allegedly unsafe prison conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, where Forlit likely will be held awaiting trial under the jurisdiction of the U. S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Refusing Forlit’s request for appeal, High Court Judge Mr Justice Butcher upheld the district judge’s decision to approve Forlit’s extradition to face criminal charges in the U.S.
The UK Crown Prosecution Service has not yet confirmed a timeline for Forlit’s extradition to the U.S.
