News

Julian Assange Spends $500,000 Flying To Remote Island To Avoid Coming To U.S. After Plea Deal

Julian Assange spent $500,000 to fly to a remote island after taking a plea deal with the U.S. government and being freed from prison.

The WikiLeaks founder was freed from U.K. prison on Monday morning, where he was being held on a charge of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information. The 52-year-old released classified reports on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq on his site, according to court documents.

Assange flew from London Stansted Airport to Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands, a flight that cost him half a million dollars. On Wednesday, he had a U.S. federal court hearing from the island, where he pleaded guilty to the charge.

The leaker reportedly refused to step foot on the American mainland and chose to fly to the tropical island due to its proximity to Australia, where he is from. He is said to have wanted a U.S. territory close to Australia. 

The deal came as a surprise after Assange’s extradition to the U.S. had been approved years earlier. The Australian government had pressed for a resolution of the case which has dragged on for years.

After pleading guilty, Assange flew home with his five years in prison counting as time served. His wife, Stella Assange, said it has been a “rough few years” for the couple.

Ava Lombardi

Recent Posts

JonBenét Ramsey’s Father, Once A Suspect In 6-Year-Old’s Killing, Thinks He Knows Who Killed His Daughter

A new three-part docuseries entitled Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey will be streaming on…

31 mins ago

‘Empire’ Star Jussie Smollett’s Conviction Overturned For Faking 2019 Hate Crime

Smollett’s lead attorney Nenye Uche said the case should have never gone to trial in…

13 hours ago

Billy Ray Cyrus Praise Beyoncé After She’s Snubbed By The CMAs

A 2023 study found that black women received just barely 0.03% of radio station airplay,…

14 hours ago

VIDEO: Footage Shows Ukraine Striking Command Post Deep In Russian Territory Using Long-Range British Missiles

The Ukrainian Armed Forces said it targeted a Russian military command post on the grounds of a…

16 hours ago

Rachel Maddow Takes $5 Million Pay Cut In New MSNBC Contract As Ratings Plunge – Will Earn ‘Just’ $25 Million A Year

In the days after Donald Trump's victory, MSNBC's ratings dropped by 54%, and since the…

17 hours ago

VIDEO: Firefighters Use Zip Line To Help Dog & Its Owner Across A Swollen River

https://youtu.be/hc4915dr-fk Firefighters in northern Honduras used a zip line to help a dog and its…

18 hours ago