Israeli private eye appears in London court over alleged hacking offences

By Sam Tobin

LONDON (Reuters) - An Israeli private investigator wanted by the United States for allegedly carrying out a "hacking for hire" campaign appeared in a London court on Friday, ahead of his fight against extradition to the U.S. next year.

Amit Forlit faces charges of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and computer hacking, and aiding and abetting that offence, according to court records.

The 56-year-old was arrested at London's Heathrow Airport in April as he was trying to board a flight to Israel, but an initial attempt to extradite him to the U.S. was thrown out on a legal technicality.

Forlit was later rearrested on the same charges and released on bail, having surrendered his passport and with a security of 200,000 pounds ($257,370) having been paid.

He appeared at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday, when the full hearing of his challenge to his extradition was listed to take place in January.

Adam Payter, a lawyer representing U.S. authorities, said Forlit was alleged to have been involved in a "hacking for hire scheme" between 2012 and 2019.

Forlit is accused of targeting "a large number of victims, including individuals and organisations, with a view to accessing confidential business and personal information for millions of pounds", Payter said.

He added that Forlit is alleged to have worked for an unnamed oil and gas company that wanted to discredit individuals involved in climate change litigation.

Forlit and his lawyer declined to comment after Friday's hearing. In a deposition made public in 2022, Forlit said he had "never commissioned hacking and never paid for hacking”.

Amy Labram, a lawyer representing the U.S. at a previous hearing in May, had said that among the U.S. allegations was that an unnamed Washington-based PR and lobbying firm paid one of Forlit's companies 16 million pounds "to gather intelligence relating to the Argentinian debt crisis".

Reuters reported later in May that Forlit had previously told colleagues he had been questioned by FBI agents over his work for the Washington public affairs firm DCI Group.

(Reporting by Sam Tobin; additional reporting by Raphael Satter; editing by Mark Heinrich)