DUBLIN (AP) — An Irishman described by the FBI as the world’s largest purveyor of child pornography has lost his lawsuit to be criminally tried in Ireland.
The 29-year-old defendant, Eric Marques, sought to challenge a decision by Irish prosecutors not to charge him in Ireland so that he could be extradited to the U.S. Marques’ lawyers told the Dublin court he would plead guilty if charged in Ireland, where prison sentences typically are much more lenient.
Justice John Edwards ruled Tuesday that Marques’ extradition trial should proceed Oct. 14.
Marques has been jailed without bail since his August 2013 arrest in Dublin. An FBI agent, Brooke Donahue, testified that Marques’ U.S.-operated Freedom Hosting company was linked to many thousands of photos and videos of children, including infants, being sexually assaulted.
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