Judge: US man charged in Uganda counterfeit plot could flee

PITTSBURGH (AP) - An American deported from Uganda and charged in a massive counterfeiting scheme is a major flight risk and will remain jailed until he stands trial, a federal judge in Pennsylvania ruled.

Ryan Gustafson, 28, has been charged with printing at least $1.4 million in fake U.S. currency in Uganda through Community-X, an encrypted site that allows users to remain anonymous. Gustafson was indicted in western Pennsylvania because roughly $400,000 in bogus bills were sold and shipped to the U.S., where they were passed. Some were exchanged in the Pittsburgh area.

In a ruling issued Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Mark Hornak said, "He is a flight risk of major proportions."

Gustafson's wife is the granddaughter of the late Idi Amin, the ruthless Ugandan dictator who's alleged to have had 300,000 people killed when he ruled in the 1970s. Gustafson's father-in-law, the dictator's son, remains a powerful general in the country, according to testimony last month from a Secret Service agent.

At a detention hearing, defense attorney Stephen Misko asked the judge to release Gustafson to the custody of a non-denominational Christian missionary group, Youth With A Mission, in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, saying it wouldn't let him use drugs or alcohol and requires church attendance. The facility has a curfew but isn't locked down, its director testified then.

Gustafson's parents are Christian missionaries to Rwanda, and his father, LeRoy Gustafson, testified last month that he and his wife are friends with the man who runs Youth With A Mission. LeRoy Gustafson also testified that his son has significant ties to U.S. relatives, even though he couldn't spell several of their names while testifying.

But Hornak agreed with Assistant U. S. Attorney Shardul Desai that Gustafson is a threat to flee to Uganda because his child and wife live there.

Hornak specifically noted that Gustafson manned the "top rung" of the counterfeiting conspiracy and, at various times, has told authorities he'd rather die than abandon his wife and toddler daughter. Federal agents contend Gustafson also pretended to have tuberculosis and tried to bribe a Ugandan official to avoid being deported to face the federal charges filed in Pittsburgh.

The judge also noted that Youth With A Mission has no experience housing a former international fugitive and isn't secure enough to do so.

"While its goals and work are worthy, they do not include keeping an eye on a person charged with serious cross-border federal crimes involving fraud and deceit who has every incentive to flee," Hornak wrote.

Gustafson's attorney didn't immediately return an email and call for comment Wednesday and hasn't indicated in court records whether he'll appeal.