The Justice Department has formally requested that the U.K. extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the U.S.
An unnamed U.S. official told The Washington Post that the paperwork was submitted last Thursday.
U.K. authorities arrested Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London on April 11 after Ecuador revoked his asylum. The U.K. found him guilty of breaking bail conditions and sentenced him to 50 weeks in prison.
Based on the extradition treaty signed between the U.S. and U.K. back in 2003, the DOJ had sixty days from the date of Assange's initial arrest to formally request his extradition.
The Justice Department initially charged Assange with one count of conspiracy to commit computer hacking. In late May, prosecutors filed an additional 17 charges against Assange under the Espionage Act for allegedly obtaining and publishing classified information. Assange faces a maximum of 175 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
Assange is also under investigation in Sweden, where prosecutors have reopened a case involving a sexual assault allegation against him. A Swedish district court recently decided, though, that since he was already serving a prison sentence in the U.K., it wasn't necessary to have him arrested on those charges.
Assange's next extradition hearing in the U.K. is scheduled for June 12.
Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.
