Over 18 years after Natalee Holloway's disappearance in Aruba, prime suspect Joran van der Sloot appeared in a Birmingham, Alabama federal court, facing extortion and wire fraud charges. Sporting a casual T-shirt and a grin, van der Sloot pleaded not guilty. The judge assigned him a public defender and ordered him held without bail.

The charges stem from allegations that van der Sloot attempted to extort $250,000 from the Holloway family in exchange for information about Natalee's remains, which turned out to be false. Already serving time in Peru for the 2010 murder of Stephany Flores, van der Sloot remains the primary suspect in Holloway's disappearance, which occurred during a high school graduation trip in May 2005.

Magistrate Judge Gray Borden clarified that he would only accept a not-guilty plea at this stage, allowing van der Sloot to change his plea later if he chose. Legal experts viewed the proceedings as predictable, with the only unexpected detail being van der Sloot's fluent English, eliminating the need for an interpreter.

Van der Sloot will remain in U.S. Marshals' custody until his trial. Following the proceedings in Alabama, he will return to Peru to complete his current sentence. Upon potential conviction in the U.S., he faces up to 40 years in federal prison, although legal analysts suggest he may not receive the maximum penalty. However, his prior convictions for murder and drug trafficking will likely influence the sentencing. Defense attorney Lara Yeretsian, known for representing high-profile clients, pointed out that federal sentencing guidelines consider criminal history, which will significantly impact van der Sloot's potential sentence.

Yeretsian also speculated that prosecutors might possess undisclosed evidence linking van der Sloot to the extortion attempt, though not necessarily to Holloway's disappearance itself. Van der Sloot's confident demeanor, including a grin upon entering the courtroom and during his extradition from Peru, has been noted by observers. Yeretsian suggests this could be a sign of misplaced confidence or simple indifference given his existing prison sentence.