The mystery of “Mr Karim” and just where his money came from remains unexplained Friday after the young man’s first appearance in court. His lawyer, Amedeo Dicarlo, is intent on getting his client bail but he specifically refused to comment on the mind-boggling money that Karim Baratov disposed of on cars and lifestyle, much to the bewilderment of his Ancaster neighbours. Everything about Baratov, 22, seems unexplained, although the FBI says it knows. It is not clear how he landed at the address he called home. He lived there alone. In court, Dicarlo called the arrest and extradition request “an attack by the US government, it’s a challenge by the U.S. government. We are fighting that challenge.” Dicarlo said his client is “healthy” and “confident” but refused to answer questions about Baratov’s personal life or profession, describing him only as an “entrepreneur. I cannot describe what Karim does nor who he is until the time is right,” he said. Baratov’s family is also asking for privacy, he said. It is the position of the US Attorney General that Baratov is a criminal hacker employed by the Russian Federal Security Bureau (FSB) Authorities said Friday that Baratov is a flight risk who has more than $210,000 “in one online account alone.”
