Newfoundland court date scheduled for Russian sailors

Three Russian ship officers accused of causing a collision with a Maine fishing boat that left three men dead could appear in court in May for an extradition hearing.

The three men are wanted in Washington, D.C., on criminal charges of negligence and manslaughter. Federal investigators say they kept the tanker Virgo on a collision course and never turned or stopped even after striking and sinking the Rockland, Maine-based Starbound.

The Newfoundland Supreme Court has scheduled arguments in the extradition case for May 21-24 and June 17-28. On Monday, however, attorneys for the three men argued that the court first should rule on their motions that evidence was seized illegally from the tanker and should not be sent to the United States. The judge could delay extradition arguments until those challenges are heard.

Joseph Marcantonio of Gloucester, Mass., the Starbound’s captain, escaped the fishing vessel and reported that a large tanker rammed it off the coast of Massachusetts on Aug. 7. Investigators in Newfoundland seized evidence from the ship, including paint scrapings from the hull and navigation records.

Three crewmen died – James Sanfilippo of Thomaston, Maine; Mark Doughty of Yarmouth, Maine; and Thomas Frontiero of Gloucester, Mass.

Their families, as well as the owner of Starbound, have filed multimillion-dollar civil suits against Virgo in Portland. Virgo’s operator filed a counterclaim, and the company and officers have maintained that the tanker was not responsible for the collision.