Why Should Delaware Care?
The canceled extradition of Bruce Tigani Jr. highlights an apparent communication breakdown between state governments in Delaware and Louisiana. Extraditions are routine but require coordination between governor’s office between states.
The criminal extradition of a Wilmington man accused of threatening the life of a Louisiana lawmaker remains in limbo, three months after an attempt to send him to the Bayou State fell apart.
On Tuesday, an official from Gov. Matt Meyer’s office said a renewed extradition request sent in mid-May by Louisiana’s governor is “currently under legal review.”
It is not immediately clear why the review is stretching on for several months.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry’s office did not reply to a request to comment for this story.
The target of the extradition is Bruce Tigani Jr., a 37-year-old man from a prominent Delaware family. He faces charges in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, that stem from a string of threats investigators say he made against State Rep. Michael Echols, a northern Louisiana Republican.
Last year, an anonymous account on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, made several statements asserting that Echols’ life would be “over,” according to an affidavit from the investigating officer.
“Get ready … piece by piece then all at once remember? Little pieces for the fishies,” one of the threats stated, according to an affidavit.
Police later pointed at Tigani as the person behind the account, and suggested he made the threats in response to Echols’ past criticisms of the real estate company, Medical Properties Trust Inc., which leases property to a local hospital in Echols’ district.
Police also noted that Tigani — who has worked as a vice president at the commercial real estate company, Newmark — has heavily promoted the stock of Medical Properties Trust on social media.
Louisiana authorities charged Tigani in January with threatening a public official, and Delaware officials later scheduled a court hearing for May 1 to consider Louisiana’s request for an extradition.
But on the day of the hearing, neither Tigani nor prosecutors from the Delaware Department of Justice made a formal appearance at the New Castle-area Justice of the Peace Court. After a few moments of apparent confusion, a court staffer told Spotlight Delaware that the judge summarily dismissed the extradition because neither party appeared, and neither requested the hearing be rescheduled.
Later that day, Delaware officials announced why the case had been dismissed — though the explanations differed.
A spokeswoman for the Delaware DOJ said Meyer denied Louisiana’s extradition request because Landry had not signed the necessary warrant – rendering it deficient.
But Meyer’s chief legal counsel Wilson Davis said in a letter to the Delaware judge overseeing the case that the Louisiana governor had not even “received an extradition demand for Mr. Tigani.”
The district attorney’s office in Ouachita Parish did not respond to calls seeking comment for this story.
An ‘unusual’ situation
Echols, who currently is running for Congress, said his local district attorney’s office continues to work the case, despite the stalled extradition.
“I know our DA is working on several other angles,” he said. “Our goal is to still achieve justice. It’s just the wheel of justice moves slowly.”
Echols also questioned whether Tigani’s family connections in Delaware could have influenced the extradition process. Tigani’s late mother previously worked for the Delaware Department of Justice, which Echols said raises concerns.
The Delaware DOJ flatly rejected the suggestion.
“We’ve prosecuted sitting employees of this office when they’ve broken the law, let alone their relatives,” DOJ spokesman Mat Marshall said. “He can say what he wants, but I’d suggest submitting proper paperwork to start.”
Marshall also confirmed that Tigani is not currently in custody in Delaware.
Retired-Delaware Attorney General Jane Brady, who reviewed the situation at Spotlight Delaware’s request, described the case as highly unusual. She said governors typically approve extradition requests from other states.
Also unusual, she said, is that Meyer’s legal review of the latest extradition request has stretched for nearly three months.
“There could be legitimate reasons,” she said of the review. “But it is unusual.”
