Stefan Eriksson released from jail, awaiting expulsion

Just as expected, the former Gizmondo Europe director is free at last -- well, almost. Barely a year after Stefan Eriksson was sentenced to "three years" in the slammer, he's now been let loose from behind bars and is currently "awaiting expulsion." Purportedly, everything was nearly in place to ship him back to Europe prior to Christmas, but apparently, the Swedish consulate has taken its sweet time in preparing a new passport. What's still unclear, however, is whether the Ferrari Swede will be flown back to Sweden or Germany, but if all goes to plan, we'll be liveblogging the whole ordeal as soon as that news breaks (we jest, we jest).

[noisia @ Jan 22nd 2008 10:02AM]

why dont you tell us in your article the reason why he has to go to jail?

thanks

[Nubaeus @ Jan 22nd 2008 10:04AM]

He did, just stop being lazy and click the links that take you to the older articles

[Cornelius @ Jan 22nd 2008 10:56AM]

He's going to jail for a whole slew of reasons. Embezzlement, grand theft auto, cocaine, weapons charges, etc.

He's the guy who famously totaled a Ferrari Enzo while drunk driving in California a couple years ago. It later turned out to be stolen (illegally imported from Britain and then stopped lease payments on it), along with some other expensive vehicles (another Enzo, a Mercedes SLR McLaren, and a few other cars amounting to ~$4 million).

He and a few others defrauded Gizmondo investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars and bankrupted the upstart right after its handheld came out, before any promising games came out. It was a promising device at the time IMO, but the company unfortunately was run by crooks.

He also has a criminal past (convicted felon) and has been tied to organized crime... needless to say, he's not a very good person.

[Nubaeus @ Jan 22nd 2008 10:03AM]

Keep him in jail for life, but make the Swedes pay for it.

[Chebwa @ Jan 22nd 2008 10:23AM]

Huh? And...

@Sueabun:
Can you please take this kind of shit to a different website? Thanks.

[OneLove @ Jan 22nd 2008 10:28AM]

1 more year. relax.

[Bobs @ Jan 22nd 2008 10:44AM]

I dont know what the heck bush has to do with anything, this is a gadget blog, right? keep the politics out of it unless its related to the article.

[Billy @ Jan 22nd 2008 12:11PM]

What gets me is why people think Bush needs to explain himself to america? He obviously doesn't care about re-election. He is just screwing the republican party. He is the complete opposite of Reagan. And before you complain about costs of war, keep in mind what only 28% of federal income tax goes to the war and foreign aid. It's amazing how the leaders of our country dont understand input/output. Output can only be as much as your input...

Why was it a big deal when bush lied but not when clinton lied?

I'm done.

[alexhrose71 @ Jan 22nd 2008 2:47PM]

Billy, I think most sane people think that lying about an extramarital affair is not quite as serious about lying about the need for a war, getting 4000+ servicemen and women killed for said unnecessary war, damaging our international reputation, harming the supply of oil from Iraq and killing over 100,000 civilians who otherwise could have continued to live happy (sarcasm) lives under Saddam.

And "ONLY" 28% of our taxes ???? Thats crazy talk. Most countries spend 10% or less of the GDP on defence, but then they don't go around starting wars all the time (hmmm Iraq, Vietnam, Korea, Grenada, Panama - none of these countries border us, in every case we were the aggressor)....

[OneLove @ Jan 22nd 2008 10:30AM]

Stefan looks like hes been lifting some weights. Damn.

[Jeebus @ Jan 22nd 2008 12:23PM]

How does a fat bloated face qualify as lifting weights?

[rowd149 @ Jan 23rd 2008 6:35PM]

In the original Wired article, it said something about lifting weights/knocking heads being one of his hobbies. That'll get you buff.

[randy @ Jan 22nd 2008 10:30AM]

So this the Swedish equivalent of Steve Jobs?

[Maximiliam @ Jan 22nd 2008 10:51AM]

Hell no!

He is the Swedish equivalent of a pure breed American redneck! Oh, sorry, that IS the definition of a Steve Jobs! Sorry!

[Tommy @ Jan 22nd 2008 10:51AM]

More like the Swedish equivalent of the bastard love-child of Kevin Bachus and Fat Tony from the Simpsons...

[Maximiliam @ Jan 22nd 2008 3:40PM]

Lol

[Cornelius @ Jan 22nd 2008 11:56AM]

If you consider Steve Jobs to be a violent mafioso, car-stealing, cocaine-snorting, embezzling, career-criminal jackass, then yes.

[Tommy @ Jan 22nd 2008 10:48AM]

More like the Swedish equivalent of a bastard love-child of Kevin Bachus and "Fat Tony" from The Simpsons...

[aeo @ Jan 22nd 2008 11:04AM]

Silly Engadget, you put up a picture of John Goodman instead.

[Reader @ Jan 22nd 2008 11:18AM]

Ahh lame, I read director of Gizmodo at first.

[Wolfticket @ Jan 22nd 2008 11:20AM]

He so shaaaaaaady.

[What UPPSALAMAFFIA @ Jan 22nd 2008 11:57AM]

Hi is former uppsala maffia member, The sweds call him by the nick name, fat Stefan, i do not why? but any way his goning back to prison, in sweden, becuse hi has comitted crimes insweden before he went to america!

[Flashpoint @ Jan 22nd 2008 12:06PM]

ABSOLUTELY 100% NOT GUILTY !

[Jeebus @ Jan 22nd 2008 12:25PM]

Ok Stefan, back to your cell now.

[marc @ Jan 22nd 2008 12:26PM]

A Viking berserker is not tolerated by the state of California. All states should enforce deportation to all foreigners breaking the law in the US, especially the ones here illegally.

Unfortunately, most states give the ones here illegally a pass.

[Jakob @ Jan 22nd 2008 1:25PM]

The Danes were Vikings ;)

But if he want to go to Germany, he has to go through Denmark and in the end he will loose all his money, because of the Danish TAX'es, high VAT etc.

Sorry my post was pointless.

[rowd149 @ Jan 23rd 2008 6:39PM]

While we're at it, can we get rid of all the racists, too? ;)

[Daniel @ Jan 22nd 2008 1:47PM]

Heh. Mr Eriksson is a former mobster from middle Sweden. We don't want him back here, and you guys don't want him in the US. Sucks to be Stefan Eriksson. Drop him in North Korea. Use him as a depth charge.

And yes, he should be called by his old nickname: Fatty-Stefan.

[0ndsk4 @ Jan 22nd 2008 4:21PM]

Isn't he called fatty-Stefan cause he was in that television diet show "Tjock-holmen" (in english something like "Fatty Island")

[alexhrose71 @ Jan 22nd 2008 2:49PM]

And what should they do to the Americans breaking the law ? Send them to Australia ? Maybe the brits were onto something after all (hi to our Aussie-ex-con brothers and sisters) :P

[Sirocco @ Jan 22nd 2008 11:22PM]

spare me the details. please.

[tekdemon @ Jan 24th 2008 4:34AM]

I never knew this, but apparently he once got into an accident while test driving a Saab Turbo...and a young girl died in the accident.
Somehow this bothers me more than the violence he's well known for.

[Jurgen Wolf @ Apr 4th 2008 10:18AM]

What´s up
Do you know Steve personally. I met Steve when we were together In L.A waiting for our deprtation.

Please let me know about him, I´`m sure he knows me and I wanna get in touch with him ASAP

If you`re serious and wanna check if I`m serious
tell me

Where has Steve been held before he got deported to Europe

I have been in this Place together with him for about 2 months

get back to me ASAP thanks