The Region : Fugitive Again Fails to Appear in Court

Richard Smyth, an Orange County engineer accused of illegally shipping nuclear triggering devices to Israel, again failed to appear in Los Angeles federal court for his trial, marking his seventh day as a fugitive. Smyth’s wife Emilie also is missing. U.S. District Judge Pamela Ann Rymer set a status conference on the matter for Monday. “Frankly, we are in a limbo situation,” Assistant U.S. Atty. William Fahey, told the court. He said federal agents are pursuing “a couple of leads” and hope to have Smyth in custody in a “short time.” Smyth, 55, was free on a $100,000 bond, secured by a deed of trust to his Huntington Harbour home. He was last seen on Saturday, Aug. 10. Smyth, president of Milco International Inc. of Huntington Beach, was indicted May 16 and charged with 15 violations of the Arms Export Control Act and 15 counts of making false statements to the government.