Prosecutors in Poland have moved forward with a request to extradite director Roman Polanski back to the U.S. so he can be punished for a sex crime conviction.

The Rosemary's Baby moviemaker, who was born in France, fled America for Europe on the eve of his sentencing in 1978 after pleading guilty to a charge of having unlawful sex with a minor, and U.S. officials have made several attempts to get him back to the States over the years.

Polish prosecutors received two extradition requests from U.S. officials for Polanski between October (14) and January (15), and the second request has now been sent to a regional court in the city of Krakow, where it will be decided if the case should be taken further.

A representative for the Prosecutors' Office says, "The further actions in this case will depend on the court."

According to Polish law, if the court agrees to take action, the justice minister then decides whether to extradite the 81-year-old director.

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