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Location : Ether-Sphere Job/hobbies : Irrationality Exterminator Humor : Über Serious
| Subject: Judge cancels convictions of 3 Islamic leaders Wed Jun 04, 2008 12:23 am | |
| BOSTON - A federal judge on Tuesday threw out the government's case against a former Islamic charity leader and partially overturned the convictions of two others, ruling prosecutors failed to prove all the charges.
The charity leader, Samir Al-Monla, of Brookline, was cleared of all charges and immediately released. The two others — Emadeddin Muntasser, of Braintree, and Muhammed Mubayyid, of Shrewsbury — remain in custody pending sentencing next week on the remaining counts.
The three were convicted in January of duping the U.S. government into awarding their Boston-based organization, Care International Inc., tax-exempt status by hiding its pro-jihad activities.
Care International, which is now defunct, described its mission as helping war orphans, widows and refugees in Muslim nations. But prosecutors said the organization also distributed a newsletter promoting jihad and supported Muslim militants involved in armed conflicts around the world.
U.S. District Court Judge Dennis Saylor IV on Tuesday overturned conspiracy and tax-related convictions against Al-Monla and Muntasser, saying prosecutors did not prove the two conspired to lie to the Internal Revenue Service when the organization applied for tax-exempt status, defense attorney Charles P. McGinty said.
The judge also dismissed Mubayyid's conviction on tax conspiracy.
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