You are hereLA Times: 'Innocence of Muslims' filmmaker gets a year in prison
LA Times: 'Innocence of Muslims' filmmaker gets a year in prison
November 7, 2012- A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced the filmmaker behind "Innocence of Muslims,” the anti-Islam film that sparked rioting across the globe, to a year behind bars after the man admitted to violating the terms of his release from an earlier conviction.
Mark Basseley Youssef admitted to four violations, including lying to his probation officer and using bogus names. In exchange, prosecutors dropped four other counts, including allegations that Youssef lied in saying that his role in the film's production was limited to writing the script. Youssef was under a type of federal probation -- known as supervised release -- after being convicted in 2010 of bank and credit-card fraud, in which he was accused of causing $800,000 in losses.
Through an attorney, Youssef, who previously changed his name from Nakoula Basseley Nakoula and who also has gone by the name Sam Basile, asked that he be allowed to serve the sentence in home confinement.
Assistant U.S. Atty. Robert Dugdale objected, saying the man's record of fraud and deception made the violations particularly serious.
"This is not a defendant that you want out there using multiple names," he said, noting Youssef had a passport under one name and a driver's license under another, and worked on the film under a third identity.