Judge's Decision Enables Al-Arian To Finish Prison Term

Tampa Tribune ^ | December 13, 2007 | Thomas W. Krause

[3AngelaD]

A federal judge in Virginia today released former University of South Florida computer science professor Sami Al-Arian from contempt of court status, according to a statement by Al-Arian's lawyer. The decision paves the way for Al-Arian to complete the final six months of his prison sentence and move to Egypt where he is expected to rejoin his family.

In February 2003, Al-Arian was arrested, accused of being a fundraiser for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. On Dec. 6, 2005, a federal jury in Tampa acquitted Al-Arian on eight charges and dead-locked on the remaining nine. In an agreement with federal prosecutors, Al-Arian pleaded guilty to a charge that he conspired to aid the jihad. The government agreed not to re-try him on the nine deadlocked charges.

Al-Arian was sentenced to nearly five years in prison, after which he was to leave the country. He was given credit for the time he served while awaiting trial and was expected to have finished the sentence eight months ago. That didn't happen....

Under federal rules, time spent jailed on contempt charges is not credited toward other sentences. Al-Arian's five-year sentence, therefore, has been on hold since his contempt status began in October 2006....

[3AngelaD]

This puke needs to finish his prison sentence and be kicked out of our country. I hope the Egyptians have enough sense to keep a close eye on him. You have to wonder how he has been able to afford all this high-powered legal representation. If you are in the mood to make yourself sick to your stomach, here is a link to his scumbag lawyer's blog: http://jonathanturley.org/