Youssef Hmimssa, who formerly lived in Cedar Rapids and provided key testimony in a terrorism case that eventually fell apart, has been released from a federal prison in Pennsylvania.
In 2005, Hmimssa drew a 6 1/2-year prison term for credit card fraud, document fraud, misuse of visas and other charges. He had been in the United States illegally.
Hmimssa, who was arrested in Cedar Rapids, pleaded guilty in 2003 to the charges, which stemmed from indictments in Michigan, Illinois and Iowa. He then testified against four suspects in what was said to be the first U.S. prosecution of an alleged terror cell detected following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Hmimssa described the defendants as extremists who wanted to support attacks. Defense lawyers suggested Hmimssa fabricated the terrorism allegations to help himself.
The terrorism charges were dismissed after the U.S. attorney's office acknowledged prosecutorial misconduct.
Hmimssa was transferred May 25 to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, spokeswoman Ernestine Fobbs said Thursday. She said Hmimssa was being held at an undisclosed location, pending conclusion of removal proceedings that could result in deportation to his native Morocco. He had been housed at the Allenwood prison in White Deer, Pa.
Fobbs said those proceedings could take up to a year if Hmimssa appeals his deportation. If not, he could be deported immediately.
No comments:
Post a Comment