Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

US man behind anti-Islam film jailed for a year

November 08, 2012 12:10 IST

An American man -- who produced an anti-Islamic film that outraged the Muslim world and triggered fatal protests -- has been sentenced to a year in prison for violating his probation stemming from a 2010 bank fraud conviction by lying about his identity.

United States District Court Judge sentenced Mark Basseley Youssef after he admitted to four of the eight alleged violations, including obtaining a fraudulent California driver's license.

Prosecutors agreed to drop the other four allegations under an agreement with Youssef's attorneys, which also included more probation.

According to Fox News, none of the violations had anything to do with the content of Innocence of Muslims.

Assistant US Attorney Robert Dugdale, however, argued that Youseff's lies about his identity have caused harm to others, including the film's cast and crew.

 "They had no idea that he was a recently released felon," the report quoted Dugdale as saying.

 "Had they known that, they might have had second thoughts about being part of the film," he added.

According to the report, Youssef's attorney Steven Seiden said his client admits to being the film's scriptwriter but had no other involvement other than being its "cultural adviser."

Source: ANI