Anti-Muslim Filmmaker Mark Basseley Youssef Sentenced To Year In Jail
Mark Basseley Youssef, the infamous anti-Muslim filmmaker, was sentenced to a year in jail Wednesday for violating his probation. Youssef pleaded guilty to four violations and will serve the term in a federal prison.
Mark Basseley Youssef, an Egyptian Coptic Christian and California resident, was under federal probation for an earlier conviction, reports the Los Angeles Times. He was convicted of bank and credit card fraud in 2010, which included opening more than 60 different bank accounts, reports The Associated Press.
Youssef gained infamy as the filmmaker of “Innocence of Muslims,” an anti-Muslim film whose trailer on YouTube sparked global outrage. As part of the making of the film, Youssef used an alias, Sam Bacile, to shift blame and to distance himself from his role in the making of the film.
After the film caused mass riots and death threats were issued, Youssef went into hiding. He was later arrested on Sept. 27.
In 2010, Youssef was sentenced to 21-months in jail and was released early, reports Danger Room. As a condition of his early release, Youssef, formerly known as Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, had to serve four years of federal probation was not allowed to use a computer for five years, reports AP.
Youssef violated several terms of his probation, including using a fake name, obtaining a driver's license with a false name and lying to his probation officer, reports AP.
Youssef requested to serve the sentence at home but the court denied his request, citing his history of using false names and fraud. Youssef will also have four years of supervised release following his sentence, reports AP.
After the sentence, Youssef's attorney, Steve Seiden, said his client had a message. According to Seiden, Youssef said "The one thing he wanted me to tell all of you is President Obama may have gotten Osama bin Laden, but he didn't kill the ideology."
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