Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Grand jury indicts Plano man with mail fraud and making false statements in used car sales

By Pegasus News wire

 

A federal grand jury in Dallas indicted Massoud Mortazavi-Koupai of Plano with six counts of mail fraud and three counts of making a false statement on transfer of a used motor vehicle, related to a fraudulent scheme which included concealing structural damage and odometer discrepancies. It is anticipated that Mortazavi-Koupai, 46, will surrender to federal authorities and then appear before a U.S. magistrate judge.

The former imam, Yassin Aref, professed innocence before his sentencing and criticized the government’s treatment of Muslims.

”I never had any intention to harm anyone in this country,” said Aref, a 36-year-old Kurdish refugee. ”And I don’t know why I’m guilty.”

Pizzeria owner Mohammed Hossain, a founder of the Masjid As-Salam mosque, said in a voice choked with emotion that he knew nothing about bombs and terrorism.

”I do not know why it was me who was chosen. I was not a criminal,” he said. ”I was not even thinking of committing a crime.”
 

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