On October 6, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced that Mustafa Kamel Mustafa (Abu Hamza), Adel Abdel Bary, and Khaled al Fawwaz were extradited from Great Britain and arrived in the Southern District of New York.  

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara stated, “As is charged, these are men who were at the nerve centers of al Qaeda’s acts of terror, and they cause blood to be shed, lives to be lost, and families to be shattered.  Now, Abu Hamza, Adel Abdel Bary, and Khaled al Fawwez will finally face justice.”

Abu Hamza is charged for a hostage situation that occurred in Yemen in 1998 and led to four deaths.  He is also charged with trying to forms a terrorist training camp in Bly, Oregon in 1999 and supporting violent terrorists throughout Afghanistan in 2000 and 2001.  

Adel Abdel Bary and Khaled al Fawwez are charged for conspiring with multiple members of al Qaeda in order to kill United States nationals and attack U.S. international interests.  Bary is also suspected of “murder, conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, and other offenses in connection with the 1998 bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.”  The bombings killed 224 people and injured thousands.  

Abu Hamza is charged with 11 different offenses that amount to two life sentences and another 100 years in prison.  Fawwaz is charged with four different offenses that amount to four life imprisonment terms.  Bary is charged with 284 offenses and the maximum penalty of 17 life imprisonment terms and another 15 years in prison.

FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Mary Galligan stated, “The extraditions of Abu Hamza, Bary, and Fawwaz are a major milestone in our effort to see these alleged high-level terrorists face American justice.  The indictments allege the direct participation of these defendants in planning and carrying out some of the most odious acts of al Qaeda terrorism.”

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation

On October 5, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office for the southern District of Florida announced that Arthur Balom of Miramar, an Opa-Locka Police Department captain, pled guilty to participating in the distribution of cocaine, ecstasy, and oxycodone throughout the city of Opa-Locka.  Balom is scheduled for sentencing on December 17, 2012, and he faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.  

The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer, Michael B. Steinbach with the FBI, Hugo Barrera of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Naim Erched of the Miami-Dade Police Department, and Addy M. Villanueva of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.  

According to statements made during the plea hearing, captain Balon was involved in a drug trafficking organization that operated in the Opa-Locka apartment complex.  The drug trafficking organization is known as “The Black Blues.”  The statements also indicate that captain Balom used his knowledge as a police officer to aid and abet in the drug distribution ring.  

The FBI reports that captain Balom provided the drug organization with police activity in the area, directed multiple officers to leave the area, and assisted multiple members of the of organization when they were approached by law enforcement.  

In one case, the FBI gave captain Balom a notebook that contained photographs of numerous suspects that were connected to an armed robbery and proceeded to ask Balom about a co-conspirator.  After Balom talked with FBI agents, he met with the co-conspirator the following day and showed him evidence within the notebook.  The FBI also reports that Balom provided drug organization members with ballistic vests.  

U.S. Attorney Ferrer thanked the FBI, the Miami-Area Corruption Task Force, the ATF, the MDPD, and the FDLE for their roles in the investigation.  U.S. Attorney Ferrer also thanked the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office.  

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation

On October 5, 2012, the Department of Justice announced that Arizona State Representative Paul Ben Arredondo pleaded guilty in a Phoenix federal court for taking a bribe and using his authority as a city councilmember and state representative to leverage action.  Arredondo also admitted to mail fraud after he defrauded the Ben Arredondo scholarship fund.  Arredondo has been a councilmember for 16 years and was elected to the House of Representatives in November of 2010.  

Arredondo admitted that his solicited and accepted bribes from February 2009 to November 2010 from a fake company that was created by the FBI.  The fake company appeared to have real estate interests in Tempe.  Arredondo admitted to accepting things of value like college and professional sports tickets, tables at charity events, and more.  

Arredondo took the bribes and took a number of actions by abusing his authority.  In one case, he gave the fake company information about the price the city of Tempe would accept for certain pieces of property and strategies for presenting a purchase proposal.  Additionally, Arredondo also agreed to use his authority to sway other Tempe officials, promote the fake company’s influence in a bid for real estate projects, and support the company’s project when he became a representative.  

Arredondo also told judge that he used funds to the Arredondo Scholarship Fund to support his own relatives.  He told donors that the funds were used to pay for college and books for “average” students.  He then used the funds to make payments for his own family members with notifying the donors of his actions.  In 2011, Arredondo used $49,750 from the scholarship fund for seven different family members.  

He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000 for each charge.  He will be sentenced on January 22, 2013.  

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation

On October 5, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio announced that criminal hate crimes charges were filed against Randolph Linn of St. Joe, Indiana in connection with the arson that occurred at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo.  Linn is charged with “intentionally defacing, damaging, and destroying religious real property because of the religious character of that property and with using fire and explosives to commit a felony.”

The fire department was notified of a fire at 4:58 p.m. at the Islamic Center on September 30.  Police and fire firefighters found a gas can in the middle of the Islamic Center’s prayer room , and significant damage and burns occurred before a sprinkler system put out the fire.

Security cameras recorded images of a red SUV in the parking lot around 4:11 p.m. and an older man who was dressed in jeans and camouflage approach the door of the Islamic Center.  The security cameras saw the man enter the building with a firearm and can of gas at 4:54 p.m.   

After law enforcement released the photos on October 1, a woman called in on October 2 and identified the man as Randolph Linn.  She stated that she knew Linn personally and remember him making anti-Muslim comments.  She also directed authorities to an anti-Muslim video on YouTube that was created by Linn.  

Linn was arrested and read his Miranda Right on October 2, and while being booked, he was noted in stating, “[expletive] those Muslims.”

Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Thomas E. Perez stated, “The Department of Justice will aggressively prosecute persons who attack, deface, or damage houses of worship because of racial or religious animus.  We appreciate the cooperation of state, local, and federal law enforcement in their efforts to ensure that no one in this country is hindered in their ability to worship freely in the manner of their choosing.”

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation