Nakoula Basseley Nakoula - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
According to Associated Press, "Prior to his bank fraud conviction, Nakoula struggled with a series of financial problems," including a $106,000 lien filed against him in 1997 and a $191,000 tax lien in 2006.[12] Nakoula owned a gas station, against which the California State Board of Equalization put a lien, stating that he owed taxes, interest and penalties dating from 1989 to 1992.[13]
The Daily Beast reported that Nakoula was arrested by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in 1997 after being pulled over in possession of ephedrine, hydroiodic acid, and $45,000 in cash.[13] He was charged with intent to manufacture methamphetamine.[10] He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 1997 to one year in Los Angeles County Jail and three years probation. He declared bankruptcy in 2000.[8] According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney he violated probation in 2002, and was re-sentenced to another year in county jail.[14]
In 2010, Nakoula pleaded no contest to federal charges of bank fraud in California and was ordered to pay $794,701 in restitution. According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Leigh Williams, Nakoula opened bank accounts using stolen identities and Social Security numbers, including one belonging to a 6-year-old child,[2] and deposited checks from those accounts to withdraw at ATMs.[15] He was also sentenced to 21 months in federal prison. Nakoula had requested an Arabic interpreter be used during his criminal proceedings.[8] Nakoula was released from prison in June 2011.[16] He was ordered not to use computers or the Internet for five years without approval from his probation officer.[3] Nakoula was released from a halfway house a few weeks before he filmed Innocence of Muslims