Fraud trial set for two former terror suspects

Thursday, January 27, 2005

Koubriti and Hannan will be tried June 7, almost four years after raid on their apartment.

By David Shepardson / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- A federal judge has set a June 7 trial date for two North African immigrants who were tried in 2003 on terror charges that have since been tossed out.

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In December, Koubriti and Hannan were indicted on mail fraud charges, stemming from an insurance claim from a July 2001 car accident that was rejected by Titan Insurance. Defense lawyers say the amount sought in the alleged fraud was about $2,500.

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Rosen threw out the men's terror convictions last year after a nine-month Justice Department review found that prosecutors failed to turn over evidence to defense lawyers. At the same time, prosecutors dismissed document fraud charges stemming from the Sept. 17, 2001, raid of a southwest Detroit apartment that turned up expired airport ID badges, suspicious drawings and phony immigration documents.

As for the status of former lead Prosecutor Richard G. Convertino, that remains largely a mystery. Convertino, who was removed from the case in September 2003, is the subject of a criminal investigation for his conduct during the 2003 trial.

Convertino filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Attorney General John Ashcroft and other officials in February 2004 and earlier this month completed a year working for a committee headed by U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa. That suit is pending.
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http://www.detnews.com/2005/metro/0501/27/B01-71798.htm