World Terrorism: News, History and Research Of A Changing World #6 Disinformation, Inc.

VEVAK learned its methodology from the Soviet KGB and many of the Islamist revolutionaries who supported Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini actually studied at Moscow's Patrice Lumumba Friendship University, the Oxford of terrorism. Documented Iranian alumni include the current Supreme Leader (the faqih) Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, under whose Velayat-e Faqih (Rule of the Islamic Jurisprudent) apparatus it has traditionally operated. Its current head is Cabinet Minister Hojatoleslam Gholam-Hussein Mohseni-Ezhei, a graduate of Qom's Haqqani School, noted for its extremist position advocating violence against enemies and strict clerical control of society and government. The Ministry is very well funded and its charge, like that of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (the Pasdaran) is to guard the revolutionary Islamic Iranian regime at all costs and under all contingencies.

From the KGB playbook, VEVAK learned the art of disinformation. It's not so difficult to learn: tell the truth 80% of the time and lie 20%. Depending on how well a VEVAK agent wants to cover his/her tracks, the ratio may go up to 90/10, but it never drops below the 80/20 mark as such would risk suspicion and possible detection. The regime in Teheran has gone to great lengths to place its agents in locations around the world. Many of these operatives have been educated in the West, including the U.K. and the United States. Iranian government agencies such as embassies, consulates, Islamic cultural centers, and airline offices regularly provide cover for the work of VEVAK agents who dress well and are clean shaven, and move comfortably within our society. In this country, because of the severance of diplomatic relations, the principal site of VEVAK activities begins at the offices of Iran's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.

Teheran has worked diligently to place its operatives in important think tanks and government agencies in the West. Some of its personnel have been recruited while in prison through torture or more often through bribery, or a combination of both. Others are Islamist revolutionaries that have been set up to look like dissidents - often having been arrested and imprisoned, but released for “medical reasons”. The clue to detecting the fake “dissident” is to read carefully what he/she writes, and to ask why this vocal “dissident” was released from prison when other real dissidents have not been released, indeed have been grievously tortured and executed. Other agents have been placed in this country for over twenty-five years to slowly go through the system and rise to positions of academic prominence due to their knowledge of Farsi and Shia Islam or Islamist fundamentalism.

One of the usual tactics of VEVAK is to co-opt academia to its purposes. Using various forms of bribery, academics are bought to defend the Islamic Republic or slander its enemies. Another method is to assign bright students to train for academic posts as specialists in Iranian or Middle East affairs. Once established, such individuals are often consulted by our government as it tries to get a better idea of how it should deal with Iran. These academics then are in a position to skew the information, suggesting the utility of extended dialogue and negotiation, or the danger and futility of confronting a strong Iran or its proxies such as Hizballah (Hezbollah). These academics serve to shield the regime from an aggressive American or Western policy, and thereby buy more time for the regime to attain its goals, especially in regards to its nuclear weaponry and missile programs.

MOIS likes to use the media, especially electronic media, to its advantage. One of VEVAK's favorite tricks is setting up web sites that look like they are opposition sites but which are actually controlled by the regime. These sites often will be multilingual, including Farsi, German, Arabic French, and English. Some are crafted carefully and are very subtle in how they skew their information (e.g., Iran-Interlink, set up and run by Massoud Khodabandeh and his wife Ann Singleton from Leeds, England); others are less subtle, simply providing the regime's point of view on facts and events in the news (e.g., www.mujahedeen.com or www.mojahedin.ws). This latter group is aimed at the more gullible in our open society and unfortunately such a market exists. However, if one begins to do one's homework, asking careful questions, the material on these fake sites generally does not add up.

Let's examine a few examples of VEVAK's work in the United States. In late October, 2005, VEVAK sent three of its agents to Washington to stage a press event in which the principal Iranian resistance movement, the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MeK), was to be slandered. Veteran VEVAK agent Karim Haqi flew from Amsterdam to Canada where he was joined by VEVAK's Ottawa agents Amir-Hossein Kord Rostami and Mahin (Parvin-Mahrokh) Haji, and the three flew from Toronto to Washington. Fortunately the resistance had been tracking these three, informed the FBI of their presence in Washington, and when the three tried to hold a press conference, the resistance had people assigned to ask pointed questions of them so that they ended the interview prematurely and fled back to Canada.

Abolghasem Bayyenet is a member of the Iranian government. He serves as a trade expert for the Ministry of Commerce. But his background of study and service in the Foreign Ministry indicates that Bayyenet is more than just an economist or a suave and savvy businessman. In an article published in Global Politician on April 23, 2006, entitled “Is Regime Change Possible in Iran?”, Bayyenet leads his audience to think that he is a neutral observer, concerned lest the United States make an error in its assessment of Iran similar to the errors of intelligence and judgment that led to our 2003 invasion of Iraq, with its less than successful outcome. However, his carefully crafted bottom line is that the people of Iran are not going to support regime change and that hardliner President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad actually has achieved greater popularity than his predecessors because of his concern for the problems of the poor and his fight for economic and social justice. To the naive, Bayyenet makes Ahmadinejad sound positively saintly. Conveniently overlooked is the occurrence of over four thousand acts of protest, strikes, anti-regime rallies, riots, and even political assassinations by the people of Iran against the government in the year since Ahmadinejad assumed office. So too, the following facts are ignored: the sizeable flight of capital, the increase in unemployment, and the rising two-figure rate of inflation, all within this last year. Bayyenet is a regime apologist, and when one is familiar with the facts, his arguments ring very hollow. However, his English skills are excellent, and so the naОve might be beguiled by his commentary.

Mohsen Sazegara is VEVAK's “reformed revolutionary”. A student supporter of Khomeini before the 1979 revolution, Sazegara joined the “imam” on his return from exile and served in the government for a decade before supposedly growing disillusioned.

He formed several reformist newspapers but ran afoul of the hardliners in 2003 and was arrested and imprisoned by VEVAK. Following “hunger strikes”, Sazegara was released for health reasons and permitted to seek treatment abroad. Although critical of the government and particularly of Ahmadinejad and KhameneМ, Sazegara is yet more critical of opposition groups, leaving the impression that he favors internal regime change but sees no one to lead such a movement for the foreseeable future. His bottom line: no one is capable of doing what needs to be done, so we must bide our time. Very slick, but his shadow shows his likely remaining ties to the MOIS.

India: Antony to open defence artificial intelligence campus Friday

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/34409

Antony to open defence artificial intelligence campus Friday
Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Bangalore: The Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR),
that has done pioneering research in cutting edge technologies and in
developing futuristic communications and other systems for the Indian
Army, is to get a spanking new campus here with Defense Minister A.K.
Antony opening the facility.

Spread over 15 acres, the new campus will enable the center, created 20
years ago, to conduct R&D in areas like information systems,
communications and networking, information security, communications security and
intelligent systems in a single integrated complex against the diverse
locations in the city it currently operates from.

In terms of pure research, CAIR's work in the sphere of intelligent
systems is perhaps the most exciting because this has applications in the
other areas of its operations, a defense ministry official pointed out.

Through artificial intelligence (AI), which is the science of making
intelligent machines, or machines that can "think", and Neutral Networks
(NN) that ensure an Internet host, protocol, or application does not
receive preferential treatment, CAIR researchers are creating what are
termed "mining tools" that automatically search large volumes of data for
patterns, the official added.

"In today's information age, the value of these tools cannot be
underestimated," the official pointed out.

Speaking about CAIR's efforts in the information systems field, the
official explained: "Today's battlefield is characterized by a high degree
of movement of men and material on a wide front, and this demands rapid
acquisition, dissemination, collation and fusion of information amongst
field commanders involved in tactical planning and operations.

"In this scenario, with decision making a time-sensitive and complex
operation, a command, control, communication and information (C3I) system
consisting of networked computers in the tactical battle area
facilitates the process," the official added.

As for the communications and networking sphere, CAIR was developing
technologies needed for the futuristic tactical communications network of
the Indian Army.

"It is assisting the army in specifying the system architecture and the
subsystem specifications for its Tactical Communications System (TCS)
to facilitate multi-technology, multi-media communication networks
across the tactical battlefield area," the official pointed out.

In the area of information security, which aims at securing
confidentiality and integrity of data stored in computers and communicated over
networks, CAIR has been working in areas like authentication, including
speech biometrics, network access control, and intrusion detection
systems.

These include high-speed traffic analysis software, secure e-mail, IP
security, network and host intrusion detection systems, online disk
encryption, and smart card-based authentication, the official said.

This apart, CAIR has also developed a number of technological solutions
and products for the civilian sector, among them an automatic processor
for handwritten application forms, an intelligent wheelchair for
physically challenged persons, a laparoscopic surgery trainer and robots for
non-destructive training.

CAIR, an arm of the Defense and Research Development Organization
(DRDO) was established in 1986 and its research focus was initially in the
areas of AI, robotics, and control systems. In November 2000, R&D groups
of the DRDO's Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE)
working in the areas of C3I systems, communication and networking, and
communications security were merged with the center.

"This has made CAIR the premier laboratory for R&D in different areas
of information and communication technology (ICT) as applicable to the
defense sector," the official pointed out.

http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?fr=yalerts-keyword&c=&p=plane+crash&ei=utf-8

1. 4 killed, including 12-year-old boy, in small plane crash in Concord Open this result in new window
San Francisco Chronicle - Dec 21 3:54 PM
A 12-year-old boy who survived a small plane crash that killed three others died this afternoon. The crash occurred at 11 a.m. when the pilot of a small private plane apparently misjudged the landing approach to Concord Buchanan Field, struck Highway 4...
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2. Marshall plane crash affected Suns coach D'Antoni Open this result in new window
USA Today - Dec 21 7:53 AM
The release of the movie We Are Marshall that revives memories of the Marshall plane crash that claimed the lives of 75 people, including 37 school football players and 12 coaches, near Huntington, W.Va., is bringing back painful times for Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni.
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3. 3 survive small-plane crash Open this result in new window
The Arizona Republic - Dec 21 10:47 AM
A small plane crashed just south of South Mountain on Thursday morning, fire officials said. Three people on board suffered minor injuries after alerting authorities they were going to crash.
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4. Deadly Small Plane Crash Near Connally High School Open this result in new window
KXAN 36 Austin - Dec 21 2:23 PM
Authorities say the pilot died Tuesday in the crash of a small plane near Austin's Connally High School. An emergency official says the single-engine Cessna went down near the school's football stadium.
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5. Chinese plane crash due to frost on wings: experts Open this result in new window
New Kerala - 29 minutes ago
Beijing, Dec 21: China has punished 12 senior officials for their "negligence" and causing the crash of a plane two years ago in Inner Mongolia, which killed all 53 on board and two on the ground.
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6. 4 Dead, Including Child, In Concord Plane Crash Open this result in new window
CBS 5 Bay Area - Dec 21 12:22 PM
Four people, including a 12-year-old boy, died Thursday when a small plane crashed and erupted in flames on state Highway 4 at its intersection with Interstate 680 in Concord. Raw Video: Plane Crash Wreckage
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7. Investigators still gathering details in plane crash Open this result in new window
NewsChannel 10 Amarillo - Dec 21 1:31 PM
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. Federal investigators are still looking into possible mechanical or operational errors that may have caused a deadly plane crash Monday night near...
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8. Fourth Victim In Concord Plane Crash Dies Open this result in new window
KTVU 2 San Francisco - Dec 21 11:57 AM
A 12-year-old boy who was the only survivor of a fiery plane crash on state Highway 4 just north of Concord Thursday afternoon that killed the three adult passengers on the aircraft has died of his injuries, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Scott Yox.
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9. 4th Victim Dies Following Concord Plane Crash Open this result in new window
NBC 11 Bay Area - Dec 21 12:25 PM
The death count rises as authorities now say four people were killed in a small plane crash along Highway 4 in Concord. A 12-year-old boy died after being rescued from the wreckage.
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10. Florence - Body of man in plane crash found near Florence Open this result in new window
The Oregonian - Dec 21 7:59 AM
A body found on Baker Beach near Florence was identified Wednesday as that of a man who died in a Dec. 2 plane crash off the Oregon coast near Coos Bay.
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http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=3666

US Middle East Commander Gen. John Abizaid puts in request for another carrier in Gulf region as warning to Syria and Iran

December 21, 2006, 3:01 PM (GMT+02:00)

DEBKAfile’s military sources report that this request, revealed by a senior Pentagon official, is the first time in four years that an American general has asked for a special force as a deterrent for Syria and Iran.

Our Washington sources interpret the publication of Gen. Abizaid’s request during the visit to Iraq of the new defense secretary Robert Gates’ and head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace as indicating that the Bush administration is heading for a major operation against the two key threats to Iraq’s stability: the Sunni insurgents supported by Syria and the Shiite militias, which receive arms, intelligence and funding from Tehran.

In its latest quarterly report, the defense department accused Iran and Syria of undermining the Iraqi government by providing both active and passive support to anti-government and anti-coalition forces.

The application to deploy a third carrier in the Gulf in late March 2007 is a pointer to the projected timeline of this operation. It will confront Tehran and Damascus with the option of direct intervention to rescue their Iraqi allies, or standing aside. President George W. Bush is officially reported to have not yet decided on the coming steps in Iraq. However the central command’s application for another carrier suggests that the decision is more or less final.

The carrier Eisenhower and its strike group are already in the Gulf region accompanied by guided missile destroyers and the nuclear assault submarine USS Newport, as is the USS Boxer Strike Group.

Another sign of an impending US operation came from Gates’ talks with US generals and soldiers Wednesday. Whereas the soldiers did not propose a pull-out from Iraq and urged him to send reinforcements, the generals argued against a surge. Their reluctance stems from the fear that more manpower will result in a higher casualty score. The generals also calculate that in a withdrawal from the country, the bigger the force the more cumbersome and sluggish the evacuation.

US troops on the other hand explained to the new defense secretary that with a heavier US presence on the ground, the insurgents could be held off long enough to train the Iraqi army. They said training Iraqis is a challenge because of their sectarian ties to militias - police officers more than army personnel.

Gates is due to meet Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki Thursday, Dec. 21.

Copyright 2000-2006 DEBKAfile. All Rights Reserved.

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/12-21-2006/0004495569&EDATE=

Director of National Intelligence Releases Four Decades of U.S. Intelligence on Yugoslavia

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Director of National
Intelligence's National Intelligence Council (NIC) and the Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars recently organized an international
conference to mark the release of the NIC's declassified national
estimative material titled, From "National Communism" to National Collapse:
U.S. Intelligence Community Estimative Products on Yugoslavia, 1948-1990.
Held on Dec. 7, 2006 in Washington, D.C., the conference reviewed the role
and legacy of U.S. intelligence on Yugoslavia during the Cold War.
(NOTE: Please visit http://www.dni.gov/nic to view the declassified
material.)
The material contains 34 recently declassified National Intelligence
Estimates or NIEs representing the Intelligence Community's most
authoritative analysis of Yugoslavia. Over a period of nearly four decades,
these reports gave U.S. policymakers keen insights into the factors shaping
events in and around Yugoslavia -- Belgrade's break with the Soviet Union,
through the Tito years, and right up to the eve of the nation's collapse --
an event foretold by the documents.
Former Secretary of State and former U.S. Ambassador to Yugoslavia in
the 1970s, Lawrence S. Eagleburger, gave the keynote luncheon address. NIC
Chairman, Dr. Thomas Fingar, and the Wilson Center's president, Lee
Hamilton served as co-hosts of the luncheon.
The release of these papers reflects a continuing commitment by the
Director of National Intelligence to provide the public, when possible,
documents of value to historians and intelligence practitioners. The
conference offered leading historians, intelligence analysts, and
policymakers an opportunity to review intelligence judgments on Yugoslavia
and evaluate the quality of analytical tradecraft.
In addition to its scholarly value, the conference contributed to the
efforts of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to implement
intelligence reform legislation and WMD Commission recommendations to
engage leading scholars, and continually examine Intelligence Community
products to improve the quality of analysis.
This is the second time the NIC collaborated with the Wilson Center to
host a conference centered on recently declassified NIEs and other
intelligence memoranda. A similar conference was organized in October 2004
to launch a collection of newly declassified intelligence documents on
China.
The National Intelligence Council is a center of strategic thinking
within the U.S. Government and provides coordinated analyses for senior
policymakers on high interest topics. Although most of its work is for
internal government use, the NIC also produces unclassified reports and
collaborates with a wide range of independent scholars, experts, and
organizations around the world.
Note: The Yugoslavia, Vietnam, and China collections are available from
the U.S. Government Printing Office and on the NIC website:
http://www.dni.gov/nic.
ON THE WEB:
http://www.dni.gov/
http://www.dni.gov/nic

SOURCE Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Related links:
# http://www.dni.gov/

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/12-21-2006/0004495799&EDATE=

President George W. Bush Granted Pardons

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On December 21, 2006
President George W. Bush granted pardons to the following 16 individuals:
* Charles James Allen -- Winchester, Virginia

Offense: Conspiracy to defraud the United States; 18 U.S.C. § 371

Sentence: August 3, 1979; District of Maryland; one year of custody to
be served by 30 days in jail, 90 days in a work-release
program, and the remaining period on parole

* William Sidney Baldwin, Sr. -- Green Pond, South Carolina

Offense: Conspiracy to possess marijuana; 21 U.S.C. § 846

Sentence: October 27, 1981; District of South Carolina; six years'
imprisonment

* Timothy Evans Barfield -- Cary, North Carolina

Offense: Aiding and abetting false statements on a Small Business
Administration loan application; 15 U.S.C. § 645(a) and
18 U.S.C. § 2

Sentence: July 17, 1989; Eastern District of North Carolina; three
years' probation, including 96 hours of community service

* Clyde Philip Boudreaux -- Thibodaux, Louisiana

Offense: Borrowing money from enlisted men, accepting a non-interest
bearing loan from a government contractor, and signing and
swearing to a false affidavit; U.C.M.J. Articles 92, 107, 134

Sentence: December 2, 1975; as approved by the convening authority on
January 29, 1976; United States Navy general court-martial
convened at Okinawa, Japan, and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina;
reprimand; loss of numbers on the promotion list; and a
$1,000 fine

* Marie Georgette Ginette Briere -- Gatineau, Quebec

Offense: Possession of cocaine with intent to distribute; 21 U.S.C.
§ 841(a)(1)

Sentence: July 9, 1982; District of Puerto Rico; three years'
imprisonment and three years' special parole

* Dale C. Critz, Jr. -- Savannah, Georgia

Offense: Making a false statement; 18 U.S.C. § 1014

Sentence: July 13, 1989; Middle District of Florida; three years'
probation

* Mark Alan Eberwine -- San Antonio, Texas

Offense: Conspiracy to defraud the United States by impeding,
impairing, and obstructing the assessment of taxes by the
Internal Revenue Service; 18 U.S.C. § 371; false declarations
to the grand jury; 18 U.S.C. § 1623

Sentence: February 1, 1985, as amended April 23, 1986; Western District
of Texas; two years' imprisonment

* Colin Earl Francis -- Naugatuck, Connecticut

Offense: Accepting a kickback; 41 U.S.C. §§ 53 and 54

Sentence: May 7, 1993; District of Connecticut; two years' probation
and a $2,500 fine

* George Thomas Harley -- Albuquerque, New Mexico

Offense: Aiding and abetting the distribution of cocaine; 21 U.S.C. §
841(a)(1), 18 U.S.C. § 2

Sentence: November 30, 1984; District of New Mexico; nine years'
imprisonment; five years' special parole

* Patricia Ann Hultman -- Kane, Pennsylvania

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to
distribute cocaine and other controlled substances; 21 U.S.C.
§ 846

Sentence: October 28, 1985; Western District of Pennsylvania; one year
of imprisonment

* Eric William Olson -- Ojai, California

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, possession
with intent to distribute, possession, and use of hashish;
U.C.M.J. Articles 81 and 134

Sentence: February 21, 1984; United States Army general court-martial
convened at Bamberg, Germany; confinement at hard labor for
one year; reduction to pay grade E-1; forfeiture of all pay
and allowances; bad conduct discharge

* Thomas R. Reece -- Cumming, Georgia

Offense: Violating the Internal Revenue Code pertaining to alcohol; 26
U.S.C. § 5681(c)

Sentence: May 2, 1969; Northern District of Georgia; one year's
imprisonment

* Larry Gene Ross -- Indio, California

Offense: Making false statements in a bank loan application; 18 U.S.C.
§ 1014

Sentence: August 15, 1989; District of Wyoming; four years' probation,
$7,654.20 restitution

* Jearld David Swanner -- Lexington, Oklahoma

Offense: Making false statements in a bank loan application; 18 U.S.C.
§ 1005

Sentence: December 6, 1991; Western District of Oklahoma; three years'
probation

* James Walter Taylor -- McCrory, Arkansas

Offense: Bank fraud; 18 U.S.C. § 1344

Sentence: October 18, 1991; Eastern District of Arkansas; 90 days in
jail, followed by two years and nine months' probation

* Janet Theone Upton -- Salinas, California

Offense: Mail fraud; 18 U.S.C. § 1341

Sentence: May 23, 1975; District of Nevada; two years' unsupervised
probation
On December 21, 2006, President Bush granted a commutation of sentence
to the following individual:
* Phillip Anthony Emmert -- Washington, Iowa

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, 21 U.S.C. § 846

Sentence: December 23, 1992; Southern District of Iowa; 262 months'
imprisonment (as reduced on February 21, 1996); five years'
supervised release

Terms of commutation: Sentence of imprisonment to expire on January 20,
2007; term of supervised release left intact and
in effect

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice

Related links:
# http://www.usdoj.gov

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Saudi National Sentenced for Visa Fraud and Harboring Illegal Aliens

BOSTON, Dec. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A Saudi national living in
Winchester was sentenced today in federal court having pleaded guilty to
charges of visa fraud and harboring of illegal aliens relating to her
employment of two domestic servants.
United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan; Assistant Attorney General
for Civil Rights Wan J. Kim; Bruce M. Foucart, Special Agent in Charge of
Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and Kenneth W. Kaiser, Special Agent
in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced today that Hana
F. Al Jader, age 40, of Winchester, Massachusetts, was sentenced by U.S.
District Judge Reginald J. Lindsay to 2 years of probation, the first 6
months of which are to be served in home confinement. She was also ordered
to complete 100 hours of community service. Judge Lindsay also ordered her
to pay a fine of $40,000 and restitution in the amount $206,000 to three of
her former domestic servants. Al Jader was also ordered to forfeit a second
residence in Arlington. Lastly, Judge Lindsay ordered that Al Jader be
deported to her native Saudi Arabia following completion of her term of
home confinement.
In September of this year, Al Jader pleaded guilty to two counts of
visa fraud and two counts of harboring illegal aliens for private financial
gain in connection with her employment of two women from Indonesia as
domestic servants.
At the earlier plea hearing, the prosecutor told the Court that Al
Jader, who has resided in Winchester and Arlington since the mid-1990's
with her invalid husband, Prince Mohamed Al Saud, brought the two
Indonesian women to the United States in 2003 to work as domestic servants.
In order to obtain visas for the women, Al Jader was required to submit to
the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia a copy of a work contract guaranteeing
that the women would be paid $1,500 a month and would work no more than 8
hours daily. However, when the women arrived in the United States, they
were required to work -- cooking, cleaning, serving meals, caring for the
severely disabled Prince, and serving at frequent parties -- routinely in
excess of 8 hours per day. Al Jader paid them only $300 a month which, at
their request, was wired to their families in Indonesia.
In July, 2003, Al Jader, through an attorney, filed applications with
the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services ("BCIS") for a six-month
extension of the visas for her domestic servants. In connection with the
extension application, Al Jader submitted another employment contract,
which again represented falsely that the servants were each being paid
$1,500 per month and working only eight hours per day. Based on the false
information provided in the contracts, the servants' visas were extended;
however, when those extensions expired, Al Jader failed to apply for or
obtain any additional extensions. Despite the fact that the servants' legal
status had expired, Al Jader continued to employ them for the next 11
months at the same pay rate of $300 per month.
In exchange for Al Jader's plea of guilty to these charges, her
agreement to pay restitution of approximately $98,000 to each of the
servants, and her acceptance of a stipulated order of deportation to her
native Saudi Arabia, the government agreed to dismiss pending charges of
forced labor and document servitude against Al Jader.
The case was investigated by agents from Immigration and Customs
Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by
Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Theodore Merritt in Sullivan's Public Corruption
and Special Prosecutions Unit and Lou DeBaca, Special Litigation Counsel,
and Barbara Kay Bosserman, Trial Attorney, in the Department of Justice's
Civil Rights Division.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice

Related links:
# http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/ma

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