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Man arrested at airport with $12 million in phony checks, terrorism task force investigating
nj.com
| 7/19/02 8:57 AM
Posted on 07/19/2002 6:27:16 AM PDT by freeperfromnj
DETROIT (AP) -- A man carrying $12 million in phony cashier's checks was arrested at Detroit Metropolitan Airport and is being investigated by a terrorism task force, federal authorities said.
Omar Shishani, 47, was scheduled to appear Friday in U.S. District Court on charges of possessing fraudulent bank notes.
The Joint Terrorism Task Force, comprised of federal and state authorities in Detroit, was investigating, assistant U.S. attorney Kathryn McCarty told The Detroit News. She declined to comment further about the case, saying more would be known after Friday's hearing.
A U.S. Customs inspector found nine checks, believed to be counterfeit, after Shishani arrived Wednesday on a flight from Indonesia, court papers said.
Two of the checks found in his baggage were for $5 million each; two for $500,000 each; and five for $200,000 each, authorities said.
The checks, labeled "cashier check," were issued by the Pomona, Calif., branch of West America Bank, according to an affidavit. A fraud investigator said there was no Pomona branch and the checks were labeled incorrectly, Clarence T. Laster, a special agent for the U.S. Secret Service, said.
Several people have been arrested in the Las Vegas area for passing similar checks, Laster said in the affidavit.
Shishani, of Dearborn, said at his arraignment Thursday that he is a naturalized U.S. citizen and a salesman who hasn't earned any commissions this year. He said his wife is a resident alien from Japan who works for Northwest Airlines.
McCarty and a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office did not immediately return calls Friday.
TOPICS: Extended News
KEYWORDS: indonesia; shishani; theassociatedpress
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To: freeperfromnj
Michigan really sucks.
To: freeperfromnj
His wife works for Northwest airline?? That's a hmmmm.
Sac
To: freeperfromnj
Why dont we all leave and let the rest of the of the world come here to live and loot the country?
4
posted on
07/19/2002 6:30:49 AM PDT
by
cynicom
To: Registered
Does not!
5
posted on
07/19/2002 6:33:10 AM PDT
by
dakine
To: Sacajaweau
Also note that he was flying in from Indonesia. There has been a lot of activity there recently.
To: freeperfromnj
He is a foriegn national, Muslim, probably Arab (judging from his name), with a wife in the Airline business. He's carrying around 12 million in fraudulent checks.
Sounds like the question to one of Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a [terrorist] if" routine.
To: dakine
Okay, Eastern Michigan sucks. Really bad.
To: Registered
Maybe just SOUTHeastern part...
9
posted on
07/19/2002 6:47:07 AM PDT
by
dakine
To: 1bigdictator
Naaaaa, that would be PROFILING and profiling is BAAAAAAADDDD, BAAAAAAAD.
To: 1bigdictator
Sounds like the question to one of Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a [terrorist] if" routine. At least they admitted the Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating case. I don't even think we got that much with the LAX incident.
To: cynicom
Why dont we all leave and let the rest of the of the world come here to live and loot the country? 'cause then there wouldn't be any wage slaves around to pay the taxes. You knew that, I'm sure....
12
posted on
07/19/2002 6:53:12 AM PDT
by
neutrino
To: freeperfromnj
Where do you cash a bum check for $5 million?
13
posted on
07/19/2002 6:53:31 AM PDT
by
per loin
To: per loin
Where do you cash a bum check for $5 million? Beats me. Who knows what the plan was. He must have had some sort of contact in Indonesia.
To: per loin
Excellent question. Where indeed?
So he fits a terrorist profile, but I can't figure out what this guy is up to. Can you?
To: 1bigdictator
Can't you read. this is from the next to the last paragraph
Shishani, of Dearborn, said at his arraignment Thursday that he is a naturalized U.S. citizen and a salesman who hasn't earned any commissions this year. He said his wife is a resident alien from Japan who works for Northwest Airlines.
Where does it say he is a foreign national?
16
posted on
07/19/2002 6:58:23 AM PDT
by
Kaslin
To: dakine
Deal.
To: PoisedWoman
The $12 million, broken down that way, could be used for a one time buy of something from someone, but I'd guess those checks would be useless at a bank anywhere.
18
posted on
07/19/2002 7:16:30 AM PDT
by
per loin
To: Kaslin
O.K. Kaslin, nice catch, hopefully you are as disturbed by the propaganda and fabrication of radical Islamists hellbent on destroying our society as you are by my mistake in responding to this post...why don't you show some proportionality in your response and comment on the content of the article buddy.
To: per loin
Maybe the guy's a mule for a dead Nigerian general.
20
posted on
07/19/2002 7:31:30 AM PDT
by
Erasmus
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