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US: 5 Kurds sentenced for 4th-degree
larceny
28.2.2006
By DANIEL TEPFER |
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BRIDGEPORT - Five Iraqi Kurds pleaded guilty
Monday to stealing thousands of dollars in state
welfare funds while working for the federal
government training U.S. troops to liberate their
homeland.
Hushiar Ramadhan, 32; Ramadan Abdulrahman, 52;
Yousif Mohammed, 34; Hagi Hagi, 55; and Ahmad
Mohammed, 46, each pleaded guilty to one count of
fourth-degree larceny under the Alford Doctrine
before Superior Court Judge Patrick Carroll III.
The judge then sentenced each defendant to a
suspended 11-month term followed by a one-year
conditional discharge.
"The condition of the discharge is that you do not
get arrested for anything else," the judge told
them. "These pleas are the result of extensive
pretrial discussions and were contingent on all the
defendants making restitution," he added.
A plea made under the Alford Doctrine means the
defendant doesn't admit guilt but concedes that a
jury would likely convict based on the evidence. The
judge then enters a finding of guilty.
Assistant State's Attorney Brian Kennedy nolled or
dropped the charges against a sixth defendant,
Ababaker Yousif, 60, who died while awaiting trial.
He said a seventh defendant, Rezgar Saeed, 30, of
Stratford, turned down a similar plea deal and is
awaiting trial next month.
According to the arrest warrant affidavits, the
Kurds collected more than $13,000 in food stamps and
Medicaid benefits from October 2004 through June
2005.
However, at the same time they were working for SMI
Global Mission Support, a subcontractor for the U.S.
Army at Fort Polk, La., earning up to $275 a day.
The five defendants gathered outside the courtroom
on Golden Hill Street following the sentencing.
Other than confirming they are still working for the
U.S. government, they had no comment.
"They are glad the case is over," said
Stanton Lesser, who with Adrian Rebollo represented
them in court Monday. Rebollo and Lesser said all
five defendants had paid back the money.
The affidavits state that:
l Hagi earned $35,200 from SMI from Oct. 4 through
May 5 while receiving $1,968 in food stamps;
l Ramadhan received $2,189 in Medicaid at the same
time he was earning $35,200 from SMI;
l Yousif Mohammed got $612 in food stamps while
earning $23,320 from SMI;
l Ahmad Mohammed got $1,032 in food stamps while
earning $66,962 from SMI;
l Abdulrahman got $1,240 in food stamps while
earning $31,240 from SMI;
l Saeed got $2,403 in food stamps while earning
$28,600 from SMI;
l and Ababaker Yousif collected $3,184 in food
stamps while earning $66,962 from SMI.
U.S. Army Maj. Randy Martin at Fort Polk said SMI is
a private contractor to the U.S. government. He
wouldn't comment on the arrests of the defendants.
Calls to SMI were not returned.
Martin explained that as part of the training for
deployment in Iraq they attempt to replicate
situations the troops are expected to find when they
get there.
He said they have set up several artificial Iraqi
villages and staffed the villages. He said SMI
supplies them with the phony villagers. Martin said
the people hired by SMI are housed on the base.
Each morning they dress up in typical Iraqi costumes
and are driven by bus out to the "villages."
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