Man behind anti-Muslim film had many aliases
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LOS ANGELES (AP) - Muslims across the Middle East outraged by an anti-Islam film made in America wanted swift punishment for the man behind the movie, and now Mark Basseley Youssef is behind bars. But he's jailed for lying about his identity, not because of the video's content.
Court documents show Youssef, 55, legally changed his name from Nakoula Basseley Nakoula in 2002, but never told federal authorities, who now are using that as part of the probation violation case against him.
Youssef was ordered jail without bail on Thursday until a hearing is held to determine if he violated terms of his supervised release on a 2010 bank fraud conviction. Prosecutors allege he used multiple aliases and lied to his probation officers about his real name.
Youssef, an Egyptian-born Christian who's now a United States (US) citizen, sought to obtain a passport in his new name but still had a California driver's license as Nakoula, assistant US Attorney Robert Dugdale said on Friday.
