The James Bond of Canoga Park
Or is it Carlos the Jackal? Or is it just some dude whom the government is unfairly picking on? Well, let's read the beginning of Mr. Castro's excellent story today...
CANOGA PARK - The upscale hillside neighborhood above Topanga Canyon Boulevard hardly evokes a scene of America's War on Terror.
But near the top in the 22100 block of Parthenia Street, a drama right out of a spy story - replete with intrigue, paranoia and urgency - is playing out.
At the heart of the tale is a dark, gray-haired, mustachioed man who on a recent day wore a running suit and baseball cap just before dusk to enjoy the day's last breathtaking view of the San Fernando Valley - a view that could soon be taken from him.
William Shaoul Benjamin, 65, an Iraqi-born naturalized U.S. citizen, goes on trial today on federal charges that he failed to "register, as required by law, as an agent for executed Iraq leader Saddam Hussein's feared intelligence service, whose leaders are believed by U.S. officials to have played central roles in the reported links between Saddam and al-Qaida."
If convicted of four criminal counts related to his alleged spying case - including lying on his application for U.S. citizenship in 2001 - Benjamin faces 20 years in prison and possible deportation to his homeland.
"He is the least likeliest person you would expect to find as an enemy of the United States," said his lawyer, James Edward Blatt. "He isn't a Muslim. He's a Christian, and he loves this country, and he loves George Bush. It makes no sense."
The whole thing's here. Man, that should be a fun trial to cover.... we'll keep you posted.
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