Accused spy not guilty: "I love the United States"
I asked in an earlier post if William Shaoul Benjamin was the James Bond of Canoga Park, the local version of Carlos the Jackal or just some dude whom the government was unfairly targeting? Well, it turns out that a jury thought it was the latter, for the most part.
Courtesy of our investigative ace, Ms. Barrett:
West Hills resident William Shaoul Benjamin, 65, was acquitted Friday on two federal counts of spying for the Iraqi government, as tearful family members celebrated outside a downtown federal courthouse.
"I am very happy for that, I thank the jury. They understood the situation," Benjamin told the Daily News. "I have a very large family, and everyone is calling."
After nights of insomnia and nightmares worrying over the harm to his reputation, he said he feels vindicated and now hopes he'll be able to remain in the country where he's free to be a Christian.
"I love the United States," he said.
While the jury acquitted Benjamin on the spying counts, it found him guilty of two counts of lying on his U.S. citizenship application - charges that carry a maximum of 10 years in prison. He's scheduled to be sentenced April 14.
Attorney James E. Blatt of Encino called the verdict on the spying charges a "significant victory" and unprecedented nationwide.
"These were the heart of the government's case, and he was acquitted of those charges. The defense is extremely pleased," Blatt said. "It's been an incredibly painful process for him and his family."
The rest is here. I wish I could have covered the trial, but there's so much going on in Superior Court, it's hard to get involved with the federal stuff. Whatever the case, I'm glad we were able to get you some news on Mr. Benjamin. The case sounded pretty wild from the start and I guess jurors agreed. It'll be interesting to see if the lesser charge hangs him up much, or if he'll get on with his life.
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