Prominent Muslim activist jailed in LA for four years

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2008

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — A prominent Los Angeles-based Muslim activist has been jailed for four years after pleading guilty to attempting to bribe a witness, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Najee Ali, who heads the community group Project Islamic HOPE (Helping Oppressed People Everywhere), was sentenced on Monday after he admitted an attempt to interfere with a witness in a court case involving his daughter.

A spokeswoman for Los Angeles County District Attorney said in normal circumstances Ali would have received a two-year sentence but saw his term doubled because he had a prior conviction for armed robbery in 1992.

Ali had also violated the terms of his probation for a 2004 felony hit-and-run case, district attorney's spokesman Sandi Gibbons said.

Ali is a...