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US govt appeals Islam sentence to 9th Circuit
The U.S. government is appealing to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit the 18-month prison sentence imposed on one of three men convicted for their participation in a fake jobs scam.
Assistant U.S. attorney James J. Benedetto, counsel for the U.S. government, has notified the U.S. District Court for the NMI that they are appealing the court’s judgment against Mohammed Rafiqul Islam on March 16.
Benedetto did not indicate the reason/s in their notice of appeal.
Last Oct. 18, a federal jury found Islam guilty mail fraud and fraud in foreign labor contracting.
The scheme involved bringing Bangladeshi men to Saipan on promises of jobs and green cards in exchange for cash.
Last March 9, Islam was sentenced to 18 months in prison. He was ordered to pay $188,426 in restitution, jointly with his brother and co-defendant Muksedur Rahman.
Islam, through counsel Bruce Berline, recently filed with the District Court a notice of appeal of his conviction to the Ninth Circuit. He also recently asked the federal court for his continued release pending the outcome of his appeal.
Islam’s co-defendants—David Trung Quoc Phan and Muksedur Rahman—were also convicted. Phan was sentenced to eight months in prison, while Rahman was slapped with a 48-month prison term. Phan also appealed to the Ninth Circuit.
