The man behind an anti-Muslim film that led to violence in the Middle East has been sentenced to one year in prison.
Mark Basseley Youssef, 55, was sentenced on Wednesday for violating probation stemming from a 2010 bank fraud conviction.
US District Court Judge
Christina Snyder handed down the sentence after Youssef admitted four of
eight alleged violations including obtaining a fraudulent California
driver’s licence.
Youssef served most of a
21-month prison term in the bank fraud case. Federal authorities wanted
Youssef to serve two years for the violations.
After he was released from
prison, Youssef was barred from using computers or the Internet for five
years without approval from his probation officer.
None of the violations had to
do with the content of “Innocence of Muslims,” a film that depicts
Mohammad as a religious fraud, pedophile and a womaniser.
The movie sparked violence in
Libya and other parts of the Middle East, killing dozens. Enraged
Muslims had demanded severe punishment for him, with a Pakistani cabinet
minister even offering $100,000 to anyone who kills him.
Federal authorities have said
they believe Youssef is responsible for the film, but they have not said
whether he was the person who posted it online.
He also was not supposed to use
any name other than his true legal name without the prior written
approval of his probation officer.
At least three names have been
associated with Youssef since the film trailer surfaced – Sam Bacile,
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula and Youssef. Bacile was the name attached to
the YouTube account that posted the video.
Court documents show Youssef
legally changed his name from Nakoula in 2002, though when he was tried,
he identified himself as Nakoula. He wanted the name change because he
believed Nakoula sounded like a girl’s name, according to court
documents.