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 frequent critic of law enforcement and has often appeared alongside activists including Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson during visits to Southern California. Project Islamic Hope's website homepage shows Ali photographed with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama, while noting that neither are members of the organization.
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