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TAMPA - A co-defendant in the Sami Al-Arian terrorism case is in more trouble, according to a newly released federal indictment.
Sameeh Hammoudeh and his wife, Nadia, face charges of conspiring to commit tax fraud, filing a false tax return, making false statements in an immigration application, making false statements to a federal agency, mail fraud and wire fraud.
Sameeh Hammoudeh's attorney, Stephen Bernstein, said the latest indictment appears to be a pressure tactic. None of the defendants in the terrorism case has engaged in plea negotiations and the January trial is looming, he said.
"I think the federal prosecutors are beginning to sense some weakness in their case," he said. The latest indictment "obviously puts more pressure on my client, who is already under a lot of pressure."
A spokesman for the federal prosecutors office declined comment.
Last year, Sameeh Hammoudeh was arrested with Al-Arian and two other men on charges that he supported, promoted and raised money for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a terrorist group considered responsible for more than 100 deaths.
Hammoudeh and Al-Arian have remained in custody without bail awaiting trial. Nadia Hammoudeh is scheduled to turn herself in today. Bernstein expects she will be released on bail.
The 48-page indictment filed Wednesday accuses the Hammoudehs of concealing their employment at the Islamic Academy of Florida in Tampa and filing inaccurate tax returns. They are accused of falsifying a $122,400 mortgage application by, among other things, stating they were U.S. citizens and none of the down payment was borrowed.
The indictment outlines allegations that Nadia Hammoudeh falsified an immigration application by stating that she had not received public assistance while in the United States, and that she had not tried to fraudulently get a visa or other immigration documentation.
The indictment accuses them of filing false earned income credits that cost the government $1,500, $1,754 and $2,610 in 1997, 1998 and 1999. "This is hardly the type of case the federal government normally pursues," Bernstein said. "I'm not saying the Hammoudehs did anything like this, but if the feds went after everyone who lied on a mortgage application, they wouldn't be doing anything else."
According to records, Sameeh Hammoudeh, 44, was born and educated in Jordan, then worked at the Arab Studies Society in Jerusalem before coming to the United States in 1992.
He entered the country on a British passport, and was encouraged by Al-Arian to seek admission to the University of South Florida.
After his wife and family joined him in Tampa, Hammoudeh pursued a master's degree in political science, according to a USF report. The Hammoudehs have five children, Bernstein said.
Hammoudeh earned a master's degree, then pursued one in religious studies. He became a teaching assistant in 1995. Most recently, he was working on a doctorate in applied anthropology.
At the time of his arrest, Hammoudeh and his family lived in a 2,300-square-foot brick home in the Raintree Terrace subdivision in Temple Terrace. The home was valued at $145,147, according to county property records.
Graham Brink can be reached at 813 226-3365 or brink@sptimes.com