Man connected to Iraqi Mafia street gang pleads guilty to weapons charges
By melinda Rogers

The Salt Lake Tribune

First published Dec 06 2011 06:05PM
Updated 1 hour ago Updated Dec 7, 2011 09:49AM

A Salt Lake County man who detectives have identified as a member of the Iraqi Mafia street gang has pleaded guilty to weapons charges in federal court that may send him to prison for up to 10 years.

Ali Munder Al-Rekabi, 31, entered a guilty plea on Tuesday to felony illegal alien in possession of a firearm before U.S. District Court Judge Dale Kimball. In addition to 10 years in prison, Al-Rekabi could face a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release when he is sentenced on March 7. Al-Rekabi may also have his immigration status revoked.

In exchange for Al-Rekabi’s guilty plea, the U.S. Attorney’s Office agreed to drop another charge filed against Al-Rekabi for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Al-Rekabi’s plea took place in Kimball’s chambers after Al-Rekabi’s court-appointed defense attorney, Julie George, requested the hearing take place in a less public venue because dozens of seventh-graders were in Kimball’s courtroom as part of a class tour of the federal courthouse.

George said her client, who witnessed several family members being executed when he lived in Iraq, deals with severe mental health issues and that appearing before a courtroom full of children might possibly trigger emotions connected to his post traumatic stress disorder.

Kimball granted the request and moved the plea to his chambers.

Al-Rekabi’s federal charges came after a police officer pulled him over on June 17 and a search of his vehicle revealed a Browning .45-caliber firearm, according to a statement filed in advance of Al-Rekabi’s plea. Court documents indicate that Al-Rekabi initially planned to contest the weapons charges on the grounds that officers didn’t have a sufficient reason to pull him over.

An officer alleged that he stopped Al-Rekabi’s vehicle for either speeding or turning into a parking lot without signaling. During the stop, the officer claimed Al-Rekabi’s tattoos indicated he is a member of a "middle-eastern mafia," court documents state. But Al-Rekabi planned to argue his tattoo wasn’t gang-affiliated, but a tribute to the late West Coast rapper Tupac Shakur.
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