Showing posts with label Cedar Rapids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cedar Rapids. Show all posts
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Flood Forces 20,000 Cedar Rapids Residents To Flee
Today is a sunny day in Iowa City/Coralville, but it doesn't matter, because the waters continue to rise, with more bridges to close here. The levee has broken in Des Moines, with devestating effect, and Cedar Rapids continues to be inundated with water.
The top story on Yahoo News concerns Cedar Rapids, and at least 20,000 people who have been forced out of their homes:
Days after it rose out of its banks on its way to record flooding in Cedar Rapids, the Cedar River has forced at least 20,000 people from their homes, officials said Saturday.
Officials guess it will be four days before the Cedar River drops enough for workers to even begin pumping out water that has submerged more than 400 blocks, threatened the city's drinking supply and forced the evacuation of a downtown hospital.
"We're estimating at least a couple of weeks before the flood levels get down right around flood stage and below," said Dustin Hinrichs of the Linn County emergency operations center.
The Cedar River crested Friday night at nearly 32 feet, 12 feet higher than the old record set in 1929.
link to full story
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Terrorist Pleads Guilty
In a report today it would seem that we will not get to find out what Mr. Abdel-Ilah Elmardoudi would say in a Federal court case which was to begin on July 17th, because he plead guilty today.
He plead guilty to a federal charge of misuse of Social Security numbers and he will be sentenced after a presentence investigation report is prepared.
Mr. Elmardoudi had filed four motions to dimiss, but late last week, United States Disctrict Chief Judge Linda Reade decline to dismiss his charges. At a late afternoon hearing, Mr. Elmardoudi pleaded guilty to the Social Security charge before United States Magistrate Judge Jon Scoles.
He made this deal and now only faces up to five years in prison, and has been held nearly that long already. Since November 2002, when he was arrested in North Carolina, at which time he faced charges in Michigan and Iowa. a Michigan pro-terrorists rights judge dismissed terrorism charges, because of prosecutorial "misconduct" and then the moron prosecutor dismissed the documents charges.
I am very interested why they chose to give this Terrorist Suspect such a reduced charge, and I am not feeling safer for this DEAL, are you???!!
He plead guilty to a federal charge of misuse of Social Security numbers and he will be sentenced after a presentence investigation report is prepared.
Mr. Elmardoudi had filed four motions to dimiss, but late last week, United States Disctrict Chief Judge Linda Reade decline to dismiss his charges. At a late afternoon hearing, Mr. Elmardoudi pleaded guilty to the Social Security charge before United States Magistrate Judge Jon Scoles.
He made this deal and now only faces up to five years in prison, and has been held nearly that long already. Since November 2002, when he was arrested in North Carolina, at which time he faced charges in Michigan and Iowa. a Michigan pro-terrorists rights judge dismissed terrorism charges, because of prosecutorial "misconduct" and then the moron prosecutor dismissed the documents charges.
I am very interested why they chose to give this Terrorist Suspect such a reduced charge, and I am not feeling safer for this DEAL, are you???!!
Monday, July 09, 2007
Cedar Rapids To Host Terror Suspect Trial
There is an interesting story unfolding right here in eastern iowa. On July 16th, Abdel-liah Elmardoudi, a 41 year old Moroccan, is to go on trial in federal court, in Cedar Rapids, on charges of conspiring with others to create fake visas, alien registration cards, and other documents. He also is accused of obtaining fraudulent Social Security numbers and cards for foreign nationals living in the United States, and being part of a terror cell, with plans against the United States.
Mr. Elmardoudi is trying to get the federal court to dismiss his case here in Iowa, because the ket prosecution witness is a known liar.
This case is also intertwined with federal charges in Michigan and Minnesota, so we shall see how it all plays out over the next few weeks. It is the first case of its' kind post 9/11. The scheme supposedly started in July 2001, shortly before 9/11, when Youssef Hmimssa, a computer expert and scam artist, and at least 20 people were brought to Iowa to get Social Security cards, backed up by counterfeit documents. Elmardoudi is accused of getting at least two of the Social Security numbers for himself under different aliases. His known aliases are Abdullah, Hussein Mohsen Safieddine, Egyptian national George Labibe, and French national Jean-Pierre Tardelli. He then used the Social Security cards to open bank accounts , got jobs, found housing, applied for credit cards, and obtained identification cards or driver's licenses in Iowa and elsewhere.
Mr. Elmardoudi has tried to say that his charges must be dropped, because he has not been given a speedy trial, even though he has been causing delays all through the process. He had fled in 2001, and he has asked for or agreed to continuances, and has refused efforts to negotiate a plea agreement that would have encompassed charges in Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota, according to assistant United States Attorney Kandice Wilcox, who will be prosecuting the case against Mr. Elmardoudi.
There is much more extensive coverage of this case on the news and I am sure it will be written about extensively as the trial begins. It should be interesting to see just how easy it was for these people to operate under our laws and obtain documents that made them appear to be legal citizens. Just one more argument against immigration reform and its' TAMPER PROOF identification cards!!
Mr. Elmardoudi is trying to get the federal court to dismiss his case here in Iowa, because the ket prosecution witness is a known liar.
This case is also intertwined with federal charges in Michigan and Minnesota, so we shall see how it all plays out over the next few weeks. It is the first case of its' kind post 9/11. The scheme supposedly started in July 2001, shortly before 9/11, when Youssef Hmimssa, a computer expert and scam artist, and at least 20 people were brought to Iowa to get Social Security cards, backed up by counterfeit documents. Elmardoudi is accused of getting at least two of the Social Security numbers for himself under different aliases. His known aliases are Abdullah, Hussein Mohsen Safieddine, Egyptian national George Labibe, and French national Jean-Pierre Tardelli. He then used the Social Security cards to open bank accounts , got jobs, found housing, applied for credit cards, and obtained identification cards or driver's licenses in Iowa and elsewhere.
Mr. Elmardoudi has tried to say that his charges must be dropped, because he has not been given a speedy trial, even though he has been causing delays all through the process. He had fled in 2001, and he has asked for or agreed to continuances, and has refused efforts to negotiate a plea agreement that would have encompassed charges in Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota, according to assistant United States Attorney Kandice Wilcox, who will be prosecuting the case against Mr. Elmardoudi.
There is much more extensive coverage of this case on the news and I am sure it will be written about extensively as the trial begins. It should be interesting to see just how easy it was for these people to operate under our laws and obtain documents that made them appear to be legal citizens. Just one more argument against immigration reform and its' TAMPER PROOF identification cards!!
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