 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A jury began deliberating Tuesday in the case of an Indiana truck driver accused of conspiring to sell U.S. intelligence secrets to Saddam Hussein's government. Shaaban Hafiz Ahmad Ali Shaaban, 53, is accused of meeting with an Iraqi intelligence officer at a Baghdad hotel in late 2002 and agreeing to sell the names of U.S. operatives for $3 million. The jury deliberated for eight hours and planned to reconvene Wednesday morning.
| This really shouldn't be too hard, either he was there or he wasn't. |
Shaaban was indicted in March on counts including conspiracy, acting as a foreign agent and violating sanctions. If convicted, he faces as many as 65 years in prison and more than $1.5 million in fines.
Shaaban, who represented himself during his trial with the help of two standby public defenders, repeated during his closing arguments his contention that the government has mistaken him for a now-dead identical twin. But Assistant U.S. Attorney reminded jurors that witnesses testified no such twin exists.
Shaaban was working as a truck driver and living near Indianapolis when he was arrested in March. |