A former Oklahoma college student was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for his role in an international counterfeiting scheme.
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Hamzat O. Gafar, 20, pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy charges in federal court in Oklahoma City. He admitted to distributing bogus rebate checks that had been mailed from Nigeria.
Gafar, a Nigerian citizen, was arrested in February after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials intercepted a package bound for his dormitory at Cameron University in Lawton, according to court papers. It contained more than $1.2 million in counterfeit checks.
Gafar’s attorney asked U.S. District Judge David Russell to sentence him to probation, arguing he did not profit from his role in the scheme.
Public defender Susan Otto said Gafar — who wants to be a pediatrician — was targeted by “unscrupulous people” in his home country. Now he is a convicted felon who must look elsewhere for the education that will allow him to achieve his dream.
Gafar will be deported once he is released from prison, Otto said, and likely barred from returning to the United States for a period of time.
Prosecutors said Gafar should be sentenced to prison, as recommended by federal sentencing guidelines, to deter other people who are involved in counterfeit schemes.
Russell opted for a lighter sentence than the one recommended by the guidelines.
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If this were Gene Stipe, Carroll Fisher, or any of the other leading citizens of Oklahoma, we'd all be looking for reasons why we should not convict them.
UR MASTER - tu is a moron that posts stuff just to get a rise out of normal people. Next time just ignore him. If everyone ignores him, he's not really here. :)
actually tu, you're the one to be commended. Anyone that can stroll through life without a job and spewing grade school stuff on a newspaper website 24/7 is truly amazing. Tell your Mom I said hi.
Commended for his actions?HE IS A CRIMINAL!What actions besides funding a terrorist group would that be.The soldiers in battle should be commended for fighting for YOUR right to spew that ignorance.And this dude wants to be a pediatrician.WTF
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Thank you for joining our conversations on NewsOK.com. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Leave a comment. Log in below or sign up (it's free).Editor's note: It is not our intent to offer comments on crime or fatality stories.