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Suspected FBI Hezbollah spy sentenced to … no jail time

posted at 7:03 pm on May 13, 2008 by Allahpundit
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She was here illegally, pursuant to a sham marriage she arranged with a U.S. citizen. She illegally accessed FBI records about herself and her brother-in-law not once but twice while working for the Bureau, a breach that warranted debriefings at the “highest levels of government.” Best of all, she was actually assigned to Baghdad for a time, where she spent her days interrogating Al Qaeda.

Total penalty for her various crimes: A $750 fine and off scot free. Exit question: Why didn’t the feds demand a jury trial instead of a bench trial?

Update: Ah, silly me. Debbie Schlussel e-mails to remind me that she pled guilty.


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Anyone else want to contact Michigan and scream at the Judge, who was obviously put in there via a liberal and is an idiot as well?

upinak on May 13, 2008 at 7:09 PM

Was Sandy Berger the judge?

right2bright on May 13, 2008 at 7:11 PM

Federal Judge Avern Cohn

Appointed by…Jimmy Carter.

amerpundit on May 13, 2008 at 7:12 PM

Because if she deserves any more time then a whole number of her FBI supervisors need to be shot? I would actually hope she has really done any damage.

freevillage on May 13, 2008 at 7:12 PM

The key word in your headline is ’suspected’.

passingtramp on May 13, 2008 at 7:13 PM

Uhm, has=hasn’t

freevillage on May 13, 2008 at 7:14 PM

Here is wiki’s bio of the judge:

Avern Cohn (born July 23, 1924) is a United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. He was appointed by President Jimmy Carter effective October 9, 1979.

Judge Cohn was born to Irwin I. and Sadie Levin Cohn. He attended the University of Michigan, John Tarleton Agricultural College, Stanford University, and Loyola School of Medicine. He served in the United States Army from 1943 to 1946. He received his JD from the University of Michigan Law School in 1949. He was admitted to the Michigan State Bar in December, 1949.

Judge Cohn engaged in private practice in the Law Office of Irwin I. Cohn from 1949 to 1961; and at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn from 1961 to 1979. Judge Cohn held the following public positions: Michigan Social Welfare Commission, 1963; Michigan Civil Rights Commission, 1972-1975 and served as Chair 1974-1975; Detroit Board of Police Commissioners, 1975-1979 and served as Chair 1979.

Perfect storm. Appointed by Carter, attended U of Michigan (just like William Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn!), lives in the state with a high Muslim population (see Dearbornistan), served on Social Welfare (read Socialist) Commission, ad nauseum.

Buy Danish on May 13, 2008 at 7:18 PM

Did I miss it? Is she at least going to be deported?

JAW on May 13, 2008 at 7:19 PM

Another miscarriage of justice.

TooTall on May 13, 2008 at 7:19 PM

As I commented in the headlines, un-freaking believable. Is the judge a spy as well?

Zorro on May 13, 2008 at 7:20 PM

She was here illegally

Maybe she was just doing the spying Americans won’t do.

trubble on May 13, 2008 at 7:21 PM

Detroit News.

A federal judge lavished praise Tuesday on an illegal alien who infiltrated the FBI and the CIA before her fraudulent marriage was discovered.

U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn revoked the citizenship of Nada Nadim Prouty and fined her $750. He criticized the government for the way it publicized Prouty’s case and the media for the way they reported it.

“You have rendered extraordinary services to the United States as an agent of the FBI and an employee of the CIA,” Cohn told Prouty. “At no time did you compromise any investigation from improper behavior or inappropriate conduct.”

Yep, this is a Jimmy Carter judge.

Ripclawe on May 13, 2008 at 7:27 PM

Exit question: Why didn’t the feds demand a jury trial instead of a bench trial?

Given the high population of Muslims sympathetic to Hezbolla in the area, they may have had justifyable concerns that they wouldn’t be able to get a conviction there- it only takes one holdout for a hung jury. They apparently didn’t anticipate that the judge would be a senile leftist retard.

Hollowpoint on May 13, 2008 at 7:28 PM

Did I miss it? Is she at least going to be deported?

JAW on May 13, 2008 at 7:19 PM

Do you mean the judge? or the spy…or both

right2bright on May 13, 2008 at 7:28 PM

Did I miss it? Is she at least going to be deported?

JAW on May 13, 2008 at 7:19 PM

nope

Cohn signed an order to deport Prouty but simultaneously signed a second order withholding the deportation. She will be able to stay in the U.S. but not work or travel outside the country without special permission.

On Monday, Cohn made similar comments when he sentenced a former U.S. marine, in a related case, for her sham marriage.

Samar Khalil Spinelli, 39, a highly decorated Marine captain who is a former roommate of Prouty, was fined $500 by Cohn.

“She has lost her citizenship and employment, her financial resources have been depleted, and the U.S. Marine Corps has lost the services of a first-rate officer,” Cohn said of Spinelli.

Ripclawe on May 13, 2008 at 7:29 PM

Ripclawe on May 13, 2008 at 7:27 PM

Unbelievable

right2bright on May 13, 2008 at 7:30 PM

“You have rendered extraordinary services to the United States as an agent of the FBI and an employee of the CIA,” Cohn told Prouty. “At no time did you compromise any investigation from improper behavior or inappropriate conduct.”

Even if he were to die tomorrow, Carter’s damage would still leave us vulnerable for God knows how long. Is there no aspect of policy, foreign or domestic, that Carter can’t screw up?

emailnuevo on May 13, 2008 at 7:30 PM

Sorry, is there any.

emailnuevo on May 13, 2008 at 7:31 PM

Even if he were to die tomorrow, Carter’s damage would still leave us vulnerable for God knows how long. Is there no aspect of policy, foreign or domestic, that Carter can’t screw up?

emailnuevo on May 13, 2008 at 7:30 PM

If there was ever a case that showed how important the judicial appointments are this is it. This may be one of the landmark cases.

right2bright on May 13, 2008 at 7:32 PM

From the Detroit newspaper article:

Prouty, formerly of Taylor, had faced up to six months in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States in obtaining citizenship and making unauthorized accesses to an FBI computer system to find out if she or her family members — including brother-in-law Talal Chahine — were being investigated by the federal government.

If the maximum sentence was only 6 months, that does make this a little less outrageous- but not much.

Hollowpoint on May 13, 2008 at 7:33 PM

Ripclawe on May 13, 2008 at 7:27 PM

What’s this about, do you think?

Cohn signed an order to deport Prouty but simultaneously signed a second order withholding the deportation. She will be able to stay in the U.S. but not work or travel outside the country without special permission.

Is that kinda like voting “present”?

Buy Danish on May 13, 2008 at 7:35 PM

Can you get a Judge like that off the Bench? And How?

upinak on May 13, 2008 at 7:46 PM

One word; impeachment.

Johan Klaus on May 13, 2008 at 7:47 PM

Republicans are going to begin impeachment hearings against this judge so fast our heads are gonna spin.

…yep, anytime now.

Buddahpundit on May 13, 2008 at 7:47 PM

Why didn’t the feds demand a jury trial instead of a bench trial?

Because the right to a jury trial belongs to the accused, not the gov’t.

greenonions on May 13, 2008 at 7:48 PM

My bad. This explains why she got off virtually scot-free:

Since leaving the CIA, Cranmer said, Prouty, a Certified Public Accountant, remains unemployed and spends most of her time volunteering at church.

Buy Danish on May 13, 2008 at 7:50 PM

Didn’t we used to hang people for this?

CurtZHP on May 13, 2008 at 8:06 PM

Wow, traitors getting judged by traitors. Our country is in an interesting place.

apollyonbob on May 13, 2008 at 8:14 PM

we are not going to win.

we cant beat these bastards.

blatantblue on May 13, 2008 at 8:19 PM

unfuckingbelievable.

sorry, but there’s not another way to say it.

Midas on May 13, 2008 at 8:20 PM

we are not going to win.

we cant beat these bastards.

blatantblue on May 13, 2008 at 8:19 PM

‘we’ apparently don’t really care to win.

Midas on May 13, 2008 at 8:20 PM

The judge should have given her at least 10 years for being guilty of ugly.

Seriously, the feds should appeal.

AZCON on May 13, 2008 at 8:22 PM

I say again

Yet if you pass info on to Israel . . . .

- The Cat

P.S. #$#$! #$#% @#@#!(Samuel L Jackson) &@$# #& _*# @#&! _&#$(&(Yosemite Sam)#$*& !@#&@* $#$&@ !#&#@$(Bob Saget)

MirCat on May 13, 2008 at 8:28 PM

Even if he were to die tomorrow, Carter’s damage would still leave us vulnerable for God knows how long. Is there no aspect of policy, foreign or domestic, that Carter can’t screw up?

emailnuevo on May 13, 2008 at 7:30 PM

But hey, Obama ‘08, for the good of the conservative movement.

funky chicken on May 13, 2008 at 8:39 PM

The FBI probable requested that she remains free to operate. I suspect that she is cooperating with the Feds at this point. Discovering the rest of the cell, and their connections to Carter, Obama, Soros, and Pelosi is more important than this one mole.

AZCON on May 13, 2008 at 8:45 PM

A federal judge lavished praise Tuesday on an illegal alien who infiltrated the FBI and the CIA before her fraudulent marriage was discovered.

U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn revoked the citizenship of Nada Nadim Prouty and fined her $750. He criticized the government for the way it publicized Prouty’s case and the media for the way they reported it.
…
Prouty’s only real crime, Cohn said, was a sham marriage when she was 19 years old. It’s understandable she did not want to return to war-torn Lebanon at the time, he said.

What an ass. It’s understandable that some poor person might want to steal cars and sell them for the money, too, but that hardly makes the action praiseworthy or excusable. What do these liberal jurists use for brains, anyway? ‘Tater Tots?

Socratease on May 13, 2008 at 8:48 PM

Even if he were to die tomorrow, Carter’s damage would still leave us vulnerable for God knows how long. Is there no aspect of policy, foreign or domestic, that Carter can’t screw up?

emailnuevo on May 13, 2008 at 7:30 PM

But hey, Obama ‘08, for the good of the conservative movement.

funky chicken on May 13, 2008 at 8:39 PM

QFT

- The Cat

MirCat on May 13, 2008 at 8:48 PM

If that’s all she did, I’m not upset by this. Sandy Berger did a lot worst and he got off scot free too.

Maxx on May 13, 2008 at 9:18 PM

Hey, give it a name.

see-dubya on May 13, 2008 at 9:19 PM

Exit question: Why didn’t the feds demand a jury trial instead of a bench trial?

Allah,
There was no trial. She pleaded guilty through a plea agreement with the feds. Either way, the federal judge would do the sentencing. And Avern Cohn is the worst. VERY liberal, allowed Muslim illegal aliens who paid off an INS inspector to come back to the U.S. after they were already deported, etc. I’ve written a lot about this creep, Cohn, here and here.
DS
DS

Debbie Schlussel on May 13, 2008 at 10:12 PM

Exit question: Why didn’t the feds demand a jury trial instead of a bench trial?

Allah,
There was no trial. She pleaded guilty through a plea agreement with the feds. Either way, the federal judge would do the sentencing. And Avern Cohn is the worst. VERY liberal, allowed Muslim illegal aliens who paid off an INS inspector to come back to the U.S. after they were already deported, etc. I’ve written a lot about this creep, Cohn, here and here.
DS

Debbie Schlussel on May 13, 2008 at 10:14 PM

She ought to get jail time just for having that mole thing on her face.

bloggless on May 13, 2008 at 10:38 PM

Another activist Judge… U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn appointed by President Jimmy Carter(D).

DANEgerus on May 13, 2008 at 10:46 PM

The FBI probably wanted this to go away quickly and quietly, before others learned how easy it is to game the system.

Alalazoo on May 13, 2008 at 10:50 PM

The Islamofascists must be a bunch of Moe/Larry/Curly types. They haven’t nuked us yet, even though they have our porous borders, their accomplices in Congress, & our leftist softies throughout our legal system helping them.

jgapinoy on May 14, 2008 at 12:25 AM

Heck, in Texas the democrats made car theft a misdemeanor.

Johan Klaus on May 14, 2008 at 12:29 AM

Cohn signed an order to deport Prouty but simultaneously signed a second order withholding the deportation. She will be able to stay in the U.S. but not work or travel outside the country without special permission.

Thus begins an entirely new level of illegal immigration pandering…a court order to NOT return to your country of citizenship.

James on May 14, 2008 at 7:54 AM

“The FBI probably wanted this to go away quickly and quietly, before others learned how easy it is to game the system.”

No. The FBI and CIA wanted this to go away because they F….d up, again.

davod on May 14, 2008 at 8:09 AM

There was no trial. She pleaded guilty through a plea agreement with the feds.

That’s still a trial, it’s just one where the fact-finding side is abbreviated because the defendant agrees to the facts and there’s no need to call witnesses.

greenonions on May 14, 2008 at 10:49 AM

On this account, it seems an even greater problem for the Americans is the sentencing judge, Avern Cohn, a U.S. District “Judge” for the Eastern District of Michigan. The judge has a name and a specific office and can be targeted for removal.

Kralizec on May 14, 2008 at 12:01 PM

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