10 March – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – Two men have been arrested after being indicted in two separate cases by a federal grand jury on charges of making false reports that associates were planning or engaging in terrorist activities.
Juan Peter Delgado was arrested this morning after being indicted Tuesday for making a false report in 2004 that Arrowhead bottled water had been contaminated with methamphetamine. Delgado, a 33-year-old Los Angeles (90011) resident, was charged with one count of communicating false information regarding consumer product tainting. The false report was allegedly made to Nestle Waters of North America, the parent company of Arrowhead. The charge in the Delgado indictment carries a maximum possible penalty of five years in prison. Delgado is expected to make his initial court appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in Los Angeles.
In the second case, Khandaker Kabir was arrested yesterday morning on charges of conveying false information by sending e-mails to the FBI in which he claimed that another man was an Al Qaeda operative who was selling illegal cigarettes. The indictment, which was also returned on Tuesday, charges that Kabir conveyed false information that another man was an Al Qaeda operative and was planning to come to the United States to commit terrorist acts. Kabir, a 32-year-old Long Beach resident, was charged with six counts of filing false reports with the government in 2005. Each of the six charges carries a maximum possible penalty of five years in federal prison. During an initial court appearance yesterday afternoon, a United States Magistrate Judge released Kabir on a $15,000 bond and ordered the defendant to appear for an arraignment Monday morning in United States District Court.
“We consider the filing of bogus reports concerning terrorist activity to be a serious crime,” said United States Attorney Debra Wong Yang. “The conduct alleged in these two cases had the potential to divert important law enforcement resources from legitimate investigations.”
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has a committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
The two cases announced today are the result of investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
CONTACT: Assistant United States Attorney Nancy Kardon
(213) 894-0546
Release No. 06-029
