Mark Basseley Youssef, the California man behind Innocence of Muslims, is going to prison, although not for the Islam-goading movie he made.
The Associated Press (via the New York Daily News) is reporting that U.S. District Court Judge, Christina Snyder, sentenced Youssef — who's also been identified in media reports as Nakoula Basseley — to one year in the big house after he admitted to four of eight alleged probation violations stemming from a 2010 bank fraud conviction, including obtaining a fraudulent California drivers license.
None of the violations had to do with the content of "Innocence of Muslims," a film that depicts Mohammad as a religious fraud, pedophile and a womanizer. The movie sparked violence in Libya and other parts of the Middle East, killing dozens.
Although a film as amateurishly made as Innocence of Muslims should be a crime, Youssef's inflammatory film is protected under the First Amendment. As George Clooney told Movieline, the film excerpt that appeared on YouTube "made me mad and I’m not Muslim," adding: "The simple truth is that in order to make [democracy] work, the idiots get to have their say, too.
Read more of Movieline's coverage on Innocence of Muslims:
After Innocence Of Muslims, 2 Possible Muhammad Pics On The Way
Innocence of Muslims Filmmaker Nakoula Basseley Unmasked By New York Tabloids
Was Inflammatory Innocence Of Muslims Film Directed By Karate Cop, Happy Hooker Schlock Veteran?
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