West Covina Muslim man jailed after spies infiltrate mosque

A Diamond Bar man is being held in a secretive federal prison and his family believes he was targeted for investigation by authorities because of his faith.

Seyed Mousavi, 51, was convicted of filing false tax returns, omitting information on naturalization forms and violating an economic embargo against Iran, officials said. He is being held in a Communication Management Unit (CMU) in Indiana and is largely isolated from his family and friends.

"This prosecution was a travesty," said Ron Kaye, an attorney representing Mousavi. "I think he's innocent of virtually every charge."

Despite a recent speech at Cairo University that was well-received by U.S. Muslims, local Muslim Americans like the Mousavi family said much damage has been done at home by tactics used by the FBI, which included sending spies into mosques.

"I just felt betrayed by my country," said Mousavi's daughter, Zeinab, 26. "My dad's been a good citizen and he's helped society a lot."

Craig Monteilh, 46, of Irvine, said he infiltrated nearly a dozen area mosques as an informant for the FBI, and that his activities led to Seyed Mousavi's arrest.

Monteilh recently announced he is suing the bureau for $10 million in damages for informant fees he allegedly never received, and for what he said was mishandling and unfair treatment.

"I infiltrated 11 mosques and was under cover 14 months," he said. "They trained me to be very good at what I did. They trained me on the basics of Islam and how to progress in Islam where it doesn't trigger any suspicion, to make it look authentic."

He spied on Southern California Muslims between December 2006 and April 2007, Monteilh said.

FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller defended the agency.

"The FBI conducts investigations when it receives allegations of criminal activity or threats to national security," she said. "The FBI does not investigate (people) based strictly on religious beliefs, or for exercising First Amendment rights."

The FBI did, however, hire spies to go into several area mosques.

In April, an Orange County judge ordered the Bureau to release surveillance memos pertaining to Southern California Muslim organizations.

Mousavi was not convicted on any terrorism-related charges, but last October was sentenced to 33 months in prison.

He was denied bail before his trial, his family said.

His attorney's requests for a new trial were denied, but the decision is in the process of being appealed, his attorney said.

Mousavi's arrest, and current detention at the CMU in Terre Haute, Ind., have sparked an outcry in the local Muslim community. They believe they were targeted because of their faith.

The CMU opened in 2006 and houses more than 200 inmates - most of whom are Muslim men of Middle Eastern decent, according to reporting by the Washington Post.

Few of the inmates at the CMU have been convicted of terrorism-related charges, said civil rights attorney Nagwa Ibrahim, who visited Mousavi in May.

"People at the CMU are only allowed 4 hours of non-contact visits from family members, and only during the work week," she said. "They're only allowed 15 minutes phone call time per week, and they can only call during the daytime. They're really cut off from their families and friends."

The Federal Bureau of Prisons is responsible for deciding where prisoners are housed after conviction, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

No one from the Bureau of Prisons could be reached last week.

Zeinab Mousavi said because of travel costs and limited visiting hours, the family has only visited her father once.

The situation has shaken Zainab Rasoule, Al Nabi mosque member and friend of Masouli's family.

She said some mosque members are now afraid to practice their faith.

"I really take it badly when I see the Constitution being bulldozed," she said. "Once rights have been taken away from one group of people, they can be taken from everybody."

Nahib Mousavi, Seyed's wife, said she is haunted by memories of the early summer morning in 2006 when she was rattled awake by federal authorities pounding on her door with a search warrant.

Later, she found out agents had served search warrants at the West Covina mosque the family attends as well.

"This is a hard time for us," she said. "My kids miss their dad."