Maad
United States v. Maad
Opinion
Lead Opinion
MEMORANDUM *
A confluence of extraordinary and unique events enveloped this case. These include the vandalism of an Anchorage print shop owned by Nezar Maad, an Arab-American, on September 22, 2001, less than two weeks after the tragic attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Maad’s print shop suffered extensive damage to its equipment and was defaced by the words “We hate Arabs.” The Anchorage community came together in an outpouring of support for Maad and his wife. Anchorage residents established a “Not In Our Town” fund to support the Maads. And the FBI launched a hate crime investigation into the vandalism of Maad’s store.
On December 11, 2001, federal prosecutors publicly announced that they were dropping the hate crime investigation. On the same day, the government charged Maad by a criminal complaint with committing bank fraud. On December 18, 2001, a grand jury returned an indictment.
The next day, December 19, 2001, the government stated in court during a bail hearing that Maad and his wife were suspects in the vandalism of Maad’s print shop.
The community turned against Maad and the “Not In Our Town” fund to support the Maads was immediately frozen.