Youssef Hmimssa
Encyclopedia
Youssef Hmimssa is a citizen of Morocco
, who was convicted in a Detroit, Michigan
court of fraud
and who was a key witness in the case against the Detroit Sleeper Cell
.
Hmimssa left Morocco in 1990, when he was 18. He spent the next four years in Europe, using false identity papers under the name Patrick Vuillame.
In 1994 he arrived in the USA. Hmimssa claims that other than living under a false identity he wasn't breaking any laws. He drove a cab, in Chicago
, Illinois
while he took computer classes. In 1999 he received a Microsoft
certified assistant engineer certificate.
Hmimssa says he was cheated of two months pay at his last computer job. He said the firm purposely hired illegal immigrants, knowing it could cheat them of their pay, without repercussions. He claimed this drove him to a life of crime.
Hmimssa returned to driving cab, and acquired a clandestine credit card reader, and stole the information necessary to duplicate hundreds of credit cards from his cab fares.
In 2001 he moved to Detroit, where he met the men he testified against in the sleeper cell case. Richard Convertino
characterized the defendants as "Takfiris" -- Jihadists so radical they would refrain from praying, and drink alcohol, so they could pass as westernised, secular Muslims, in order to plan clandestine terrorist attacks.
But the case unraveled on Hmimssa's testimony.
The main problem with this news was that Youssef Hmimssa was already incarcerated in Milan, Michigan before and during the 9-11 attacks. When his face flashed across American televisions just after the 9/11 attacks, security guards at Milan, Michigan, were alerted to his whereabouts. When prisoners were intimidated into silence concerning Mr. Hmimssa, a call was then made to Barbera Ann Wood, a former U.S. Customs officer and mother of one of the inmates. She was asked to notify the F.B.I. directly because the B.O.P. and Federal officers at Milan were uncooperative in bringing this information forward. The day after the F.B.I. was notified of his location, news went out that Mr. Hmimssa was located, apprehended, and transferred directly to Milan, Michigan.
Federal B.O.P. records show that Mr. Hmimssa was reported at Milan even though Public Information concerning this alleged criminal portrays a different set of circumstances.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, who was convicted in a Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
court of fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
and who was a key witness in the case against the Detroit Sleeper Cell
Detroit Sleeper Cell
The Detroit Sleeper Cell is a group of men of Middle-Eastern descent who the United States Department of Justice believed were plotting an attack on Disneyland. The members of the alleged cell were Farouk Ali-Haimoud, Ahmed Hannan, Karim Koubriti, and Abdel Ilah Elmardoudi.-Trial:While on a trip...
.
Hmimssa left Morocco in 1990, when he was 18. He spent the next four years in Europe, using false identity papers under the name Patrick Vuillame.
In 1994 he arrived in the USA. Hmimssa claims that other than living under a false identity he wasn't breaking any laws. He drove a cab, in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
while he took computer classes. In 1999 he received a Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
certified assistant engineer certificate.
Hmimssa says he was cheated of two months pay at his last computer job. He said the firm purposely hired illegal immigrants, knowing it could cheat them of their pay, without repercussions. He claimed this drove him to a life of crime.
Hmimssa returned to driving cab, and acquired a clandestine credit card reader, and stole the information necessary to duplicate hundreds of credit cards from his cab fares.
In 2001 he moved to Detroit, where he met the men he testified against in the sleeper cell case. Richard Convertino
Richard Convertino
Richard Convertino is a former federal prosecutor in Detroit, Michigan. Convertino was the lead Assistant U.S. Attorney in the "Detroit Sleeper Cell" prosecutions of Karim Koubriti and Abdel-Ilah Elmardoudi. However, the U.S...
characterized the defendants as "Takfiris" -- Jihadists so radical they would refrain from praying, and drink alcohol, so they could pass as westernised, secular Muslims, in order to plan clandestine terrorist attacks.
But the case unraveled on Hmimssa's testimony.
Alleged Role in the aftermath of 9/11
Immediately after 9/11, news organizations across America portrayed Youssef Hmimssa as "The Most Wanted Man in the United States" and the key to a Terrorist Sleeper cell in Detroit.The main problem with this news was that Youssef Hmimssa was already incarcerated in Milan, Michigan before and during the 9-11 attacks. When his face flashed across American televisions just after the 9/11 attacks, security guards at Milan, Michigan, were alerted to his whereabouts. When prisoners were intimidated into silence concerning Mr. Hmimssa, a call was then made to Barbera Ann Wood, a former U.S. Customs officer and mother of one of the inmates. She was asked to notify the F.B.I. directly because the B.O.P. and Federal officers at Milan were uncooperative in bringing this information forward. The day after the F.B.I. was notified of his location, news went out that Mr. Hmimssa was located, apprehended, and transferred directly to Milan, Michigan.
Federal B.O.P. records show that Mr. Hmimssa was reported at Milan even though Public Information concerning this alleged criminal portrays a different set of circumstances.