COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- A Columbia man serving a three-year federal prison sentence for sending money to his relatives in Iraq in defiance of U.S. sanctions has been released to a local halfway house.
The Columbia Missourian (http://bit.ly/1w4oido ) reports that Shakir Hamoodi will be eligible to complete his sentence under home detention if he can show proof of employment and a permanent residence.
The Iraqi-American was sentenced in May 2012 for sending more than $200,000 to family, friends and charities in Iraq while sanctions were in place between 1994 and 2003. He said his family needed the money for food and health care. Investigators found no proof that Hamoodi was aiding the Iraqi government.
The Bureau of Prisons says Hamoodi won't be allowed to return to the family business, a Columbia international grocery store.
Information from: Columbia Missourian, http://www.columbiamissourian.com