Nakoula Basseley Nakoula: Jailed ‘Innocence Of Muslims’ Filmmaker Could Face Three Years In Prison

Nakoula Basseles Nakoula, the filmmaker behind Innocence of Muslims, could see up to three years in prison after being arrested Thursday for allegedly violating his parole.

At Nakoula’s appearance in court, probation offers recommended a 24-month term, but he faces up to three years if found guilty of his parole violation, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Nakoula Basseley Nakoula was brought to the court hearing under high security, with the public only able to watch through a video feed being shown in a separate courthouse blocks away from the actual hearing. Nakoula and his family had been in hiding amid threats to their safety, his attorney said.

At the hearing, Nakoula’s history of lies caught up with him. Magistrate Judge Suzanne H. Segal ordered him sent to jail, citing a “lengthy pattern of deception.” His alleged parole violations include making false statements to authorities over his film Innocence of Muslims.

He told probation officers that his role was limited only to the script and denied using the pseudonym Sam Bacile. Investigators soon found out that Nakoula Basseley Nakoula’s role on Innocence of Muslims was “much more expansive” than simply writing the script, and he could now face a criminal charge for lying about his role.

Though Nakoula Basseley Nakoula was forbidden from using a computer, prosecutors said none of his violations relate to using the internet. A trailer for Innocence of Muslims was uploaded to YouTube, sending outrage throughout the Muslim work and leading to demonstrations in Egypt and Libya, where a group killed four American.

Authorities also found out that Nakoula Basseley Nakoula had been using a third alias, The Associated Press reported. Aside from going by Sam Bacile, a name he used when soliciting donations from Jewish benefactors for the film, Basseley also told a judge his real name was Mark Basseley Youseff, authorities said.