Men Sentenced In Robberies Directed By Elder

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 19 2006-- An attorney for one of five Somali men who pleaded guilty in a string of robberies says the men were directed by an elder or group of elders from their immigrant community. Gary Dicker, attorney for Muhadin Munye, said there appears to be at least one other gang robbing for a man called "Fagan," after a character in Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist" who taught orphans to steal.

The five men suspected in more than 25 robberies in August pleaded guilty to some of them this week in agreements with prosecutors. Police said the robberies were committed on the city's west side and in suburban Hilliard.

The robbers used guns to steal from pizza delivery drivers and men and women sitting in their cars, and invaded at least one home, prosecutors said.

All five face possible deportation after finishing their prison terms. Munye, 21, pleaded guilty to seven counts of aggravated robbery and was sentenced to nine years in prison.

"His parents were tortured to death in front of him in Somalia," Dicker said. "He faces deportation to Somalia ... a fate worse than prison."

Columbus has the second-largest population of Somalis in the United States, coming here starting in the 1990s to escape a civil war.

The four other men also pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery charges. Mohamed Margen, 22, and Jamal Yusuf, 20, each were sentenced to nine years in prison, and Mohamed Abdi, 19, and Abdillahi  

Source: Associated Press

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