The U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Pennsylvania released the below information:
PHILADELPHIA – Acting United
States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Behzad Sabagh, a/k/a
“Ben Sabagh,” 39, of Philadelphia, PA, was arrested and charged by Indictment
with multiple counts of retaliating against a witness and tampering with a
witness, stemming from a case in which he was previously convicted of bribing
an employee of the City of Philadelphia in April 2019.
As set
forth in the Indictment, in May 2018, Sabagh was charged criminally with honest
services wire fraud, arising from his payment of bribes to a City of
Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office employee. From December 2019 until March 2020,
after Sabagh pleaded guilty to the fraud charges and completed his
court-ordered sentence, he is alleged to have sent threatening text messages to
an individual who was also charged in connection with the prior case and who
had agreed to plead guilty and cooperate with law enforcement officials as a
witness against Sabagh.
According
to the Indictment, while the witness was awaiting sentencing, the defendant
sent text messages in which he violently threatened the witness with sexual
assault while in prison, threatened to sexually assault the witness’s wife
while the witness was in prison, and threatened their children. The Indictment
charges Sabagh with nine counts of retaliating against a witness and one count
of tampering with a witness.
“Witness
intimidation undermines the entire criminal justice system and will be dealt
with swiftly and severely,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Williams. “Here, Sabagh
allegedly threatened a witness in a most contemptible way, after his conviction
and sentence had been served as though his actions would have no
consequences. These charges demonstrate that he is absolutely wrong.”
“Our
justice system depends on witnesses truthfully testifying as to what they
know,” said Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's
Philadelphia Division. “Retaliating against a cooperating witness sends a
chilling message both to that person and the community at large. Bottom line: ensuring
the safety of federal witnesses both before and after a prosecution is
paramount, and the FBI takes Sabagh’s alleged acts extremely seriously.”
If
convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of up to 200 years
in prison, a $2,500,000 fine, a $1,000 special assessment, and restitution.
The
case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being
prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah L. Grieb and Christopher
Diviny.
An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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