If you didn't spot the name Nakoula Basseley Nakoulam during the end credits of the anti-Islam film "Innocence of Muslims," you're not alone. The AP reports that Nakoula allegedly used the alias Sam Bacile to cover his involvement with the project that has spurred violent riots in Yemen, Egypt, and Libya. The alleged writer and director of the film is a 55 year old Coptic Christian from southern California.
The AP tracked down Nakoula by tracing a cell phone number that "Sam Bacile" used to speak to Morris Sadek, a man who has actively promoted "Innocence" online, leading them to his home in Los Angeles. He claims to have just managed the financial aspects of the film's production, but court papers from a 2010 prosecution reveal that Nakoula has used a number of aliases, such as Robert Bacily and Nicola Bacily. Nakoula's history of using aliases that play off his middle name, Basseley, does not speak well to the truthfulness of his denials.
According to the AP, Nakoula was found guilty of federal bank fraud charges in 2010. In addition to a $790,000 fine and a 21 month sentence in federal prison, he was "ordered not to use computers or the Internet for five years without approval from his probation officer."
The agency's report notes that "Nakoula set up fraudulent bank accounts using stolen identities and Social Security numbers; then, checks from those accounts would be deposited into other bogus accounts from which Nakoula would withdraw money at ATM machines."
The cast of the film, which was edited extensively after the actors took part in its production, expressed disgust at the final product.
Cast member Cindy Lee Garcia spoke to KERO-TV about the issue.
"When I found out this movie had caused all this havoc, I called Sam and asked him why, what happened, why did he do this? I said, 'Why did you do this to us, to me and to us?' And he said, 'Tell the world that it wasn't you that did it, it was me, the one who wrote the script, because I'm tired of the radical Muslims running around killing everyone."'