Nasser Qayed Sentenced in Knoxville-Detroit Scheme Involving Contraband Cigarettes
| U.S. Attorney’s Office September 13, 2013 |
KNOXVILLE—On Friday, September 13, 2013, Nasser Qayed, 41, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced by the Honorable Leon Jordan, Senior U.S. District Court Judge, to serve 21 months in federal prison for his convictions of receiving and concealing stolen goods traveling in interstate commerce. Additionally, the court ordered him to pay $121,000 in restitution.
Qayed was a former convenience store operator in Detroit who participated in a Knoxville-to-Detroit contraband cigarette smuggling ring. He pleaded guilty in May 2012 to two counts of receiving and concealing stolen goods in interstate commerce.
The conviction of Qayed and others involved in this contraband cigarette smuggling ring was the result of a long-term undercover investigation by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Theodore represented the United States.