NY mosque leaders' convictions upheld

A federal appeals court has upheld the convictions of two New York mosque leaders who were convicted on money laundering charges in a sting involving a fake missile plot.

The Manhattan appeals court says Yassin Aref, the imam at an Albany mosque, and Mohammed Hossain, a pizzeria owner who attended the mosque, received fair trials.

The ruling was Wednesday. Their defense lawyers had argued to the appeals court that the government unfairly entrapped their clients.

The mosque was raided by the FBI in August 2004 after a yearlong investigation. They were convicted of laundering money through fake loans from 2003 to 2004 for a Pakistani businessman and FBI informant posing as an arms dealer.

Each was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)