A convenience store owner was convicted Monday of extorting thousands of dollars from two employees.
After six days of deliberation, a jury found Ali Karimi, owner of five Zesty Market stores in Ottawa, guilty of criminally harassing and extorting money from two employees, as well as attempting to extort money from a third employee.
Karimi had accused the employees of theft, told them they had to pay back the money or he would call police and have them deported back to Iran.
He was found not guilty of one count of criminal harassment and one count of attempting to extort money from the wife of one of the two employees.
A mistrial was declared on two counts of possession of money obtained by crime.
Meanwhile, Nava Vosough, Karimi’s wife, was acquitted of two counts of criminal harassment as well as attempted extortion.
“This was a tough trial and we are profoundly grateful,” Ontario Superior Court Justice Lloyd Brennan told the jury, moments before excusing them following a fiveweek trial.
Afterward, assistant Crown attorney Riad Tallim questioned whether Karimi could be a flight risk and requested the judge alter the conditions of the man’s release.
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