Kuwaiti UMKC student up on counterfeiting charges

This is Ahmed N. Dashti, 24, citizen of Kuwait. He's been your neighbor in Mission. He's a fourth-year student at UMKC, studying civil engineering and business.
He's traveled often to Iran, Great Britain and his home country in recent years, federal authorities say. He's got a Social Security number. And he got a Fed-Ex package from Kuwait Jan. 12, intercepted by the feds, allegedly containing a crayon-quality counterfeit U.S. Treasury check for $250,000.
Feds filed a six-page complaint against Dashti last week, detailing the interception of the package in Memphis; and a federal grand jury in Topeka indicted him yesterday.
In the complaint, Dashti seems to say the check was part of a Nigerian scam in which he was the victim. It also says Dashti's in this country on a non-immigrant student visa authorizing on-campus employment only.
The charge carryies up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Dashti is innocent until proven guilty.

Comments

[Steve]

Does anybody proofread this drivel?

I mean, seriously, it is wreckless for this to be posted on the Kansas City Star website. Even if it is a "blog" and an opinion piece, it should be removed for reason of literary disgrace alone.

I think this is highly irresponsible. I mean it gives the man's home address. I too was victim of a scam exactly like this out of Nigeria. Just because the accused in a Kuwati citizen does not automatically make him guilty. How dare someone post his address like that. If someone vandalizes his property or injures the accused, then the KC STAR SHOULD be held responsible for posting this information

[tomcat]

I've never seen the "innocent until proven guilty" reference on here before... why did this guy qualify?

[Kyle Gustafson]

Hi Greg,

Given the feedback to this posting, maybe you should explain yourself to the public? Perhaps an apology to Mr. Dashti for printing his home address. Perhaps an apology to the readership of the Star for this anti-immigrant commentary? He is innocent until proven otherwise, but your tone is so sarcastic and full of condemnation that the objective reader is likely to form a very slanted opinion of the accused. I think it is embarassing to the city that your personal views are given top billing on this website. There is a reason why opinion columns are on "page 6."

--Kyle

[Mike]

You're supposed to be a professional journalist working for one of the major institutions in this city. You've been criticized for this kind of story before. This is highly unprofessional, and unethical, for a man in your position. This man was indicted, not convicted. If he is convicted, there is then plenty of time to post the story and photo, and more power to you. There is not any worth-while reason to print a photo and address of someone who is only charged with a crime. I expect the conduct of reporters for the Star to be above the fray, to conduct themselves in a manner above reproach, to set the example of conduct for others. This is extremely disappointing.

[farshid]

i sure hope he sue kansas city star big for printing his address.and hope put big dent in kc star to stope finishing the big ugly building in down town

[Tony]

If he's innocent until proven guilty Greg, than why post his address? Does the Star give that same treatment to everyone accused of a crime?

I'm pretty sure this is just another case of you celebrating the arrest of another brown person Greg.

http://tonyskansascity.com/2005/10/say-cheese-black-guys.html

If this is the kind of content the Star comes up with, it doesn't represent a threat to local bloggers whatsoever.

Seriously, Greg, it would be embarrassing to read if it wasn't so funny.

[John Fairheart]

Ahmed N. Dashti is not a criminal for receiving a dodgy cheque. The Nigerian scam happens all over the world -- In fact I have half a dozen of these cheques on my wall at home. I suppose that makes me a criminal too huh Greg?

I work for a online fraud victim support and information site and this kind of media 'coverage' does not help our cause in assuring VICTIMS that they are not going to get into trouble. Being slated by the press for being an innocent victim does nobody any favours except to gloryfy what the Nigerian scammers are doing.

Greg, you should be ashamed of yourself, and whatever authority oversees what you do should terminate your employment. This is gutter press at it's very lowest.

JF

The editors of the paper should also be brought up here. They are the ones who allow crap like this to be published. I also agree with the person who said he should sue for listing his personal information. Maybe then the people at the star might think twice about what they write. This is just wrong in so many ways.

The personal information is contained in the indictment, which is public record. But I agree that I see no point in further publicizing it.

As a matter of proof, if the feds were seriously interested in busting the guy for the counterfeit check, they would have waited for him to deposit it. He's got an obvious defense to the "intent" element of the crime. But I don't think they're serious about it. They'll just nail him on immigration charges.

[John]

Huge diference between here and the girl that was "accused" of killing her mother. I wonder if you published her address if she would have gotten this kind of support.

Maybe this blog will start posting the names and addresses of rape victims as well.

[Crime Scene KC]

Folks,
1) This isn't his exact address. It's an apartment building.
2) The Star prints photos of accused persons at the time of the indictment or charge all the time. This was no different.
3) The Star, like most newspapers, also seldom if ever says "innocent until proven guilty" in stories about criminal charges. I started doing so because, obviously from the comments here, sensibilities of online readers are different.
4) Everything in this post comes from the federal complaint, which is an open public document accessible to anyone. The feds put those details in the complaint for a reason - relevance to the case. That's why I included them. And I posted this case because it is highly unusual.
Greg Reeves

[ScooterJ]

Okay, so you didn't reveal his apartment number. But checking maps.google.com it looks like a building with maybe 6 units in it. Since you've provided his photo too, it'd take all of about 3 minutes for some vigilante to track him down.

[Mike]

As you attempt to tap dance your way out of this, there is a huge difference between what is public record or public access, and what you and the Star publish for the viewership of several hundred thousand readers. I don't see local news channels broadcasting photos and addresses of indictments. Maybe the Star does need the taste of a good lawsuit for smearing a person's life. Then there was the heavy, very obvious bias in your muck journalism. What, because he was brown, Arab, Muslim? Your justification is just deceit piled on more deceit.
Are you getting the picture from the feedback for this story? Stop using indictments as a platform for your soapbox rants!

[Tits McGee]

Greg

nice job in cleaning, er, I mean clarifying your comments. Well done. I think addresses and pictures should be left off this forum.

The comments by Farshid are hilarious. Someone should clean the white-out off his computer screen. That's terrible. What is that person, like 2. This forum is for people who have some intellect. Farshid leave the commenting to the adults

SO GREG, ARE YOU SAYING A 24 YR OLD MALE KANSAS - KUMC STUDENT REC'D MONIES FROM HOME. ARE YOU UPSET BECAUSE THE COUNTERFIT $250,000 COULD HAVE BEEN CASHED & USED, ARE YOU THINKING THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE, ARE YOU SAYING IT IS EXPENSIVE ATTENDING KUMC, OR ARE YOU SAYING WHAT WOULD A KUMC STUDENT NEED $250,000 FOR LIVING IN KANSAS. I AM A POOR MISSOURIAN, DO YOU THINK IF I WRITE HIM HE'LL GIVE ME A LOAN? I'VE GOT HIS ADDRESS.....

[bill elliot]

Hey greg, I just did a search on this countys public records site. I found your home address and info on your home loan (I think it is the same greg reeves, but who cares). Would mind if I bought a front page add in the star and posted it? After all, it is just public record stuff.

http://records.co.jackson.mo.us/search.asp?cabinet=opr

[Tits McGee]

Mr. Elliot, if that is your real name, who the heck are you? Would you like it I threatened you with making your information available on this site? If not, then shut up. This site is only for us intellectuals.

[Kyle Gustafson]

These blog entries are funny, and probably much more entertaining than the typical news story you can read on a paper's website. For that reason, Greg, I commend your efforts for www.kansascity.com, despite any overtones of racism and discrimination that have seriously damaged your credibility. Most of us readers can notice your bias, but unfortunately the blog pretends to be reporting the news.

Editors: put the opinion blogs under the opinion heading of the website. Stop this before the paper loses face, instead of just Greg Reeves.

--Kyle

[Tits McGee]

Will the real Tits McGee please stand up! Standing.

No more FAKE TITS mcgee

[Crime Scene KC]

The point of the post never was the address, and "Mission" is as good as what I wrote, so I've changed it to that.

This won't make everybody happy, so I'm leaving the headline on kansascity.com over the weekend for further targeting.

I can't remember the last time I didn't post a mugshot sent to me by law enforcement. I'll continue to do so, whatever the stage of proceedings and whoever the person. This pic, yes, I dl'ed off the WyCo SO Website.

I'll be happy to take up all these issues again Monday - continue to tap-dance, as Mike put it. Tap tap tap. :)

[Kyle Gustafson]

Greg,

It was a good move to take off the Mission address from the blog, and a good move to place the blog away from the major news headlines on the site layout. Thank you.

Now, I am willing to propose that many of the people responding to your blog are just overreacting to some perceived political incorrectness (myself included). Putting that aside, why do you find this case "highly unusual?" Haven't you heard of these Nigerian scams before?

--Kyle

[Nico]

But McGee does have fake tits...

[Tits Mc Gee]

Will the real Tits McGee please stand up! Standing.

No more FAKE TITS mcgee

I AM THE REAL TITS MC GEE.

THIS MAN TRIED TO IMPERSONATE ME>

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