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Re: illegals

Cable thief pleads guilty

The Des Moines man who made thousands of illegal connections gets a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

By JEFF ECKHOFF
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
March 23, 2005
A Des Moines cable television thief responsible for an estimated 10,000 illegal hookups over the past two decades will spend up to 15 years in state prison.

Luqman Abdul-Aziz, 59, pleaded guilty Tuesday of five aggravated misdemeanors. He also acknowledged that enough evidence exists to find him guilty of pilfering Mediacom Communications equipment, which brought a separate felony charge.

As part of the plea agreement, authorities dropped an "ongoing criminal conduct" charge that could have netted Abdul-Aziz another 25 years in prison.

Assistant Polk County Attorney John Judisch said Tuesday's sentence was appropriate given the "ongoing and repeated nature" of Abdul-Aziz's actions.

Authorities argued during Abdul-Aziz's aborted February trial that his 15-year career as an illegal cable installer involved charging people fees of $90 or $100 per hookup. The initial payment would buy customers six months or a year of guaranteed cable service - meaning Abdul-Aziz would return if for some reason the illegal cable was disconnected.

Mediacom officials caught up with Abdul-Aziz last summer after an irate apartment manager confronted a suspicious man who hung around his building's cable service box.

Abdul-Aziz cut a deal with prosecutors after the second day of a trial in which he attempted to be his own attorney.

After a lengthy incarceration, "I have had the opportunity to go through a lot of things in my mind," Abdul-Aziz said Tuesday. "I am truly sorry for anything that I may have done that may have caused anybody any problems."
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