Anti-Muslim filmmaker denies violating probation terms

LOS ANGELES - A Southern Calif-based man who was responsible for the making of anti-Muslim film "Innocence of Muslims" denied on Wednesday that he violated eight allegations of probation terms stemming from a bank fraud case.

US District Judge Christina Snyder has scheduled an evidentiary hearing for Nov 9.

Mark Basseley Youssef, who was previously known as Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, insisted at a short proceeding at a downtown Los Angeles courtroom that contrary to what the federal prosecutors have alleged, he did not use various aliases or make false statements last month to the officer overseeing his court-ordered probation in the 2010 case.

Youssef, 55, who lived in Cerritos, Calif, had remained in hiding after a 14-minute clip of the controversial film posted on YouTube sparked waves of violent protests across the Islamic world.

He was ordered by a federal magistrate judge last month to be held without bail,deeming him a flight risk and a danger to the community.

Federal probation officers have recommended that Youssef be sentenced to a two-year prison term, prosecutors said.

Youssef was convicted on bank fraud, identity theft and two other counts in June 2010. He was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison.

The man was also ordered to pay 794,700.57 dollars in restitution before he was released in June 2011.

As part of his five-year probation terms, Youssef was ordered not to use aliases to own or use device with access to the Internet without approval from his probation officer. He was also not allowed to enlisting others to access the Internet for him.

The film, which is made mostly in Youssef's house on a $250,000 budget, portrays the Prophet Muhammad as a womanizer and child abuser.

A trailer set off violent and outrageous protests in Cairo, Egypt, Benghazi, Libya and Sanaa, Yemen. The violent protest in Libyan US consulate took the lives of US diplomat in that country along with three other US diplomatic staffs.