He was once accused of supporting terrorism.
Those accusations disappeared and Sharif Omar on Monday was sentenced for something much more common in Utah -- fraud.
U.S. District Court Judge Dale Kimball sentenced Omar to one year and one day in prison. In December, Omar pleaded guilty to three felony counts for banking and wire fraud and tax evasion.
Kimball ordered Omar to pay $256,000 in restitution to lenders. He may have to pay $67,000 to the IRS.
"I'm sorry, your honor," Omar told Kimball at the sentencing hearing. Omar closed by saying: "I'll make it up."
When he and his brother were arrested in 2006, federal authorities suggested the financial scheme might have directed money to al-Qaida. Law enforcement later acknowledged the case had nothing to do with terrorism. Omar's brother, who lived in California, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor.
Omar admitted to listing a car he did not own as collateral on a loan, attempting to artificially inflate the selling price of a home in Draper and hiding assets from the IRS.
Omar has three other federal criminal cases for bank fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion pending in connection with financial crimes, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hirata said Monday those cases will be dismissed.
