Man acquitted of being Saddam's spy

LOS ANGELES -- An Iraqi-born American citizen was acquitted Friday of being an informant for former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, but was convicted of immigration violations. William Shaoul Benjamin, 67, was acquitted on two counts of conspiracy and failing to register as an agent of a foreign government, attorney James Blatt said. Benjamin is scheduled to be sentenced on April 14 when he could lose his U.S. citizenship and be deported back to Iraq. He had faced up to 20 years in prison if convicted on all four counts.