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MIAMI (AP) — He spent 319 days in solitary confinement, after being indicted along with his father and brother on charges of conspiring to provide money to the Pakistani Taliban. But two years ago, federal prosecutors abruptly dropped all charges against Irfan Khan.
And now, the naturalized U.S. citizen from Pakistan is suing the U.S. government for malicious prosecution -- accusing authorities of essentially manufacturing a non-existent case against him.
Khan arrived in the U.S. in 1994. He worked as a taxi driver and a service technician and operated a limousine company. He took a California computer industry job in 2011 that promised a good living.
But then he and his father and brother -- who were both Muslim imams in South Florida -- were indicted. A judge ordered his brother to be acquitted for lack of evidence, but their father was convicted and sentenced to 25 years.
Khan is back to driving a taxi, and says it's impossible for him to get a better-paying job because the original charges are so widely known. He says he is shunned by friends and family who are afraid they will be under surveillance.
In his lawsuit, he says, he just wants justice.
In court filings, the Justice Department denies fabricating evidence or painting a misleading picture of Khan's role in the alleged plot. A prosecutor says there was enough evidence to go to a grand jury -- which did approve the indictment.
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APPHOTO NYPS341: In this Sept. 8, 2014 photo, Irfan Khan, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Pakistan, discusses his lawsuit against the U.S. government in his Plantation, Fla. office. Khan worked hard to realize the American dream after arriving in the U.S. in 1994. He drove a taxi and operated a limousine company before landing a computer-related job in 2011 that promised a good living. Then Khan was accused of conspiring to send money to the Taliban. He spent 319 days in solitary confinement before federal prosecutors abruptly dropped all charges in June 2012. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter) (8 Sep 2014)
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