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 NEWS  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  TTY  202  /  418-  2555  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  ftp.  fcc.  gov  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974). 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT:  September  6,  2001  John  Winston  (202)  418-  7450 
 FM  STATION  OPERATOR  CONVICTED  ON  CRIMINAL  CHARGES  FOR  OPERATING  WITHOUT  FCC  AUTHORIZATION 
 Washington,  D.  C.-  Today  the  Enforcement  Bureau  of  the  Federal  Communications 
 Commission  announced  that  the  United  States  District  Court,  Eastern  District  of  Virginia,  has 
 convicted  Khalid  Kubweza  for  operating  an  unlicensed  FM  radio  station  on  91.7  MHz  from  his 
 residence  in  Richmond  Virginia. 


 Following  a  trial,  the  court  convicted  Mr.  Kubweza  on  all  four  criminal  counts,  finding 
 that  Mr.  Kubweza  “did  willfully  and  knowingly  use  and  operate  an  apparatus  for  the 
 transmission  of  energy  and  communications  and  signals  by  radio  from  a  place  in  Virginia  to 
 another  place  in  Virginia  without  a  license.”  Previous  Commission  and  court  actions  had  failed 
 to  deter  Mr.  Kubweza  from  operating  his  unauthorized  FM  radio  station  from  his  home.  In 
 response,  the  FCC,  in  conjunction  with  the  U.  S.  Marshals  Service  obtained  and  executed  a  search 
 warrant  on  Mr.  Kubweza’s  residence  and  seized  certain  station  equipment,  which  was  used  in  the 
 trial.  Sentencing  is  scheduled  for  December  12,  2001. 


 The  operation  of  an  unlicensed  broadcast  station  is  a  violation  of  section  301  of  the 
 Communications  Act  of  1934,  as  amended.  Operators  of  illegal,  unlicensed  broadcast  stations 
 may  be  subject  to  civil  penalties  of  up  to  $11,000  per  violation,  seizure  by  court  order  of  all  radio 
 equipment  involved  in  the  operation,  and  or  a  court  order  enjoining  the  operator  from  operating 
 an  illegal  station.  In  addition,  unlicensed  operators  could  be  subject  to  criminal  fines  of  up  to 
 $100,000  or  imprisonment  of  up  to  one  year,  or  both. 


 Announcement  by  the  Chief,  Enforcement  Bureau,  September  6,  2001. 
 Enforcement  Bureau  Contact:  John  R.  Winston,  202-  418-  7450. 
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