Associated Press
December 4

he lawyer for one of two Uzbekistan nationals indicted on federal immigration charges asked a judge Tuesday to hire a specialist to ensure his client gets a fair trial.

Lawyer Paul D. Groce said a trial specialist could assist the defense, prosecutors and the judge in drafting pre-trial questionnaires, and be available for consultation in selecting individual jurors.

Groce said in a motion filed on behalf of Anvarjon B. Kuliev that his unusual request was necessary "because of the constrained aggression of the nation against people of Middle Eastern descent brought about by the horrific events of Sept. 11 and the ongoing war in Afghanistan."

Charged in the same indictment, Kuliev and Davlat M. Norqulov pleaded innocent at separate court hearings Nov. 20.

Norqulov, Kuliev, Kamolakham Tuychieva, Utkur Hasanov and a fifth person later released were riding in a van Sept. 25 in Parkin in eastern Arkansas, when they were stopped by police for speeding.

Police said information relayed to dispatchers revealed that one of the men possibly was on an FBI watch list released shortly after the terror attacks on the East Coast. U.S. Attorney Michael Johnson has said the case is not related to the terrorist attacks on the East Coast.

Kuliev is charged with three counts of transporting illegal aliens and one count of possession of false identification. Norqulov is charged with entering the United States on a diplomatic visa obtained fraudulently through the U.S. Embassy in his home country.

The two are to have separate trials - Kuliev before U.S. District Judge James Moody and Norqulov before U.S. District Judge George Howard Jr., both beginning Jan. 7.

Another magistrate has ordered Hasanov and Tuychieva detained as material witnesses in the case. They will face deportation proceedings.

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