DEARBORN-Local photographer Nafeh AbuNab, 52, who was convicted of a misdemeanor charge of 4th degree criminal sexual conduct earlier this month, appeared in Wayne County Circuit Court on Thursday before Judge Craig Strong for his sentencing.

Judge Strong sentenced AbuNab to 100 days in jail, and credited him for the 23 he has already served.  In addition, he was given 200 hours of community service and forced to pay approximately $1,500 in fines. AbuNab was placed on work release, meaning that he can leave jail during the day for work, but must return in the evening to spend his nights as an inmate. The details of the work release are expected to be finalized at some point next week.  At this time, the court will determine what hours in the day he will be granted permission to leave. 

AbuNab, who was found guilty by a jury for allegedly improperly touching a former employee of his, told the court that he respected the jury’s decision and was ready to move forward with his life. He also apologized to the victim, who appeared in court alongside her husband. 

Nafeh AbuNab.

According to AbuNab’s attorney, Ali Hammoud, letters from local organizations in the community were sent to the court, asking Judge Strong to consider giving AbuNab a light sentence, because he’s a father of two, an active member in the community, and suffers from a mental illness. Attorney Hammoud also mentioned in court that AbuNab’s name had been tarnished in the community, potentially harming his photography business.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said that she would leave it solely up to Judge Strong to determine a proper sentencing, and did not make any specific recommendation for a conviction.  The probation department recommended that AbuNab’s sentence ought to be two years of probation, although charges of this nature are usually punishable by five years probation. 

Legal guidelines recommend a sentence of 0-11 months in prison, based on both AbuNab’s current charges and previous record. He had faced two counts of the same offense in 1994, but was placed on probation then by the same judge. 

In court, Judge Strong said he took all of these factors into consideration and decided on a sentence on the lighter end of those guidelines. Attorney Hammoud said that he was pleased overall with the sentence, as it could’ve been much worse. He also believes that AbuNab may not carry out his full sentence, because the County Jail tends to release inmates with lighter sentences earlier, due to over-crowding.