A DeKalb man facing 20 years in prison sneaked away during is fraud trial, but the jury still found him not guilty.
Halfway through Saladin Ghani’s trial for identity fraud, he told his lawyer he needed a bathroom break.
According to Ghani's attorney Scott Smith, after about 15 minutes, the judge asked him to go find the defendant.
"I ran out into the hallway, and went into the bathroom at the courthouse. We were on the 5th floor, and Sal wasn't in the bathroom," Smith said.
Smith texted his client and said, “You cannot leave in the middle of a trial. Come back,” to which Ghani replied, “I’m scared that I’m going to prison.”
Smith said Ghani's last bit of communication was, "I'm an innocent man."
The judge issued a warrant for escape and the trial resumed without him.
During the trial, Ghani had insisted he was framed for stealing $7,000 from a neighbor. His lawyer called witnesses to raise reasonable doubt. Prosecutors pointed to the defendant’s empty chair as admission of guilt.
But when the decision came down, Ghani was long gone. The jury found him not guilty and the judge rescinded the bench warrant for escape.
Smith is desperate to find him and let him know he no longer needs to run.
“The worrisome part for me as his lawyer is, he doesn’t know this,” Smith said. “I can’t get in touch with him to let him know you’re a free man.”
