Chattanooga: Three indicted on fake photo case

Three relatives of a local businessman have been indicted on perjury and evidence-tampering charges after prosecutors allege they altered a photo and lied in testimony during a trial last year.

Sana M. Dabit, 47, Pierre M. Dabit, 27, and Rania Marie Abdelnour, 21, face charges in connection with "a false statement under oath" in Sessions Court in March 2009.

They are the ex-wife of Murad Abdelnour and her children, according to Times Free Press archives. They own Giorgio's Men's Warehouse on Market Street.

The indictment states that Abdelnour and both Dabits testified in Sessions Court that "he/she looked at a video of Murad Abdelnour vandalizing the door lock at Giorgio's business on January 20, 2009."

Their Sessions Court testimony resulted in a grand jury indictment against Murad Abdelnour.

Charges against Murad Abdelnour were dismissed in March 2010 after a photographic expert revealed in Criminal Court that the photo from the video had been altered and someone had added Murad's face to another photo, according to Times Free Press archives.

A separate indictment also charges Pierre Dabit with tampering with evidence.

All three defendants are scheduled to appear in Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Rebecca Stern's courtroom on April 1.

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