Fake Diplomat Gets 12 Years in Robberies, Kidnapings

A 39-year-old Canoga Park man who attracted the attentions of seven middle-aged women by posing as a Middle Eastern diplomat was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years in state prison for a series of kidnapings and robberies.

The man, Abdel Tader Eddahbi, was described by some of his victims as a split personality who could be delightful one minute and vicious the next.

According to testimony during his trial in Van Nuys Superior Court, Eddahbi met the women at cocktail lounges in the San Fernando Valley and West Los Angeles and persuaded them to get into his car. He would then drive to a dark street, steal jewelry from them and abandon them in a deserted area.

Eddahbi was convicted March 28 of six counts of robbery, two counts of kidnaping and one count of attempted robbery stemming from thefts, which occurred from Sept. 13, 1984, to Nov. 9, 1984. The victims reported losses totaling $20,000.

Although Eddahbi did not carry a weapon during the attacks, he threatened to kill some of the women, according to testimony.

Eddahbi, a former employee of El Al Airlines, was born in Morocco and came to the United States in 1982, a probation officer reported.

Judge Richard A. Adler split the difference between the 17 years urged by the prosecutor and the five to seven years suggested by the defense attorney. With credit for time served and good behavior, Eddahbi will be eligible for parole in about seven years.

A psychiatrist who spoke at the sentencing hearing Wednesday said Eddahbi is a manic-depressive and that that condition, combined with alcohol and cocaine abuse, probably contributed to the attacks.