LOS ANGELES : Man Pleads No Contest in Abduction of His Son

An Iraqi native was sentenced Friday to 16 months in prison after pleading no contest to abducting his son from his estranged wife last year and returning to his homeland with the toddler.

Khalid Al-Nasseri, 33, was ordered by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert O’Neill to begin serving his sentence immediately. The defendant, who was given credit for time already served, will probably be released in July.

“It’s a temporary relief that he’s not going to be (released) today,” said Michelle Al-Nasseri, who had obtained a restraining order against her husband before he disappeared with their son last summer.

On July 24, Michelle Al-Nasseri, now 24, handed over her son to her husband at a McDonald’s restaurant, with him promising to return the 2-year-old in three days. Instead, he took the boy to Iraq.

Working with investigators, Michelle Al-Nasseri months later tricked her husband into believing she wanted to reconcile and lured him to England, where he could be extradited to the United States. In a brief statement just before his sentencing, the defendant admitted he made “a terrible judgment error,” then accused his estranged wife of lying to his son about him.