Chaldean ‘Godfather’ and former Oakland County restaurateur’s parole rescinded, family devastated WITH VIDEO

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By SCOTT M. BURNSTEIN
Special to The Oakland Press
Louis Akrawi and his family might have thought someone was playing a cruel joke on them.

However, what has happened to Akrawi is no joke.

It’s a stark and somewhat confusing reality.

A Chaldean refugee from Iraq who fled Baghdad and the personal wrath of Saddam Hussein, eventually landing in Metro Detroit in the spring of 1968, Akrawi — described in federal records as the one-time “Godfather” of the area’s vast Chaldean community — was convicted in Wayne County Recorder’s Court in 1996 of second-degree murder and sentenced to 15 to 25 years behind bars.

After serving 15 1/2 years in prison, the former Oakland County restaurateur and businessman was paroled back in November and released to his family in late February.

That’s where things get complicated.

In a rare move, following five days as a free man — spent with family and friends in Macomb County — the Michigan Parole Board decided to rescind Akrawi’s parole. The 64-year old, who wasn’t known to have violated any of his parole restrictions while free, was called into a meeting with his parole officer on Monday, Feb. 27 and taken back into custody.

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http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2012/05/15/news/local_news/doc4fb291ed40e58340478947.txt