Fotoohighiam calls murder conspiracy prosecution “malicious” after acquittal

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man acquitted of plotting to kill his ex-wife called his prosecution "malicious" Thursday.

A judge brought in to hear the murder conspiracy case found Mehrdad Fotoohighiam not guilty on all counts Thursday.

Special Judge Steven Ohmer found Fotoohighiam not guilty of charges including conspiracy to commit murder, first-degree attempted assault and witness tampering. The bench trial began Monday and Ohmer started deliberating Wednesday.

Fotoohighiam was accused of plotting to kill his wife with two other inmates while he was in jail. He was also accused of having contact with his ex-wife, which a judge had prohibited while he was being prosecuted for arson.

"I feel justice is finally served after five and half years of malicious prosecution and that they unjustly charged and incarcerated me for five and half years," Fotoohighiam says.

He was also initially accused of plotting to kill a circuit judge, though that charge was dropped in March.

After his acquittal, Fotoohighiam said he is extremely disappointed in the legal system.

"This was a malicious prosecution that was primarily based on financial and racial motivation, They keep me incarcerated for five and half years while they legally robbed me of my money, my assets, my home, my office and everything. Most importantly away from my children," Fotoohighiam said as he left the Boone County Jail on Thursday.

Fotoohighiam told ABC 17 News that prosecutors and the court focused their case on ill-intent.

He says, "It's racially and financially motivated there is no question about it, I have very viable evidence. They took more than ten million dollars of my money and assets, they sold my house, my office building and my rentals properties, assets, real estate and so on."

He said he was walking out with nothing.

"I am on borrowed clothes," Fotoohighiam said. "As it was determined by Judge Ohmer I am literally bankrupt and indigent and I have to just try to figure out where I will be placed and try to start to put the pieces back together. It's going to be an uphill battle but I am going to do my level best to try to manage."

Now that he is a free man, Fotoohighiam says he wants to pick up the pieces and get his life back on track.

He wants to get in contact with his children.

"I miss them very much, I have not seen them for five years, I haven't been able to get in contact with them because they separated them from me and I miss them dearly," he says.

Fotoohighiam was earlier acquitted by a jury for allegedly paying two men $500 each to set his neighbor Marcia Green's home on fire over a property dispute.

Green was inside the home at the time of the fire was and significantly hurt.

After the acquittal, Fotoohighiam was ordered to pay $3 dollars in a lawsuit filed after the fire.