Father of 11 gets probation for gym locker thefts

A Dearborn man has avoided prison after he pleaded guilty to charges of stealing from customer lockers at Lifetime Fitness in Canton.

Ali Sami Hammoud, 54, was placed on probation for 18 months when he was sentenced Friday by Wayne County Circuit Judge Dana Hathaway.

"We're very pleased with the outcome," defense attorney William Amadeo said. "(Probation) was our goal and we got it."

Hammoud's sentencing came after he earlier pleaded guilty to one count each of larceny in a building and stealing a financial transaction device, or credit card. Authorities dismissed two identical charges.

Hammoud, a father of 11 children, could have faced five years in prison if he had gone to trial and been convicted, rather than accepting a plea deal.

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He also was ordered by Hathaway to pay $100 in restitution and $1,300 in court costs, Amadeo said. Hammoud's sentencing came as a relief to him and family members who initially worried he could face jail.

"He seemed very pleased, as did the family," Amadeo said, lauding Hathaway and prosecutors for the way the case was handled.

Amadeo has described Hammoud as having "a very clean record" and said he is a man "who made a mistake and he is redeeming himself for that mistake."

Wayne County Circuit Court records show no other cases against Hammoud.

Hammoud was arrested Jan. 27 by Canton police at Lifetime Fitness after customers reported stolen wallets, cash and credit cards at the fitness center on Haggerty Road, south of Ford.

Detective Lt. Mike Steckel said police went to Lifetime Fitness after a man whose credit card was stolen reported that it had just been used at the Walmart store on Ford Road, east of Lotz.

Police reviewed Walmart's surveillance video and retrieved information about a Lincoln Navigator the suspect was driving. Steckel said police executed a search warrant at Hammoud's home and recovered some items.

Police say customers had reported a rash of thefts in December and January at the fitness center, but Hammoud was only charged with four felonies, two of which were dismissed.

Contact Darrell Clem at dclem@hometownlife.com. Follow him on Twitter: @CantonObserver.