By Janice Morse
The Cincinnati Enquirer

In a hearing today, U.S. District Judge Sandra Beckwith is to reconsider whether Ali Kareem Aladimi, a Yemen-born Butler County businessman held on stolen-goods charges but linked with other suspicious activity, should be granted an opportunity to post bond and be released.

Mr. Aladimi, 41, whose home is in Beavercreek, Ohio, pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of interstate transportation of stolen property and receiving stolen property.

The allegations pertain to a shipment of Gerber baby food found at his West Chester Township warehouse. It was reported stolen from Mississippi last month. Mr. Aladimi has said he didn't know the baby products were stolen. Four other suspects also face federal charges in that case.

Mr. Aladimi was previously ordered held without bond after Amul Thapar, an assistant U.S. attorney, listed concerns about Mr. Aladimi's activities, including his attempts to bring two dozen Yemeni men to the United States for "improper reasons."

Mr. Aladimi has not been charged with any offenses involving the men, and his attorney, Janet Kravitz, says Mr. Thapar "misrepresented" the situation. Mr. Aladimi had worked with a lawyer to obtain U.S. approvals for the men to be admitted here, records show.

Mr. Thapar declined to comment Thursday, saying he would address the matter in court today.

Mr. Aladimi, a naturalized citizen, has been under federal investigation since at least 1999, when authorities searched his home and found $784,000sealed in Clairol product boxes.

Authorities also seized 8 million tablets of pseudoephedrine, a non-prescription cold medicine, from his West Chester warehouse that year, Mr. Thapar said.

In 2001, Mr. Aladimi was indicted in California on charges that he conspired to distribute the cold medicine while knowing it was to be used in an illegal drug lab. That case is pending.

E-mail jmorse@enquirer.com