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Illegal FM radio station closed in Philadelphia area
US marshals and technical advisers from the Federal
Communications Commission yesterday raided and
shut down an FM radio station that they said had
been broadcasting illegally from Pennsauken NJ
since Christmas, interfering with signals from
licensed stations in the Philadelphia area.

El Sol 95.3, which played Latino music, was operated by a South
Jersey-based organization called the Moors. Some of its members
are facing federal fraud charges for allegedly creating and
passing more than $10 million in phony money orders.
The group claims US laws do not apply to it because its
members are indigenous Americans who have lived on
the continent since the beginning of time [sic].

David C. Dombrowski, an FCC engineer who investigated the
case, determined that the station's broadcasts could be heard
up to 15 miles away. In an affidavit, he said the strength of
the signal exceeded permissible unlicensed low-power radio
limits by more than 20,000 times.

The FCC said it had received complaints from several other
stations, including WMWX-FM (95.7), a soft-rock station
based in Bala Cynwyd that targets women ages 25 to 54.
At WEMG-AM (1310) in Philadelphia, which also plays
Latino music, workers said listener calls to disc jockeys
jumped dramatically yesterday after El Sol was yanked off the air.

(Sources: Philadelphia Inquirer, CourierPost online)

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Posted on Wed, May. 19, 2004
Feds shut down radio station
By John Shiffman

Federal authorities this morning raided and shut down a Pennsauken radio
station they said was illegally operating as "El Sol" at 95.3 on the FM
dial.

Authorities said the station began operating in December without a license
and was interfering with the signal with other Philadelphia area radio
stations.

The station was owned and operated by the "Moors," a South Jersey-based
organization that considers itself outside the jurisdiction of the United
States and therefore not subject to U.S. laws, according to a court filing.

Authorities said the station owners disregarded several warnings from the
Federal Communications Commission that the station was operating illegally.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Ann Marie Donino signed the seizure order Monday. It
was unsealed this morning. The station was located on Route 130 near an
industrial park in Pennsauken.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/new...8703737.htm?1c

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Philly-Area Spanish-Language Pirate Shut Down

The FCC yesterday shut down Pennsauken, NJ-based "El Sol 95.3," which began
broadcasting 24/7 in January and could be heard throughout the Philadelphia
area. According to AP, federal authorities seized equipment from the
station, which had been the subject of repeated complaints from stations
with similar frequencies located throughout the region. A group called The
Moors operated El Sol, and the group claimed that U.S. laws do not apply to
the group's members because they are indigenous Americans who, they claim,
have lived on the continent since the beginning of time. A man representing
the station told a visiting FCC field agent in January that El Sol was
authorized under the "Great Seal" and offered a homemade document signed by
"Queen Ali," according to a federal civil complaint filed May 17 in a
Newark, NJ U.S. District Court. Members of the Moors, also known as the Al
Moroccan Empire, were in summer 2003 accused of operating a money fraud
ring.

http://radioandrecords.com/Subscribe...ews/newsam.asp

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Pennsauken radio station shut down
Thursday, May 20, 2004

El Sol had no license, U.S. says
By RENEE WINKLER
Courier-Post Staff
PENNSAUKEN

A radio station run by a group that refuses to recognize government
authority and obey laws was shut down Wednesday by federal marshals.

The 24-hour station, El Sol, had been operating on 95.3 MHz on the
FM band for almost five months without a license and could be
heard throughout the Philadelphia area, authorities say.
"The number of radio frequencies is very limited," said
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Jhagares. Without proper
licensing, "there would be chaos in the radio spectrum," he said.

Federal agents seized equipment from the station, which was being
operated by a group called the Moors, also known as Al Moroccan
Empire, according to U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Christopher J.
Christie. The lawsuit could lead to fines and imprisonment if the
fines are not paid, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The station was being run in the 4600 block of Crescent
Boulevard, Route 130 North, by the group, some of whose
members are facing federal fraud charges for allegedly
creating and passing more than $10 million in phony money orders.

The group has claimed U.S. laws do not apply to it because its members are
indigenous Americans who have lived on the continent since the beginning of
time.
Several messages left on the radio station's answering machine were not
returned.

http://www.courierpostonline.com/new...y/m052004c.htm

The Federal Communications Commission had warned the
station's operators as early as November 2002 that they
needed FCC authorization. Without responding to FCC
warnings, the station began to broadcast on Dec. 31, 2003,
cutting into the signal of an AM broadcast station based in
Camden and another FM station, broadcasting on 95.7 MHz.