The man behind the anti-Islam film "Innocence of Muslims" was once a federal informant

Nakoula Basseley Nakoula -- the man widely credited as being theforce behind "Innocence of Muslims" -- once cooperated with federal authorities, according to court documents obtained by The Smoking Gun .
The movie, which features an unfavorable portrayal of Muhammad, has prompted violent riots in a number of Arab countries.

The Smoking Gun published a sentencing transcript detailing Nakoula's cooperation with investigators over the course of a 2009-2010 bank fraud case. Furthermore, Nakoula's counsel directly mentions the defendant's "detailed debriefings," in which Nakoula "implicated Mr. Salamy," another suspect in the case."There is no question but that Mr. Salamay at some point is gonna be indicted if he hasn't already been."
Eiad was the alleged mastermind of the fraudulent check schemewhich landed Nakoula in court.
Nakoula himself told the judge that he "decided to cooperate withthe government to retrieve some of these mistakes or damage happened."

Previous reports also tied Nakoula to a 1997 methamphetamine conviction , which earned him a one year jail sentence and three years probation. A probation violation sent Nakoula back to jail for another year.
On Monday, news broke that Nakoula's family had left their California home in the middle of the night to go into hiding.