In 2002, Mustapha Skaf was accused of offering a bribe to a prison officer. He allegedly phoned the maximum security facility at 1:30 pm on Wednesday, 22 September 2002, and was put through to a duty officer. Mustapha gave his name and telephone number and asked to speak to his son, Bilal. When the officer told him that outside calls had to be booked in advance and approved for set times, Mustapha offered to pay $100 to be put through to his son. The officer dismissed the offer and ended the conversation. He immediately called the number from the calling number display and Mustapha Skaf answered.