The Bank of America Thursday afternoon advised local journalist Ahmar Mustikhan that pressing charges with the States Attorney’s office was the only way out if he wanted a local publisher to return him the fees that have accrued on his account because of two bad checks.

As much as $369 have accrued on the reporter’s checking account that has run into the minus as he was handed two bad checks by Mr. Ken Rossignol, publisher of ST. MARY’S TODAY. The checks bounced when they were deposited Dec. 22 and Jan. 4 at the Leonardtown and Lexington Park branches of the BoA.

“I will pray for you,” Arlana White assistant manager at the BoA told the distraught journalist.

Mr.Rossignol has so far only returned $100 of the accrued fees and also still owes Mustikhan monies for gas reimbursement and his pay for the last week he worked at ST. MARY’S TODAY.

Mustikhan, who has lived in four different countries, said he has full faith in the justice system of the United States and was confident that respectable judges and the states attorney’s office would help him in getting his dues back promptly. “I am in a state of shock and utter disbelief that such a thing can happen in a country that is governed by the rule of law,” he said.

The Buddhist journalist had planned a hunger-strike at the Callaway Complex Wednesday, which houses the offices of ST. MARY’S TODAY and Mama Leone’s Brick Oven Pizza, operated by Mr Rossignol. But the publisher showed at his door with cash for the pay period that ended Jan. 10 and he put off the hungerstrike. Mustikhan was fired from his job on Jan. 17 on the day his pay was due, without getting a paycheck on the day it was due

Greg Callaway, vice chair of St. Mary’s Board of Appeals, himself showed up with a poster that read, “Please pay Your Bills.” The journalist was holding a poster that read “Be Nice, Pay Wage.”

A new manager for Mr. Rossignol, who had previously worked for the controversial publisher, had said he would come pick up a few remaining items that were with Mustikhan— a camera’s battery, tape-recorder and an old cell-phone– at 7 pm Thursday but had not showed up until 8.30 pm.

Mustikhan said he would like to draw the attention of Senator Roy Dyson towards the ordeal he had to go through as he was without pay for an entire month as two paychecks bounced one after another, leaving him high and dry. And Jan. 17, his payday, Mr. Rossignol told the journalist his services were no longer required without giving him his paycheck. Mr. Rossignol is considered very close to Dyson.

The journalist intends to resume his peaceful hunger strike at the Callaway Complex soon if the remaining $269 in bank fees–the fees had jumped another $104 when the scribe went to check his account Thursday—, $350 in gas reimbursements and pay for the period Jan.10-17, 2007 are not released immediately by Mr. Rossignol.

Meanwhile, at least three other former employees of Mr. Rossignol have said they would be willing to testify against Mr. Rossignol in a court of law.

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