New Charges Filed Against Columbia Man

New charges are now filed against 66 year old Mehrdad Fotoohighiam who is in jail awaiting trial for reportedly conspiring to commit murder.

Fotoohighiam now faces 2 counts of tampering with a witness.

The case was first filed in December 2017 while the man was in the Boone County jail awaiting trial for arson.

While in jail, prosecutors say Fotoohighiam made arrangements from inside to have is wife murdered, as well as the judge in the case.

He was acquitted in his arson case in August 2019, however the state supreme court ordered him to pay almost three million dollars in a related civil case.

Fotoohighiam’s trial is scheduled to start in May.