NOTE The following text is a quote:
www.fbi.gov/norfolk/press-releases/2011/somalis-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-on-charges-relating-to-piracy-of-the-s-v-quest
Somalis Sentenced to Life in Prison on Charges Relating to Piracy of the S/V Quest
Pirate Attack Resulted in Murder of Four U.S. Citizens
U.S. Attorney’s Office
December 15, 2011
Eastern District of Virginia
NORFOLK, VA—Mohamud Hirs Issa Ali, a/k/a Sanadaaq, 32, and Jilani Abdiali, a/k/a Ilkasse, 20, both of Somalia, were sentenced today in Norfolk federal court to life in prison for their acts of piracy against the S/V Quest, which resulted in the murder of United States citizens Scott Underwood Adam, Jean Savage Adam, Phyllis Patricia Macay, and Robert Campbell Riggle.
Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office; Alex J. Turner, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Mark Russ, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) in Norfolk, made the announcement after the men were sentenced by United States District Judge Mark S. Davis.
Ali pled guilty to piracy under the law of nations and hostage taking resulting in death on May 23, 2011. Abdiali pled guilty to piracy under the law of nations on May 20, 2011.
“As Somali pirates expand their territory, they place more individuals’ lives at risk,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “These men willingly joined this group of pirates out of greed, knowing full well that their actions could—and did—lead to the death of their hostages. They will spend their lives in prison for what they willingly chose to do and the lifetime of suffering and pain they thrust on the victims’ loved ones.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Fedarcyk stated: “Piracy in its modern form is carjacking at sea. It is not glamorous; it is violent and often murderous. The crew of the Quest did nothing to antagonize their captors. They were a target of opportunity. The FBI is committed to stopping crime on the high seas.”
Ali admitted in court that he was the commander of the pirate ship when it left Somalia. They seized the Quest about 840 miles out of Somalia, and he transferred the pirates and a number of weapons over to the Quest via a skiff. He carried an AK-47, which he used for guard duty over the hostages, and he ordered a co-defendant to fire an RPG toward the Navy vessel while the Navy was attempting to secure the hostages’ release through negotiations with the conspirators. In his plea, he warranted that he did not personally shoot or order the shooting of the four Americans. He received two concurrent terms of life in prison today.
Abdiali admitted that he willingly engaged in piracy for financial gain and participated in the pirating of the Quest and the taking of the four Americans on board as hostages. He warranted in his plea agreement that he did not personally shoot any of the Americans, nor did he instruct any other person to shoot the hostages.
The investigation of the case is being conducted by the FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
The prosecution in the Eastern District of Virginia is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin L. Hatch, Joseph DePadilla and Brian J. Samuels, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and Trial Attorney Paul Casey from the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.
NOTE The following text is a quote:
www.fbi.gov/norfolk/press-releases/2012/somali-hostage-negotiator-in-s-v-quest-piracy-and-pirating-of-m-v-marida-marguerite-found-guilty-on-all-counts
Somali Hostage Negotiator in S/V Quest Piracy and Pirating of M/V Marida Marguerite Found Guilty on All Counts
U.S. Attorney’s Office
April 27, 2012
Eastern District of Virginia
NORFOLK, VA—Mohammad Saaili Shibin, a/k/a “Khalif Ahmed Shibin,” a/k/a “Shibin,” 50, of Somalia, was convicted today by a federal jury in Norfolk for his involvement in the pirating of an American yacht, the S/V Quest, and taking hostage four U.S. citizens who were ultimately killed before their release could be secured and of the pirating of the M/V Marida Marguerite.
Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office; and John Boles, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement. Shibin is scheduled to be sentenced on August 13, 2012.
“Today’s verdict marks the conviction of the highest-ranking Somali pirate ever brought to the United States,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “Mr. Shibin was convicted as a part of a hijacking that resulted in the summary execution of four Americans. He was among an elite fraternity of pirate negotiators—the vital link to any successful pirate attack. His skills were essential to obtain a ransom for those who attacked the vessel and the financiers who paid for the attack.”
“Mr. Shibin’s actions resulted in the cold blooded execution of four Americans aboard their own yacht, a form of terrorism on the high seas,” said FBI ADIC Fedarcyk. “Today’s verdict should send a clear message to pirate negotiators and financiers alike, no matter what your role—in a pirate skiff or demanding ransom from the shores of Somalia—you are not beyond the reach of American justice.”
Shibin was found guilty of all counts of a superseding indictment which charged him with serving as the ransom negotiator for conspirators who pirated the M/V Marida Marguerite, a German-owned vessel with a crew of 22 men who were held hostage off the coast of Somalia from May to December 2010. According to court documents and testimony, Shibin spoke with the owners of the Marida Marguerite and successfully extracted a ransom payment for the vessel and its crew. Shibin received approximately $30,000 to $50,000 in U.S. currency as his share of the ransom payment.
Shibin was also found guilty of all counts relating to the attack on the Quest. A full list of the charges and their penalties are provided below:
two counts of piracy under the law of nations, which each carry a mandatory penalty of life in prison;
two counts of conspiracy to commit hostage taking, which each carry a penalty of up to life in prison;
two counts of hostage taking, which each carry a penalty of up to life in prison;
two counts of conspiracy to commit violence against maritime navigation, which each carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison;
two counts of violence against maritime navigation, which each carry a mandatory penalty of up to 20 years in prison;
conspiracy to commit kidnapping, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison;
kidnapping, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison;
three counts of use, carry, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, the first count of which carries a mandatory minimum 10 years and a maximum of life in prison, and the latter two counts of which carry mandatory consecutive life sentences.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s New York Field Office and Norfolk Field Office, with assistance from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. In addition, U.S. Attorney MacBride expressed his appreciation for the close coordination and cooperation of German judicial and police authorities in building the latest charges involving the Marida Marguerite.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin L. Hatch, Joseph E. DePadilla, and Brian J. Samuels from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Paul Casey of the Counterterrorism Section in the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.
NOTE The following text is a quote:
www.fbi.gov/norfolk/press-releases/2012/somali-hostage-negotiator-in-s-v-quest-piracy-and-pirating-of-m-v-marida-marguerite-found-guilty-on-all-counts
Somali Hostage Negotiator in S/V Quest Piracy and Pirating of M/V Marida Marguerite Found Guilty on All Counts
U.S. Attorney’s Office
April 27, 2012
Eastern District of Virginia
NORFOLK, VA—Mohammad Saaili Shibin, a/k/a “Khalif Ahmed Shibin,” a/k/a “Shibin,” 50, of Somalia, was convicted today by a federal jury in Norfolk for his involvement in the pirating of an American yacht, the S/V Quest, and taking hostage four U.S. citizens who were ultimately killed before their release could be secured and of the pirating of the M/V Marida Marguerite.
Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office; and John Boles, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement. Shibin is scheduled to be sentenced on August 13, 2012.
“Today’s verdict marks the conviction of the highest-ranking Somali pirate ever brought to the United States,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “Mr. Shibin was convicted as a part of a hijacking that resulted in the summary execution of four Americans. He was among an elite fraternity of pirate negotiators—the vital link to any successful pirate attack. His skills were essential to obtain a ransom for those who attacked the vessel and the financiers who paid for the attack.”
“Mr. Shibin’s actions resulted in the cold blooded execution of four Americans aboard their own yacht, a form of terrorism on the high seas,” said FBI ADIC Fedarcyk. “Today’s verdict should send a clear message to pirate negotiators and financiers alike, no matter what your role—in a pirate skiff or demanding ransom from the shores of Somalia—you are not beyond the reach of American justice.”
Shibin was found guilty of all counts of a superseding indictment which charged him with serving as the ransom negotiator for conspirators who pirated the M/V Marida Marguerite, a German-owned vessel with a crew of 22 men who were held hostage off the coast of Somalia from May to December 2010. According to court documents and testimony, Shibin spoke with the owners of the Marida Marguerite and successfully extracted a ransom payment for the vessel and its crew. Shibin received approximately $30,000 to $50,000 in U.S. currency as his share of the ransom payment.
Shibin was also found guilty of all counts relating to the attack on the Quest. A full list of the charges and their penalties are provided below:
two counts of piracy under the law of nations, which each carry a mandatory penalty of life in prison;
two counts of conspiracy to commit hostage taking, which each carry a penalty of up to life in prison;
two counts of hostage taking, which each carry a penalty of up to life in prison;
two counts of conspiracy to commit violence against maritime navigation, which each carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison;
two counts of violence against maritime navigation, which each carry a mandatory penalty of up to 20 years in prison;
conspiracy to commit kidnapping, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison;
kidnapping, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison;
three counts of use, carry, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, the first count of which carries a mandatory minimum 10 years and a maximum of life in prison, and the latter two counts of which carry mandatory consecutive life sentences.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s New York Field Office and Norfolk Field Office, with assistance from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. In addition, U.S. Attorney MacBride expressed his appreciation for the close coordination and cooperation of German judicial and police authorities in building the latest charges involving the Marida Marguerite.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin L. Hatch, Joseph E. DePadilla, and Brian J. Samuels from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Paul Casey of the Counterterrorism Section in the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.