Posted on 02/27/2007 12:43:43 PM PST by NormsRevenge
ROME, Ga. - The imam of a Georgia mosque who pleaded guilty to providing support to the militant group Hamas was sentenced Tuesday to more than seven years in prison.
Mohamed Shorbagi, 42, could have faced up to 15 years in prison.
Shorbagi pleaded guilty in August to providing material support to the militant group Hamas in a case in which the agreement, charges and even the plea hearing were handled in secret. U.S. District Judge Harold Murphy sentenced him Tuesday to seven years and eight months in prison.
At the sentencing, Shorbagi said he realized that some of his actions were wrong.
He pleaded guilty in August to a charge of providing material support to Hamas and also testified in a Chicago case against a man identified by authorities as a Hamas operative.
Prosecutors have said that between 1997 and 2001, Shorbagi provided financial support to Hamas, a group designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization. He also was accused of conspiring to provide material support to Hamas. The donations were through a charity called the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, prosecutors said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Dammers suggested that his sentence be less than 15 years because of Shorbagi's help in testifying for the government in other terrorism-related trials.
After the sentencing, Shorbagi shook hands with about a dozen friends and family members who were gathered at the court before he was taken away.
He has said under oath that in return for his testimony, prosecutors agreed to seek a reduction in his sentence, give him a special residency visa, place him in the federal witness protection program and not indict him in an unrelated fraud case.
Shorbagi said Tuesday that he continues to cooperate with the government because of his belief in America.
"I came to this country when I was 18 and I believe in this country," said Shorbagi, a citizen of the Palestinian territory but in the United States legally. He said he has been in America for more than two decades.
"I realize that some of the things that I did was wrong and were never supposed to be done," he said. "That's why I took the responsibility of cooperating with the government."
ROME, Ga., Feb. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mohamed Shorbagi, 42, of the Rome, Georgia, area was sentenced today to serve seven years and eight months in federal prison, by U.S. District Judge Harold L. Murphy, on a charge of providing material support to Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization, U.S. Attorney David E. Nahmias of the Northern District of Georgia announced today. Shorbagi's sentence was reduced from 15 years in prison because of the substantial cooperation he has provided in other terrorism-related investigations and prosecutions.
"There are three important points to make about this case," said U.S. Attorney Nahmias. "First, this case illustrates that people who illegally support foreign terrorist organizations may be found anywhere in the United States, even in quiet and pleasant places like Rome, Georgia. Second, we will use every lawful tool to ferret out terrorism and those who provide material support to it, regardless of where they live or how they try to hide their criminal activities. Finally, defendants who are willing to cooperate fully and truthfully in our efforts to protect national security and bring other criminals to justice may earn substantial sentence reductions from federal courts."
Shorbagi pleaded guilty to a criminal information that was unsealed along with the plea agreement on Oct. 13, 2006. The criminal information and plea agreement had been filed and placed under seal on Aug. 28, 2006. Shorbagi was sentenced to seven years and eight months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution of $610,454. Shorbagi also agreed to pay full restitution to the victims of fraud crimes he had committed, which the government agreed not to charge in consideration of his cooperation.
U.S. Attorney Nahmias noted that Hamas is a terrorist organization operating primarily in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which has engaged in numerous terrorist attacks aimed at Israeli military personnel, police officers and civilians. Hamas attacks have murdered numerous innocent people, including American citizens, and have undermined the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Federal law makes it a serious felony to provide any material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
According to U.S. Attorney Nahmias and information presented in court, on Oct. 8, 1997, the United States formally designated Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization. After that date, and continuing until Dec. 4, 2001, Shorbagi provided financial support to Hamas and conspired with unnamed others to provide such material support. He did so knowing that Hamas had been designated as a foreign terrorist organization and that Hamas engaged in terrorist activity. Shorbagi provided the support through donations to the "Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development" (HLF), knowing that some or all of the money was in fact destined for Hamas. Shorbagi knew that money provided to HLF was actually funneled to Hamas in part because he was a Georgia representative for HLF and he had attended HLF meetings at which high- level Hamas officials made presentations condemning Israel. Shorbagi also had hosted high-level Hamas officials at the Rome, Ga., mosque at which he served as imam.
This case was investigated by special agents of the FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with assistance from the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the Floyd County Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Dammers prosecuted the case.
SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice
One down, and a bunch more to go......
When his sentence has been served, will he be deported? If not, then Georgia and America are in for more trouble.
He's heading for the muzzie happy recruiting ground, keep him in solitary.
btt
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