Man Sentenced to 5 Years for Providing Material Support to Terrorists: Grecula

Ronald Allen Grecula, a 70 year old Pennsylvania man, was accused of offering to build and sell a bomb to Al-Qaeda operatives.^[1] According to federal prosecutors, Grecula negotiated the sale of an explosive device with a confidential source and undercover officers, whom he thought were Al-Qaeda members.^[2] Prosecutors said Grecula was angry with the government over losing custody of his children in 2002.^[3]

The government’s evidence against Grecula included several recorded telephone conversations beginning on May 11, 2005, between Grecula and a confidential source working with FBI, wherein Grecula discussed his readiness to build and sell an explosive device.^[4]

He was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison. Grecula pled guilty in September of trying to provide support to a terrorist organization.^[5] Pursuant to his plea agreement he was sentenced to five years in federal prison without parole. Once his prison term has been completed, he will have three years of supervised release.^[6]

We have previously discussed the Crime of providing material support to terrorists here.

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^[1] 70-year-old sentenced 5 years for attempt to sell terrorist bomb, AP (via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), February 9, 2007. (Grecula)
^[2] Id.
^[3] Id.
^[4] U.S. Dept of Justice, Ronald Grecula Pleads Guity to Attempting to Provide Material Support to Al-Qaeda, FBI, http://houston.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel06/ho092106.htm(last visited Feb 12, 2007).
^[5] Grecula, supra note 1.
^[6] Id.