Salah Sentenced on Obstruction in Hamas Case

Muhammad Salah, who was accused by the government of funneling money to Mideast terrorists received his sentence Wednesday, July 11.^[1] Salah was convicted in February of lying under oath in a civil lawsuit concerning the murder in Israel of a teenager by Hamas terrorists.^[2]

The indictment against Salah was originally announced at a news conference with then-U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, who called it a major step in the war on terrorism.^[3] He said Salah and co-defendant Abdelhaleem Ashqar operated "a U.S.-based terrorist recruiting and financing cell."^[4]

But a jury on Feb. 1 acquitted Salah and Ashqar of taking part in a racketeering conspiracy aimed at bankrolling the terrorist group Hamas; however the jury did convict Salah of a single count of obstruction of justice for lying under oath on a written questionnaire involving the shooting death in Israel of an American teenager, David Boim.^[5]

Salah was sentenced Wednesday to 21 months in federal prison for lying in a civil lawsuit and was also fined $25,000 by U.S. District Judge Amy J. St. Eve and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service.^[6] Prosecutors had asked St. Eve to sentence Salah to 10 years; his attorney, Michael E. Deutsch, had asked for probation.^[7]

We have previously discussed Salah's case here.

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^[1] Mike Robinson, Man Sentenced for Lying in Hamas Case, Associated Press Newswire, July 11, 2007, available at LEXIS, News Library, Wire News Services File.
^[2] Id.
^[3] Id.
^[4] Id.
^[5] Id.
^[6] Id.
^[7] Id.