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Hafiz Khan, a Miami Imam who was convicted of supporting the Taliban, has been sentenced to 25 years behind bars. It’s much lower than the 60-year maximum he faces, but at 78-years-old it’s likely Khan will spend the rest of his life behind bars regardless.
See also: Miami Imam Hafiz Khan Convicted on Four Terrorism Charges
Khan was arrested in 2011 after he got caught up with an undercover FBI informant. On recordings of his telephone calls and face-to-face conversations with the informant, Khan praised Taliban attacks, celebrated the deaths of American troops, and detailed more than $50,000 he had sent to Pakistan.
Khan claimed that the money was not meant to support the Taliban, but rather sent to family, friends and to support a religious school he had founded. Though, that school had been closed by the Pakistani government for a while because it was a suspected Taliban training ground. Khan also claimed that he only pretended to support the Taliban because he had been promised $1 million by the informant, though the feds said that was a lie.
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He was convicted back in March on two charges each of conspiracy and supporting terrorism. Each charges carried a maximum sentence of 15 years, for a combined maximum of 60. Though he got off with 25, the AP points out that’s still 10 years longer than what sentencing guidelines prescribe.
Khan had been the Imam at a downtown Miami mosque. His two sons were also arrested, but charges against them were ultimately dropped.
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