BROOKLYN MAN SENTENCED TO 13 YEARS IN PRISON FOR
CONSPIRING TO PROVIDE FUNDS TO OVERSEAS JIHADISTS
AND FOR MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS IN CONNECTION
WITH A TERRORISM INVESTIGATION

MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that ABDELRAHMAN FARHANE, a/k/a "Abderr Farhan" was sentenced in Manhattan federal court to 13 years in prison. United States District Judge LORETTA A. PRESKA imposed the sentence earlier this afternoon. On November 9, 2006, FARHANE pleaded guilty to a two-count Information charging him with participating in a conspiracy to commit money laundering, the object of which was to provide money for jihadists in Afghanistan and Chechnya to purchase weapons and equipment, and with making a false statement to agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI") in connection with a terrorism investigation. According to the documents filed in the case and FARHANE’s guilty plea:

In 2001, the FBI became involved in an investigation involving the provision of material support to international and domestic terrorists and terrorist organizations, including fundraising, financing, and recruitment. In connection with that ongoing terrorism-related investigation, in December 2001, a confidential source working at the direction of the FBI ("CS") visited a retail store in Brooklyn, New York, owned by FARHANE. Over the course of numerous meetings at FARHANE’s store, all of which were recorded, the CS and FARHANE discussed sending money overseas to support jihad, specifically so that the "fighters" in Chechnya and Afghanistan could obtain wireless communications equipment and advanced weaponry.

During one of these meetings, FARHANE indicated that he would ask some "brothers" for help in determining the best way to send money to the jihadists. Subsequently and to that end, FARHANE introduced the CS to TARIK SHAH. (SHAH was later charged in the same Indictment as FARHANE with conspiring to provide material support to the al Qaeda terrorist organization; SHAH pleaded guilty to that charge and is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge PRESKA on July 10, 2007). The CS, FARHANE and SHAH continued to discuss how money could be sent to support jihadist fighters overseas, with FARHANE providing suggestions concerning whether a specific "brother" who could assist them was trustworthy, and how to structure money transactions so as not to trigger government scrutiny.

Shortly following SHAH’s arrest on material support charges in May 2005, FBI agents went to speak with FARHANE on June 9, 2005 concerning his contacts with SHAH and others who appeared to be able and willing to get money to mujahideen fighters. After having been warned that making false statements to federal officials is a crime, FARHANE provided materially false information about his contacts with the CS and SHAH, and falsely denied the substance of their recorded conversations concerning sending money to terrorist fighters overseas.

During his guilty plea, FARHANE acknowledged, among other things, that he agreed to "transfer money to mujahideen in Afghanistan and Chechnya," and that he lied to FBI agents involved in an investigation on that subject.

FARHANE has been detained at the Metropolitan Correctional Center since February 24, 2006. FARHANE, 52, formerly lived in Brooklyn, New York.

Another defendant in this case, MAHMUD FARUQ BRENT, a/k/a “Mahmud Al Mutazzim,” pleaded guilty on April 2, 2007 to charges of conspiring to provide material support to the Laskare- Taiba terrorist organization. BRENT is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge PRESKA on July 10, 2007. The final defendant in this case, RAFIQ SABIR, is charged with conspiring to provide and providing material support to the al Qaeda terrorist organization. SABIR’s jury trial is scheduled to begin on April 27, 2007, in front of Judge PRESKA.

Mr. GARCIA praised the efforts of the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Police Department, for their extraordinary efforts in the investigation and prosecution of this case.

Assistant United States Attorneys JENNIFER G. RODGERS, VICTOR L. HOU, and KARL METZNER are in charge of the prosecution.

07-092

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