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Ex-Twitter Worker Gets Prison Time in Saudi ‘Spy’ Case

Ex-Twitter Worker Gets Prison Time in Saudi ‘Spy’ Case

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Ex-Twitter Employee Will get Jail Time in Saudi ‘Spy’ Case

By AFP on December 15, 2022

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US justice officers on Thursday stated a former Twitter employee convicted of spying for Saudi officers was sentenced to three.5 years in jail.

Ahmad Abouammo was discovered responsible in August on prison counts together with cash laundering, fraud, and being an unlawful agent of a overseas authorities, based on a replica of the decision.

Prosecutors in federal courtroom in San Francisco advised jurors that Abouammo offered Twitter consumer info for money and an costly watch some seven years earlier.

“This case revealed that overseas governments, right here, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will bribe insiders to acquire the consumer info that’s collected and saved by our Silicon Valley social media corporations,” US lawyer Stephanie Hinds stated in an announcement.

“This sentence sends a message to insiders with entry to consumer info to safeguard it, significantly from repressive regimes, or danger important time in jail.”

The protection crew for 45-year-old Abouammo contended in courtroom that he did nothing greater than settle for presents from free-spending Saudis for merely doing his shopper administration job.

“The proof reveals that, for a worth and considering nobody was watching, the defendant offered his place to an insider of the crown prince,” US prosecutor Colin Sampson stated in last remarks to the jury.

Protection lawyer Angela Chuang countered that whereas there definitely gave the impression to be a conspiracy to get revealing details about Saudi critics from Twitter, prosecutors did not show Abouammo was a part of it.

Abouammo stop Twitter in 2015 and took a job at e-commerce titan Amazon in Seattle, the place he lives, based on courtroom paperwork.

Jurors discovered Abouammo responsible on 6 of the 11 prices towards him.

Chuang conceded to the jury that Abouammo did violate Twitter worker guidelines by not telling the San Francisco-based firm that he had obtained $100,000 in money and a watch valued at greater than $40,000 from somebody near the Saudi crown prince.

Nonetheless, she downplayed the importance of the reward, saying it amounted to “pocket change” in a Saudi tradition identified for generosity and lavish presents. US district courtroom Choose Edward stated whereas announcing the sentence that “exposing dissident info is a severe offense,” and ordered Abouammo to forfeit the worth of “bribes” obtained, based on prosecutors.

Abouammo is to start serving his sentence on the finish of March.

Prosecutors accused Abouammo and fellow Twitter worker Ali Alzabarah of being enlisted by Saudi officers between late 2014 and early the next yr to get personal info on accounts that have been essential of the regime. The then-Twitter employees might glean e-mail addresses, cellphone numbers, delivery dates and different personal knowledge to establish folks behind nameless accounts, prosecutors stated.

Alzabarah, a Saudi nationwide, is being sought on a cost of failing to register in the US as an agent of a overseas authorities as required by United States legislation, based on an FBI assertion.

Associated: Three Charged in US With Spying on Twitter Customers for Saudi Arabia

Associated: Twitter Spy Case Highlights Dangers for Huge Tech Platforms

Associated: Can Elon Musk Spur Cybersecurity Innovation at Twitter?

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