by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE, Dec 22 – Cholo Abdi Abdullah was convicted of planning with al Shabaab to attack the US with a commercial jet.
On April 7, Inner City Press was (the only person) in the courtroom gallery when Cholo accepted his new lawyer, while saying if there is a conflict he will return to Judge Torres. The next date - for a status conference to, the lawyer said, set a sentencing date - is June 16 at 1 pm.
On June 11 he wrote it to cancel that and asked for a sentencing date in December.
On June 12, "The status conference scheduled for June 16, 2025, is ADJOUNED sine die."
Sentencing was set for December 22, and on December 5 the US Attorney's Office wrote in seeking to move it into January. On December 8 Judge Torres in one word denied the request.
Docketed on December 10, defense counsel's redacted request for 30 years, starting with the line "My arrest was my rescue."
On December 12 the US Attorney's Office in a heavily redacted submission said that life in prison is necessary because "the defendant did not join al-Shabaab with good intentions; he was not disillusioned; and he did not 'feign' commitment" - then paragraphs redacted.
On December 22 Inner City Press live-tweeted his sentencing to life in prison, here.
Watch this site.
More on Substack here
The case is USA v. Abdullah, 1:20-cr-677 (Torres)
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