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Somali pirate gets sentence of nearly 34 years in federal prison

By Douglas A. Berman

As detailed in this Bloomberg report, "Somali pirate Abduwali Muse was sentenced to 33 years and nine months in prison for hijacking the container ship Maersk Alabama in the Indian Ocean in 2009." Here is more: U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska in New York handed down the sentence today.  Muse pleaded guilty in May to two counts of hijacking maritime vessels, two of kidnapping and two of hostage taking.  Prosecutors said he led pirates who captured the Maersk Alabama and held its captain, Richard Phillips, for five days. The sentence is at the top of a range in an arrangement between Muse?s lawyers and prosecutors. The defense asked for the minimum, 27 years.  The government sought the maximum because of what it called the ?extraordinarily depraved and violent nature of Muse?s crimes...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on February 16, 2011 (boomark / email).