By LARRY O'DELL
Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. - Attorneys for a North Carolina man convicted of supporting a terrorist organization have told an appeals court that he should get a new sentencing hearing.

A prosecutor agreed, but for a different reason. Mohamad Hammoud's attorney says the 30-year sentence is too long, while the government wants the sentence increased to life.

A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond heard arguments in the case Tuesday. A decision is expected in several weeks.

Shortly after the 9-11 terrorist attacks, Hammoud was found guilty of smuggling cigarettes and sending $3,500 of the profits to the militant Lebanese group Hezbollah. Prosecutors claim Hammoud led a Hezbollah cell in Charlotte. He was the first person convicted under a 1996 law making it illegal to support designated terrorist organizations.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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