NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Five Somali men have been sentenced for their roles in the 2010 attack on the USS Ashland off the coast of Africa.
Mohamed Abdi Jama, Abdicasiis Cabaase, Mohamed Ali Said, Abdi Razaq Abshir Osman and Mohamed Fared were convicted of piracy in February 2013.
The Virginian-Pilot (http://bit.ly/1j1hNRI ) reports that the men were sentenced this week in U.S. District Court in Norfolk.
Cabaase was sentenced to 42-and-a-half years in prison. Jama and Said each received 41-and-a-half years. Farah was sentenced to 32 years in prison. Osman received a 30-year sentence.
Prosecutors had sought life sentences for each man. U.S. District Judge Raymond Jackson ruled that life sentences would violate the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
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Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://pilotonline.com
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