USA: Life in prison for man convicted of plotting to blow up New York's JFK airport

Record ID: 677336

  • Title: USA: Life in prison for man convicted of plotting to blow up New York's JFK airport
  • Date: 18th February 2011
  • Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (FEBRUARY 17, 2011) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEFENSE ATTORNEY MILDRED WHALEN, SAYING: "Our argument is that his conduct here, while he talked and said very horrible things, that his actual conduct, what he actually did, what he actually led forth on just wasn't sufficient without the involvement of the government to justify a life sentence. I think 15 years would have enough to punish him for what he did and what he talked about. And given his age, in effect 15 years may very well have been a life sentence. But given all the factors that we talked about in court, we just don't believe his conduct merited a life sentence."
  • Embargoed: 5th March 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa, Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA2I2PVTTU1L0MXCTENZQTQQPX0
  • Story Text: Russell Defreitas, the alleged mastermind in a plot to bomb New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday (February 17).
    Defreitas was sentenced in federal court in Brooklyn by U.S. District Judge Dora Irizarry who said, "This was his baby. This was his plan."
    Last year, Defreitas was convicted of conspiring to blow up buildings, fuel tanks and pipelines at the airport. He was arrested in June 2007 along with three other men. Defreitas, who had worked at the airport, provided knowledge of its facilities and layout, U.S. prosecutors said.
    Prosecutors said Defreitas was angry with U.S. foreign policy regarding Muslims as well as his perceived mistreatment at work.
    In a statement Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch said "Russell Defreitas plotted to commit a terrorist attack that he hoped would rival 9/11. Now, our courts have dispensed justice by handing out the life sentence that Defreitas richly deserves."
    Defense attorneys portrayed Defreitas as a boastful man whose bomb plot was "more aspirational, than operational".
    After the sentencing, Defreitas' defense attorney Mildred Whalen said she was disappointed with the life sentence and promised to appeal for a shorter sentence.
    "Our argument is that his conduct here, while he talked and said very horrible things, that his actual conduct, what he actually did, what he actually led forth on just wasn't sufficient without the involvement of the government to justify a life sentence. I think 15 years would have enough to punish him for what he did and what he talked about. And given his age, in effect 15 years may very well have been a life sentence," she Whalen.
    Defreitas is 67 years old, and there is no opportunity for parole in federal prison.
    Of the other three other men arrested in the plot, one was handed a life sentence in December, one has been too ill to stand trial and the third pleaded guilty to lesser crimes and was sentenced to 15 years in prison in January.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register