Miami Herald by Jay Weaver 3/4/2020
American Airlines mechanic sentenced to three years for tampering with plane in Miami
An American Airlines mechanic convicted of sabotaging a navigation system on a Miami flight with 150 passengers aboard was sentenced to three years in prison Wednesday after a legal debate over whether he “recklessly†or “intentionally†endangered the safety of the aircraft.
Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani, 60, who pleaded guilty in December to tampering with the aircraft before takeoff last summer at Miami International Airport, received the benefit of a “reckless†finding by U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke. It was based on an agreement between his defense attorney and federal prosecutors.
Had the judge found that his tampering with the plane’s guidance system was intended to bring it down, Alani could have been sent to prison for two to three times longer under federal sentencing guidelines.
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