A former Twitter employee who was convicted of spying on behalf of the Saudi government was sentenced Wednesday to more than three and a half years in federal prison.
Ahmad Abouammo, a dual U.S.-Lebanese citizen, managed the social media giant’s relationships with journalists and celebrities in North Africa and the Middle East from 2013-15, according to NBC News.
He was convicted during his jury trial in August for sharing users’ phone numbers, email addresses and locations.
The case mainly focused on Abouammo’s efforts to look up information on Twitter users who were critical of the Saudi government in exchange for pricey gifts — such as a $42,000 watch and two $100,000 wire transfers — from a foreign official, Reuters reported.
Abouammo began spying in 2014 and continued after he left the company a year later, when he would ask former co-workers to verify certain Saudi accounts and to remove posts that the Saudi agent identified.
Prosecutors argued during the hearing that the personal information potentially exposed users to persecution by Saudi officials.
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The Saudi government has made headlines recently for its heavy-handed prison sentences related to its citizens’ Twitter usage.
A dual U.S.-Saudi citizen was given a 16-year prison sentence in October over his tweets that were perceived to be critical of the kingdom. A Saudi woman studying abroad in Britain was sentenced to 34 years in prison in August because of retweets that the Saudi government found unfavorable.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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