March 30, 2010: In this file courtroom sketch, Raja Lahrasib Kahn appears before U.S. Magistrate Judge Geraldine Soat Brown in federal court in Chicago. (AP)
CHICAGO – A judge has sentenced a Chicago taxi driver to 90 months in prison for trying to send money to a terrorist with links to al-Qaida.
Pakistani-born Raja Lahrasib Khan spoke before U.S. District Judge James Zagel imposed the sentence Friday. The bald, bearded Khan told the courtroom in Chicago that he was shamed of the "bad decision" he made.
The 58-year-old pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of attempting to provide material support to terrorism. His plea agreement with prosecutors recommended a five- to eight-year sentence.
The case hinged on secret recordings, including in Khan's taxicab. He wasn't charged with a terrorist attempt. But the original complaint said he talked about planting bombs in an unspecified stadium. He described the blasts by saying they would go, "Boom."
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