A Pakistani man, who was arrested during probe into the failed Times Square bombing attempt, has pleaded guilty to immigration fraud charges and illegal money transfer and will now be deported to his country.
Aftab Ali , 28, entered the guilty plea under an agreement reached between prosecutors and defense lawyers.
Ali, who was arrested in May 2010, was sentenced yesterday in a US District Court here to time served. He was handcuffed and was flanked by his lawyer and an Urdu interpreter during his court appearance.
Ali, also known as Aftab Khan , had last week agreed to plead guilty to charges of "unlicensed money transmitting and immigration document fraud." He is now in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is expected to be deported to Pakistan within weeks.
He had supplied USD 4,900 to Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad, who has been sentenced to life in prison. He had been arrested along with his uncle Pir Khan and Mohammad Shafiq ur Rahman in Watertown near here in May 2010.
Ali had come to the US in August 2009 on a 90-day visa to get married, Assistant US Attorney William Weinreb said.
While he was not allowed to work under the terms of his visa, he got a job at a gas station. He faced charges of immigration fraud as he lied on his application for a longer term visa by saying he was not employed, Weinreb said.
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