Judge says Iraqi refugee’s life sentence should stand
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A federal judge has denied an Iraqi refugee’s request to have his life sentence on terrorism-related charges vacated.
News outlets report that U.S. Magistrate Judge Brent Brennenstuhl wrote in an opinion on Thursday that 29-year-old former Bowling Green resident Mohanad Shareef Hammadi failed to prove his attorney, James Earhart, was ineffective in representing him.
Hammadi says Earhart assured him he would get a lesser sentence if he pleaded guilty to all charges after he was accused of attempting to provide resources to al-Qaida in 2011. He also said he did not know a life sentence was a possible result of his 2012 plea.
Brennenstuhl found that Hammadi offered no evidence that Earhart advised his client that he would not receive a life sentence if he pleaded guilty.
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