Biography
Mohammed Yousry was an adjunct professor in Middle East studies at York College and court-appointed translator who while in the service of the attorney of imprisoned Muslim cleric Omar Abdel Rahman worked to translate a letter that Yousry had written which his attorney released to the media which clarified the cleric’s position on a ceasefire agreement between militants and the Egyptian government after it was falsely reported by the media that the cleric was urging the militants to engage in violence. The letter stated, "I Omar Abdel-Rahman am not withdrawing my support of the cease-fire, I am merely questioning it and I am urging you, who are on the ground there to discuss it and to include everyone in your discussions as we always have done." For translating this letter, he was charged with conspiring to provide, and providing material support to terrorism and conspiring to defraud the U.S. government. FBI agents surveilled Yousry for 3 years, wiretapped his phones, and opened his mail, yet found no evidence of him at any point breaking any laws. Despite this, the prosecution claimed without presenting any evidence that Yousry was, "in touch with Middle Eastern terrorists." Yousry was found guilty at trial and later a juror would tell U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl that rather than decide guilt based on the evidence the other jurors wanted to "teach Yousry a lesson" as payback for 9/11.
Earlier sentencing record
The Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney’s October 16, 2006 statement confirms that Ahmed Abdel Sattar, Lynne Stewart and Mohammed Yousry were sentenced that day. This short announcement does not state individual sentence lengths or actual jail-admission or release dates. It reports the prosecution’s dissatisfaction and consideration of an appeal, not an appeal decision or a later resentencing outcome.
Contemporary jury-verdict chronology
The Department of Justice’s joint statement by Daniel Meron and Barry Sabin to the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 20, 2005, pages 2–3, dates the Manhattan jury’s guilty verdict against Ahmed Abdel Sattar, Lynne Stewart and Mohammed Yousry to February 10, 2005. It discusses Sattar’s conspiracy prosecution separately from Stewart and Yousry’s material-support convictions. The statement presents the prosecution’s account and is attributed as such.
This is the date of the jury verdict, not sentencing or physical jail admission. It is distinct from the October 16, 2006 sentencing already documented here and does not replace a later resentencing, appeal outcome, release date or separate custody episode.
Meron/Sabin Senate Judiciary statement, April 20, 2005, pages 2–3.
The November 17, 2009 appellate decision affirmed Yousry’s conviction and 20-month sentence, with discretionary reconsideration after Stewart’s resentencing. It states he was free on bail pending appeal and orders surrender to begin serving; it does not establish the completed surrender date.
