SAN FRANCISCO — A former Twitter worker was once convicted on Tuesday by way of a jury in federal court docket of six fees associated with accusations that he spied at the corporate’s customers for Saudi Arabia.
While at Twitter, Ahmad Abouammo, 44, controlled media partnerships within the Middle East and North Africa. He advanced relationships with outstanding people within the area, receiving masses of 1000’s of greenbacks and a luxurious watch from a best adviser to Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. In go back, prosecutors stated, he shared the non-public consumer knowledge of dissidents with Saudi officers.
The jury convicted Mr. Abouammo of 2 counts of cord fraud or conspiracy to dedicate cord fraud, two counts of cash laundering, one depend of falsifying information and one depend of performing as an agent of a international executive with out correctly disclosing that paintings. It discovered Mr. Abouammo no longer accountable on 5 counts of cord fraud or conspiracy to dedicate cord fraud.
Mr. Abouammo’s trial concluded on Thursday, and the jury of six males and 5 girls took 17 hours to achieve a verdict.
Mr. Abouammo was once arrested in 2019. Ali Alzabarah, any other former Twitter worker who was once additionally charged within the scheme, fled the rustic prior to he may well be arrested. Several of the fees of which Mr. Abouammo was once acquitted had been associated with communications between Mr. Alzabarah and Saudi officers, suggesting that the jury was once no longer satisfied that Mr. Abouammo influenced his co-worker’s movements.
Prosecutors described Mr. Abouammo as a mole who bought his get entry to to non-public consumer knowledge to Saudi Arabia. Saudi representatives paid Mr. Abouammo to obtain and percentage details about political dissidents and different Twitter customers, prosecutors stated.
“Power. Greed. Lies. You heard this story, told by the evidence, here in this courtroom,” stated Eric Cheng, an assistant U.S. lawyer, all through last statements.
Lawyers for Mr. Abouammo described him as simply a Twitter worker who were doing his process. Prosecutors had no longer attached Mr. Abouammo’s having access to knowledge and receiving bills with precise sharing of that knowledge, his attorneys stated.
“Even if you think Mr. Abouammo possibly or probably did it, you must vote not guilty,” stated Angela Chuang, a federal public defender who represents Mr. Abouammo and a lead lawyer within the case, all through last statements.
