A former Twitter employee has been sentenced and found guilty of transferring user data to the Saudi Arabian government illegally. Judge Edward M. Chen issued a severe warning on Thursday by giving the staff member a 42-month prison sentence, delivering a chilling message that no one is above the law or the justice system.
Ahmad Abouammo was detained at age 45 while working for Twitter’s MENA region branch after it was revealed by United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds, Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division Matthew G. Olson, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp that he had helped the Saudi Royal Family by illegally accessing private information from Twitter users they found interesting.
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“This case revealed that foreign governments will bribe insiders to obtain the user information that is collected and stored by our Silicon Valley social media companies,” said U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds. “In handing down today’s sentence, the Court emphasized that defendant shared the user information with a foreign government known for not tolerating dissidents, and he did so working with his even more culpable co-defendant who fled the country rather than face trial.
“This sentence sends a message to insiders with access to user information to safeguard it, particularly from repressive regimes, or risk significant time in prison,” she added.
“Mr. Abouammo violated the trust placed on him to protect the privacy of individuals living in the US by giving their personal information to a foreign power for profit. His conduct was made all the more egregious by the fact that the information was intended to deny US persons of their lawful rights,” said Olsen. “We are committed to holding accountable those who act unlawfully as unregistered foreign agents and advance hidden influence campaigns on behalf of foreign regimes.”
“The FBI works tirelessly to ensure foreign governments and their agents cannot interfere with the constitutionally protected right to free speech,” noted FBI San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp. “Today’s sentence demonstrates the Bureau’s dedication to following all leads to ensure perpetrators of transnational repression are brought to justice.”
The Justice Department opened up a fascinating case, spilling juicy information about what gave rise to charges.
Abouammo, 45, a Walnut Creek native who now resides in Seattle, unexpectedly started taking payments from the KSA as early as December 2014. He served as the Middle East & North Africa region’s Media Partnerships Manager during this time.
Two former Twitter employees, Ahmad Abouammo and Ali Alzabarah, were found guilty of bribery-related crimes in return for giving government officials user data on critics and dissidents of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The court determined that by taking bribes from KSA representatives, they had wilfully violated Twitter standards meant to safeguard users’ privacy, leading to obstruction charges when asked about it by FBI investigators due to fabricated documents being submitted.
A high-ranking member of the royal family who had previously held several government positions and eventually rose to the position of Deputy Crown Prince was once served by a representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“The evidence showed that the foreign official met with Abouammo in London in December 2014 and provided Abouammo with a luxury Hublot watch.,” the DOJ said. “Abouammo later referenced the value of the watch at $42,000 when offering it for sale on Craigslist.
“After the meeting in London, Abouammo began repeatedly accessing private information about several Twitter accounts, at least one of which was the account of an influential user who was critical of members of the Saudi Royal Family and the KSA government,” noted the department.
“Abouammo also continued to communicate with the official of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including regarding the influential critical account. Evidence at trial further showed that after Abouammo traveled to Lebanon in February 2015, a bank account was opened in the name of his father in Lebanon and Abouammo obtained access to that bank account,” said DOJ.
“The account then received $100,000 in February 2015 from the foreign official and Abouammo laundered the money by sending it into the United States in small wire transfers with false descriptions. The account received another $100,000 shortly after Abouammo left Twitter for other employment, accompanied by a note from the official apologizing for the delayed payment,” the department added.
During sentencing, Chen described Abouammo’s conduct as “serious” and “consequential” and stated that “exposing dissident information is a serious offense.”
