Former Rochester Women’s Terrorism Convictions Upheld

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld the convictions and sentences of two Minnesota women who were found guilty of conspiring to funnel money to a terror group in Somalia.

Thirty-nine-year-old Amina Farah Ali and 68-year-old Hawo Mohamed Hassan were convicted in 2011 on multiple counts. The women claimed they were helping the poor, but prosecutors said they were part of a "deadly pipeline" that sent money and fighters to al-Shabab.

Ali was sentenced to 20 years in prison and Hassan received a 10-year-sentence. Their attorneys appealed on many grounds.

On Tuesday, a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed both the convictions and sentences, saying there were no plain errors in the case and the sentences are not unreasonable.