Former American Muslim Council head Abdurahman Alamoudi has been sentenced to 23 years in prison: Muslim Activist Sentenced to 23 Years for Libya Contacts.

A federal judge yesterday sentenced Muslim activist Abdurahman Alamoudi to the maximum 23-year prison term for illegal dealings with Libya that included his involvement in a complex plot to kill the Saudi ruler.

Once so prominent that his influence reached the highest levels of the U.S. government, Alamoudi stood before U.S. District Chief Judge Claude M. Hilton in a green prison jumpsuit and said quietly: “I regret my involvement in everything unlawful I did.” His attorneys urged a lighter sentence, portraying Alamoudi, as a minor player in the scheme to assassinate Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah.

But Hilton accepted the argument of prosecutors that the longtime activist played a key role as a go-between who introduced Libyan officials to two leading Saudi dissidents in London who were coordinating the plan. Alamoudi pleaded guilty in July to illegally moving cash from Libya, admitting that he pocketed nearly $1 million and used it to pay conspirators in the plot, which sources said came close to succeeding before it was broken up by Saudi intelligence officials.

“He saw an opportunity make a buck in a murder-for-hire plot,” Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven P. Ward said. “I submit to the court that this conduct is so base, so reprehensible that the defendant deserves every day of prison that this court will impose upon him.”