Bitcoin
New York Woman Victoria Jacobs Gets 18 Years for Financing Terrorism With Crypto
The jury took less than three hours to return from deliberations with convictions on all counts.
On Tuesday, the prosecutor, David Stuart, said Ms. Jacobs viewed the United States and New York City as “enemies” and showed “zero remorse” for her actions. It supported terrorist organizations and their activities in the “shadows of the Internet,” he said.
And since her conviction, Ms. Jacobs “has become vindictive” and “tried to undermine the judicial process,” Stuart said. In recorded phone calls from prison, Ms. Jacobs said that as soon as she was released, she would take revenge on the New York Police Department, the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the court, he said.
In response, Fineman asked the court to show mercy and said Ms Jacobs had undergone a psychological evaluation which concluded she had a number of mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression. She was “vulnerable” and “alone” during the years prosecutors said she committed the crimes, he said.
Before her sentencing, Ms Jacobs addressed the court, saying the case against her had started as an issue with her landlord before escalating. Her landlord, she said in a meandering explanation, accused her of being linked to terrorism “because I am originally from Uzbekistan, a transgender woman and a Muslim woman.”
Ms. Jacobs continued speaking for several minutes, mentioning Mr. Bragg and the popular video game Call of Duty. Judge Drysdale interrupted her to ask, “Anything else, Mrs. Jacobs?” She continued for a few more minutes as the judge continued to interrupt her, saying “Okay, Mrs. Jacobs” and “I’ve heard your explanation before.” After a few more minutes, the judge began her sentence.