Amin al-Baroudi wanted to do the right thing in Syria, but knowing what the right thing is in a quagmire like the Syrian war isn’t always easy.
Al-Baroudi, 50, of Irvine, Calif., admits now that he went astray: In addition to performing humanitarian work, al-Baroudi also snuck rifle scopes, night-vision goggles and other military gear to rebel fighters seeking to topple the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
The problem, prosecutors say, is that the group Al-Baroudi was helping, Ahrar el-Sham, frequently fights alongside the al-Qaida affiliate in Syria, Jabhat al-Nusra.
On Friday, a judge sentenced al-Baroudi to nearly three years in prison for violating U.S. sanctions in Syria.
Al-Baroudi, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Syria, apologized for his conduct at the hearing.
“I came to realize there’s no right way to do the wrong things,” al-Baroudi wrote in a statement that his lawyer, Anthony Capozzolo, read when Al-Baroudi became too choked up to maintain his composure. “I simply pray for my old country to exit this crisis and enjoy . . . what my family enjoys in this country.”