A former Intel Corp. employee plead guilty Wednesday (Aug. 6) to one count of collaborating to assist the Taliban during the U.S. war in Afghanistan in October 2001. Maher "Mike" Hawash faces a maximum 10 years in prison and $250,000 fine.
Hawash was arrested by federal authorities in an Intel parking lot in Hillsboro, Ore., on his way to work as a contract employee on the morning of March 20, 2003 and was held as a material witness for several weeks. A group that included many current and former Intel employees came to his assistance, staging rallies in Portland and creating a web site that generated about $20,000 for his legal defense.
As part of a plea bargain now posted on that web site, Hawash admitted he traveled with five other Portland residents to Kashgar and Beijing in October 2001 seeking entry to Pakistan to assist the Taliban in its war with the U.S. When the group could not gain entry to Pakistan, Hawash returned to Portland but later sent one member of the group $2,000.
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