Contempt charges reinstated for MN woman

Amina Farah Ali
Amina Farah Ali of Rochester, seen outside the federal courthouse in downtown St. Paul, on Monday, August 9, 2010.
MPR File Photo/Laura Yuen

A federal judge in Minnesota has reinstated the contempt charges for a Somali woman who refused to stand for the court during the first two days of her trial on terror charges.

Amina Farah Ali was convicted last year of funneling money to the terror group al-Shabab in Somalia.

During the first two days of her trial, she refused to stand 20 times. Chief U.S. District Judge Michael Davis found her in contempt each time and sentenced her to a total of 100 days. But a federal appeals court vacated 19 contempt charges and sent the issue back to Davis to reconsider.

Davis ruled Tuesday that Ali was in contempt, but purged her 100-day sentence.

She's currently in a halfway house awaiting sentencing on 13 terror-related counts.

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