CPA Pleads Guilty to Using His Skills to Help Al-Qaeda

A former employee of PricewaterhouseCoopers has pleaded guilty to federal charges that he used his technical skills to provide material support to al-Qaeda.

Sabirhan Hasanoff pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood in a federal court on Monday in New York City. Hasanoff holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and Australia. He lived in Brooklyn and used to work as a senior manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers, according to the Associated Press.

Prosecutors allege that he traveled to a number of countries before he was arrested in 2010, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen. He allegedly was paid $50,000 to transfer funds and perform other chores for al-Qaeda.

A co-defendant, Wesam El-Hanafi, allegedly recruited Hasanoff into a small terror cell, according to Bloomberg.com. The group used code words during Internet chats in which they referred to “jihad” as “safari,” according to the AP. El-Hanafi has pleaded not guilty.