First Piracy Conviction in D.C.

Clipper Management to Attend Sentencing

WASHINGTON -- Somali pirate Jama Ibrahim is to be sentenced at 9:30 a.m., Thursday, April 7, 2011 marking the first piracy case brought in the District of Columbia.

Ibrahim pleaded guilty in September to various charges stemming from the
takeover of Clipper Group vessel, Future, in the Gulf of Aden. The takeover lasted
71 days, ending in January 2009 with the payment of $1.7 million in ransom.

Ibrahim previously was sentenced in the Eastern District of Virginia to a 30-year prison
term for acts of piracy against a U.S. Navy vessel. 

U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen along with Per Gullestrup, the CEO of the Clipper Group will be available immediately after the sentencing and are expected to make statements outside the courthouse at a press conference.

Per Gullestrup, CEO of Clipper Group commented that "the threat of piracy remains very real, threatening seafarers and ships every day. Clipper was pleased to assist U.S. authorities in prosecuting the pirate whose actions jeopardized the lives of our crew. We are proud of the effort our crew and employees have taken in the case. We appreciate the seriousness with which the case was handled by the U.S. Government and its Department of Justice.  We hope this will send a message that piracy will not be tolerated and we call on the countries of the world to continue to work towards a resolution of this threat."