US seeks 15-year sentence for Canadian Tamil charged of supporting Sri Lanka's LTTE

The United States Department of Justice is seeking a 15-year prison sentence for a Canadian Tamil man who pleaded guilty in a United States district court to charges of conspiring to provide material support to Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a proscribed organization in the U.S. In a sentencing report filed in United States Eastern District Court in Brooklyn, New York, U.S. attorney Loretta Lynch has said that the Ontario resident Ramanan Mylvaganam had committed a gravely serious offence by attempting to procure equipment for the Tamil rebels, Canadian daily National Post reported.
"Any sentence other than a substantial sentence of incarceration risks undermining respect for the law by suggesting that a defendant can evade serious punishment for providing material support to a terrorist organization," Lynch was quoted. Mylvaganam, 35, a Canadian citizen who previously lived in the United States, was arrested by Canada's RCMP officers in Toronto and extradited to U.S. in 2009, following his indictment in the Eastern District Court of New York. He pleaded guilty in 8 February 2012 to conspiring to procure sophisticated technology, including submarine design software and night vision equipment for the LTTE in 2006. Mylvaganam's defence pointing out that the war was over in Sri Lanka and the Canadian was not a political zealot, has asked the judge to sentence him to time served and release him. "This case represents the one, isolated transgression on his part. His failing in this case is one of judgment. However, Mr. Mylvaganam certainly has learned his lesson and is truly remorseful,", his lawyer Jerry Fong has written. According to court documents, Mylvaganam conspired to purchase approximately $22,000 worth of submarine design software for the LTTE from a UK company. He has also attempted to purchase night vision equipment for the LTTE from a company in British Columbia, Canada. In addition, the defendant has assisted a co-conspirator in purchasing computer equipment, electronics components and communications equipment for the LTTE. Mylvaganam faces a maximum term of 15 years' imprisonment. His sentencing was scheduled for Friday. "His life has been torn apart as a result of this case. He simply wishes to be sent home as soon as possible so that he can start picking up the pieces of his shattered life and moving forward to make things right for himself, for his family, and for society at large," his lawyer was quoted as writing. /div>