Supreme Court Rules Former Twitter Employee Was Tried in Wrong Venue in Saudi Spying Case
The justices said the obstruction charge had to be tried where Abouammo falsified the document, leaving his other convictions in place.
- On Thursday, the Supreme Court overturned the obstruction conviction of former Twitter employee Ahmad Abouammo, ruling he was tried in the wrong state for falsifying documents to impede an FBI investigation into his alleged spying for Saudi Arabia.
- Prosecutors alleged Abouammo, while working at Twitter, provided confidential user information to a Saudi official in exchange for a $42,000 watch and two $100,000 wire transfers; he later denied this conduct to FBI agents at his Seattle home.
- Justice Elena Kagan wrote that defendants charged under 18 U.S. Code § 1519 must be tried where the falsification occurred. "Here that was in Seattle," Kagan wrote for the majority, establishing the Western District of Washington as proper venue.
- Legal analysts suggest this ruling could impact DOJ cases in Florida and Texas, including an investigation into Rhode Island Hospital. Slate analyst Mark Joseph Stern noted implications for the Trump administration's handling of the hospital case.
- The Cato Institute argued that the government's "plea for effectively unbounded prosecutorial forum shopping is incompatible" with constitutional venue limits. The ruling restricts where the Justice Department can take defendants to trial on document-falsification charges.
7 Articles
7 Articles
Court unanimously sides with defendant in criminal venue dispute over where a crime occurs
The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in Abouammo v. United States that federal prosecutors can try a defendant only in the district where his crime was committed, not where its “contemplated effects” were felt. Specifically, in a unanimous decision by Justice Elena Kagan, the justices rejected a federal appeals court’s conclusion that the intent requirement in 18 U.S.C. § 1519 – which criminalizes falsifying documents in a federal investigation –…
NEWS HEADLINES: BREAKING: Supreme Court Issues Unanimous Ruling * 100PercentFedUp.com * by Jack
The Supreme Court just issued a unanimous ruling, and the case behind it has everything: Twitter, Saudi dissidents, federal prosecutors, and a fake invoice. The decision came down June 11, 2026, in Abouammo v. United States, No. 25-5146. Justice Elena Kagan wrote for a 9-0 Court, reversing the Ninth Circuit and sending the case back. Legal reporter Katie Buehler summed up the ruling this way: BREAKING: A 9-0 Supreme Court *maintains* limits on t…
US Supreme Court overturns ex-Twitter employee's obstruction conviction in Saudi spy case
June 11 - The U.S. Supreme Court overturned on Thursday an obstruction conviction of a former Twitter employee accused of spying for Saudi Arabia, saying he was tried in the wrong state for knowingly falsifying a document to impede an FBI investigation. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Supreme Court ruling 'could derail DOJ and 'lunatic MAGA judge': legal experts
A ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court Thursa likely made life more difficult for the Department of Justice, legal experts say.Abouammo v. United States is a case that dealt with a former Twitter employee who passed private information of Saudi dissidents to a staffer of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. But one detail in the decision decided it on a technicality. "We hold that a defendant charged with violating [18 U.S. Code § 1519] must be tried…
Supreme Court Delivers Victory for Ex-Twitter Employee in Saudi Espionage Case
In a significant unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a former Twitter staff member involved in a Saudi spying incident, declaring a prosecutorial error regarding venue. The post Supreme Court Delivers Victory for Ex-Twitter Employee in Saudi Espionage Case appeared first on News Addicts.
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