Passaro Gets 100 Months in Prison for Detainee's Death

Raleigh, N.C. — A former CIA contractor from Lillington convicted of assaulting an Afghan detainee was sentenced Tuesday to 100 months in federal prison.

David Passaro, 40, a former Special Forces medic, was convicted last August in connection with the June 2003 death of Abdul Wali. Wali died after being beaten with a flashlight and kicked during two days of interrogation at a U.S. base in northern Afghanistan.

"Passaro's conduct was an affront to all of our men and women serving and fighting to spread freedom and the rule of law," U.S. Attorney George Holding said in a statement. "The sentence clearly shows that no one is above or below the laws of the United States."

Passaro, the first American civilian charged with mistreating a detainee during the war on terror, was sentenced to 100 months in prison for felony assault and six months in prison for each of three counts of simple assault. The sentences will run concurrently.

U.S. District Court Judge Terrence Boyle, who refused Passaro's request to overturn the conviction, said the evidence supported the verdict. Boyle said the lack of an autopsy probably kept Passaro from being charged with murder.

Passaro will have to serve at least 85 months of the sentence under federal guidelines.

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Latest Comments

We need to keep the media at bay...and let our troops do the job they need to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are fighting for our country...our kids...our grandchildren. If the media wouldn't be there....the job would have been done already!!

awilliams28
February 14, 2007 7:12 p.m.

Posting

I guess the Air Medal and other awards sitting here in my office I bought at the PX which is probably where you were in the zone.I dont have to leave my gung-ho attitude at home ,it follows me wherever I go.Then I have to listen to your dribble about being a a complete idiot...Go sit in the corner and assume the oposition cause its coming at you real fast. you sound like a true REMF, a PX warrior!!!!!

LTL
February 14, 2007 6:46 p.m.

Very well said Capecru and very much the point.

3potato4
February 14, 2007 1:30 p.m.

I wasn't aware that all muslims were terrorists. I must have missed that day of school. I'm sure if you put the shoe on the other foot, you'd see they probably feel the same way about Christians. That statement you made was just ignorant and I think you know it. Every group has bad seeds: muslims, christians, jews, etc. What we need to learn as a global community is peace and tolerance. There is simply too much hate in the world and now one group is "in the right." We are all right according to our cultures. What we have to do is fight the real enemy, these extremist groups that are out there and stop being egoists thinking that our way is the right way. Democracy and Christianity are not for everyone.

josephnc1975
February 14, 2007 1:16 p.m.

Some of you need a reality check. A terrorist tries to affect the lives of multiple people with their ideologies and crimes against humanity. Passaro’s killing of a person during interrogation, although wrong and maybe got out of control, but to label him as a terrorist is RIDICULOUS! He did not kill him in an instant. The victim, as you would call him, died days later. You need to check yourself. Maybe you think he also had Weapons of Mass Destruction too.

What a joke. Glad you are not defending us!

sdd82nd
February 14, 2007 12:55 p.m.