Friend of Boston Bomber Sentenced Two And a Half Years of Imprisonment

Khairullozhon Matanov, a cab driver and citizen of Kyrgyzstan, pleaded guilty in March 2015 for misleading United States investigators after the Boston bombing when he tried to cover up his relationship with the Tsarnaev brothers.

The US authorities also said Matanov also admitted that he tried to erase his internet history, in an attempt to get rid of cellphones, and lying about meeting the Tsarnaev brothers following the attack.

Manatov also confessed about calling Tsarnaev and his elder brother, Tamerlan less than one hour after the attacks took place on April 15, 2013. He also invited them to have dinner, he admitted.

The federal prosecutor’s office said Matanov also hid from investigators that he shared the ‘philosophical justification for violence’ that the Tsarnaev brothers held.

But Matanov before his sentencing said that he was wrong. He said he is not a sympathizer of any terrorist organization.

In the hours and days after the bombings, Matanov contacted and attempted to contact the suspects by phone and saw Tamerlan Tsarnaev at least twice, according to the indictment.

After completing his 30-month prison sentence, Matanov will be on supervised release for 36 months. His formal sentencing is scheduled for June 24.

Three college friends of the younger Tsarnaev, Kazakh exchange students Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov, as well as Robel Phillipos of Cambridge, Mass., were handed sentences earlier this month ranging from three to six years in prison for interfering with the investigation.