United States Navy Vet Detained in Iran Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

(CBS) – Michael White, a U.S. Navy veteran, has been sentenced to serve at least 10 years in prison in Iran, an attorney for his family said Saturday. White was detained while visiting his Iranian girlfriend in July 2018 on charges he insulted Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and posted a private photograph on social media.

Mark Zaid, the White family’s lawyer, told CBS News that White was sentenced to two years in prison on the charge of insulting the supreme leader and 10 years for posting the photo. Zaid said he believes the sentences are to run concurrently.

Zaid told The New York Times the White family was informed of the sentence earlier this week by the State Department, which learned of the sentence from Swiss diplomats representing American interests in Iran. White has been permitted to meet with the Swiss twice since his arrest, Zaid said. The State Department said Saturday it was aware of his detention but declined further comment due to privacy concerns.

White was tried, convicted and sentence over the course of two hearings on March 6 and 9, Zaid said. White has 22 days to appeal, but it’s unclear “when that clock started ticking,” Zaid said.

White’s mother, Joanne, spoke to “CBS Evening News” in January to discuss her concerns about her son’s health.

Joanne White said she prays every day that her son Michael will be freed from prison in Iran before it’s too late. She worried his recurring cancer could come back.

“I knew he wasn’t dead. I felt that in my heart. But I didn’t think he was OK,” she said.

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