Khairullozhon Matanov, a friend of Boston Marathon bombers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison Thursday for obstructing the bombing investigation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Massachusetts.
Matanov pleaded guilty in March to one count of “destroying, altering, and falsifying records, documents, and tangible objects in a federal investigation, specifically information on his computer” and three counts of “making materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements in a federal terrorism investigation,” the U.S. Attorney’s office said in a statement.
Matanov was not charged with participating in the bombings but with trying to conceal his connection to the Tsarnaev brothers.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 21, was sentenced to death last month by a federal jury in Massachusetts on six counts related to the second of two pressure-cooker bombs, which caused the explosion on Boylston Street in front of the Forum restaurant on April 15, 2013. His older brother, Tamerlan, was killed in the manhunt days after the bombings.
According to prosecutors, Matanov was notified that he might be questioned by federal authorities in connection with the attack and tried to keep the FBI from learning the extent of his friendship and communication with the suspects.
Prosecutors said Matanov did not know about the bombings beforehand but invited and bought dinner for the Tsarnaev brothers about 40 minutes after the blasts, according to the indictment.
Once photos of the suspects were released, Matanov viewed them several times on CNN and on the FBI’s website before trying to reach Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, according to the indictment.
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.
Matanov, a part-time taxi driver, tried to give away his cell phone to friends and deleted hundreds of videos and documents from his computer, the indictment said. He also misled police about his relationship with the brothers.
The federal prosecutor’s office said Matanov also hid from investigators that he shared the “philosophical justification for violence” that the Tsarnaev brothers held.
CNN’s attempts to reach an attorney representing Matanov were unsuccessful.
Other associates of the Tsarnaev brother were also prosecuted.
Azamat Tazhayakov, 21, was sentenced earlier this month to three and a half years in prison for conspiring to obstruct justice and obstructing justice with intent to impede the bombing investigation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Robel Phillipos, 21, was sentenced to three years in prison for making false statements to law enforcement in a terrorism investigation.
A third friend, Dias Kadyrbayev, also 21, was sentenced to six years in prison for retrieving and later disposing evidence in the investigation.
