Abouammo v. United States Supreme Court Case on Venue

Developing StoryLast updated APR 16
SUMMARY

The U.S. Supreme Court justices expressed skepticism regarding the government's venue arguments during oral arguments on March 30, 2026, in Abouammo v. United States, a case that could significantly impact venue protections. As of March 30, 2026, a decision is pending on whether venue is proper in a district where no offense conduct took place but the statute's intent element contemplates effects there. The case involves Ahmad Abouammo, a former Twitter employee convicted of spying for Saudi Arabia, with the Court agreeing on December 5, 2025, to hear his argument that the Justice Department chose the wrong venue to charge him with obstructing an FBI investigation. The Cato Institute filed an amicus brief on January 27, 2026, supporting Abouammo's petition and arguing against the government's broad interpretation of venue rules. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals had previously affirmed Abouammo's convictions but vacated his sentence on December 4, 2024, ruling that venue for the falsification of records charge was proper in the Northern District of California.

Timeline

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March 2026 — 1 developments

  1. Supreme Court justices expressed skepticism regarding the government's venue arguments during oral arguments on March 30, 2026, in Abouammo v.

    Supreme Court justices expressed skepticism regarding the government's venue arguments during oral arguments on March 30, 2026, in Abouammo v. United States. The case could significantly impact venue protections, with a decision pending.

January 2026 — 4 developments

  1. The Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for the case Abouammo v.

    The Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for the case Abouammo v. United States for March 30, 2026. The case concerns whether venue is proper in a district where no offense conduct took place but the statute's intent element contemplates effects there.

  2. The Cato Institute has filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case Abouammo v.

    The Cato Institute has filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case Abouammo v. United States. The brief supports Ahmad Abouammo's petition and argues that the government's broad interpretation of venue rules allows for "prosecutorial forum shopping."

  3. *Abouammo v.

    *Abouammo v. U.S.* (No. 25-5146) is currently listed among the cases not yet set for oral argument in the Supreme Court's October 2025-26 term.

December 2025 — 3 developments

  1. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of Ahmad Abouammo, a former Twitter employee conv…

    The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of Ahmad Abouammo, a former Twitter employee convicted of spying for Saudi Arabia. The case will address whether the Justice Department selected the correct venue to charge Abouammo with obstructing an FBI investigation.

  2. The U.S. Supreme Court has granted certiorari and will hear the case of Ahmad Abouammo v. United Sta…

    The U.S. Supreme Court has granted certiorari and will hear the case of Ahmad Abouammo v. United States. The case concerns whether venue is proper in a district where no offense conduct took place but the statute's intent element contemplates effects there. The court agreed to hear Abouammo's argument that the Justice Department chose the wrong venue to charge him with obstructing an FBI investigation.

  3. The Supreme Court of the United States granted Abouammo's petition for a writ of certiorari, limited…

    The Supreme Court of the United States granted Abouammo's petition for a writ of certiorari, limited to the question of "Whether venue is proper in a district where no offense conduct took place, so long as the statute's intent element 'contemplates' effects that could occur there."

July 2025 — 1 developments

  1. The Supreme Court has docketed the case of Ahmad Abouammo v.

    The Supreme Court has docketed the case of Ahmad Abouammo v. United States on July 18, 2025. This follows the granting of the petition for a writ of certiorari and precedes the scheduled oral arguments.

December 2024 — 1 developments

  1. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed Abouammo's convictions but vacated his sentence and remanded for resentencing.

    The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed Abouammo's convictions but vacated his sentence and remanded for resentencing. The Ninth Circuit held that venue for the falsification of records charge was proper in the Northern District of California, where the obstructed federal investigation was taking place, even though Abouammo created the false invoice in Seattle.

August 2022 — 1 developments

  1. Following a two-week jury trial, Abouammo was convicted on six counts, including acting as an agent …

    Following a two-week jury trial, Abouammo was convicted on six counts, including acting as an agent of a foreign government, conspiracy to commit wire and honest services fraud, wire and honest services fraud, international money laundering (two counts), and falsification of records to obstruct a federal investigation. He was sentenced to 42 months in prison.

July 2020 — 1 developments

  1. After grand jury proceedings resumed, a superseding indictment was returned, containing the same charges as the April 2020 information.

    After grand jury proceedings resumed, a superseding indictment was returned, containing the same charges as the April 2020 information. The district court denied Abouammo's motion to dismiss the document falsification charges on grounds of improper venue and denied motions to dismiss other charges as untimely.

April 2020 — 1 developments

  1. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic halting grand jury proceedings and Abouammo refusing to further extend …

    Due to the COVID-19 pandemic halting grand jury proceedings and Abouammo refusing to further extend the statute of limitations, the government filed a superseding information adding charges of money laundering and wire fraud.

November 2019 — 1 developments

  1. Ahmad Abouammo, a U.

    Ahmad Abouammo, a U.S. citizen and former Twitter Media Partnerships Manager for the Middle East and North Africa, was initially indicted along with two others for acting as agents of the government of Saudi Arabia without prior notification to the Attorney General, and for falsifying records in a federal investigation.