The son of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood was among the 16 Americans sentenced to jail in absentia by an Egyptian court on Tuesday as part of a diplomatic dispute over activities and funding of U.S.-backed pro-democracy groups, NBC News reported. Sam LaHood was sentenced to five years in prison and fined 1,000 Egyptian pounds ($143 USD). He is one of the 43 U.S. citizens and foreign nationals to face trial over what Egypt called a crackdown on non-profit organizations operating in Cairo without required licenses. Of the 16 U.S. citizens sentenced on Tuesday, all but one were tried in absentia having left Egypt, according to the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.
