His co-defendant, Abdul Kadir, a former MP in Guyana, was given the same sentence in December. A third Guyanese, Abdel Nur, was sentenced last month to 15 years in prison. A fouth man - T&T national Kareen Ibrahim - is awaiting trial.
Prosecutors said the group plotted in 2006 and 2007 to destroy the fuel supply and pipelines at the airport.
The 67-year-old DeFreitas, a former cargo handler at the airport, was convicted on August 2, 2010 of five counts of conspiracy. Judge Dora Irizarry described DeFreitas as a "true believer" who was the leader of the aborted plot. She said, "He's the one who has been dreaming about this for many years." said.
DeFreitas declined the judge's invitation to address the court before sentence was passed. "No, your Honor. I think it's been already said," he declared.
Federal prosecutors said DeFreitas and his co-defendants, Guyanese politician Abdul Kadir and Guyanese national Abdel Nur, plotted in 2006 and 2007 to destroy the fuel supply and pipelines at the airport. Nur, 60, was sentenced last month to 15 years in prison. Kadir was sentenced to life in prison.
DeFreitas' lawyer Mildred Whalen tried to downplay his involvement in the plot and noted that the plot never turned into action.
"He talked a big game," she told Irizarry on Thursday. "This is just talk."
Although the plot was penetrated by an FBI mole for more than a year and the plotters foundered in trying to develop an operational plan prosecutors contended efforts to get support from Caribbean terror groups, al-Qaida, Hezbollah and Iran made it a serious threat.
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