CHICAGO - A cabdriver was sentenced Friday to seven years in prison followed by lifetime supervision for attempting to send money to a terrorist with alleged ties to Al Qaeda.

Before his punishment was handed down, Pakistan-born Raja Lahrasib Khan, who became a US citizen in 1988, asked US District Judge James Zagel for mercy.

Khan pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of attempting to provide material support to terrorism. His plea agreement recommended a five- to eight-year sentence.

His attorney, Thomas Durkin, told Zagel that Khan has suffered depression and considered suicide. He noted that Khan had cooperated with authorities.

Authorities arrested Khan in 2010 and accused him of taking steps to send cash to Pakistan-based terrorist leader Ilyas Kashmiri after Kashmiri said he needed money for explosives. Khan believed Kashmiri was getting orders from Osama bin Laden, prosecutors said.