( CNN ) -- A Somali man who authorities say is the highest-ranking pirate ever brought to the United States for prosecution was given 12 life sentences Monday by a federal judge in Norfolk , Virginia . U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride said he hopes the severe sentences send a clear message to other would-be pirates to stay away from U.S-flagged ships in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia . The sentences handed to Mohammad Saalli Shibin -- who authorities say negotiated for the release of pirate-held hostages and vessels in return for ransom -- follow his involvement in arranging ransoms for two dramatic , high-profile pirated vessels . In one case four Americans were shot to death aboard their yacht in February , 2011 , while negotiations with the U.S. military were proceeding . In the other case , 22 crewmen aboard a German-owned vessel were allegedly tortured following their hijacking , and the pirates received a ransom of more than $ 5 million . During the sentencing , the judge found Shibin responsible for the entire ransom and ordered him to make restitution for more than 5.4 million dollars . The sentencing followed guilty verdicts against Shibin on 15 counts including piracy and kidnapping in April , 2012 . That came just about one year after Shibin was captured in a raid in Somalia by Somali forces working with the FBI . During negotiations for the four Americans , Shibin remained on shore and determined the size of the ransoms to be demanded , and he did not board the yacht himself , authorities said . Three other alleged pirates charged with the deaths of Americans Jean and Scott Adam of California , and their friends Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay of Seattle , are scheduled to go on trial and will face potential death sentences . Federal prosecutors in Norfolk have prosecuted 18 Somali pirates to date .
Authorities say Mohammad Saalli Shibin was a high-level pirate negotiator . He is accused of helping to smuggle cocaine into the U.S. from Colombia and then selling it in New York City for $800,000 per kilo. Shibin was captured in Somalia in 2011 and convicted earlier this year . A judge handed him 12 life sentences on Monday .