ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Sterling man pleaded guilty today to
obstructing a counterterrorism investigation and receipt of child pornography.
According to court documents, Sean Andrew Duncan, 22,
altered, destroyed, mutilated, concealed, and covered up a thumb drive and
memory chip with the intent to impede and obstruct an FBI terrorism
investigation. He also knowingly and unlawfully received images of minors
engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and possessed thousands of such images
including images of infants being sexually abused.
Obstruction of Justice
In June 2017, the FBI learned that Duncan had been in
contact with an individual who had been detained in a foreign country for
actively planning to travel to join ISIS. In or around February 2015, Duncan told
the individual that he wanted to make “hijrah” to Syria and that he wanted her
to go with him. Later in February 2016, Duncan was denied entry into Turkey and
returned to the United States.
Around this same time, the individual told Duncan she was
upset at work due to non-Muslim women wearing shorts that exposed their bodies.
Duncan replied with a link to a website, and a message saying she could “try
this.” The link contained pictures and instructions on how to make weapons and
bombs. The link was to an article titled, “How to build a bomb in the kitchen
of your Mom” from Inspire magazine. In December 2016, Duncan contacted the
individual and told her that he had come back from Turkey, where he and his
wife were deported back to the United States. Duncan said he thought the FBI
was monitoring him.
In or around October 2017, law enforcement authorities of a
foreign government arrested one of their citizens (Recruiter 1) for inciting
rebellion. Recruiter 1 is an ISIS
recruiter who is suspected of drawing foreign fighters from around the world to
Recruiter 1’s home country using social media.
Recruiter 1 kept names and telephone numbers of individuals who had
requested to join her social media and/or communication application groups.
Recruiter 1’s notes included a handwritten name appearing to be “Sean Ibn Gary
Duncan,” with Duncan’s known previous phone number and known previous mobile
messaging account.
On or about Oct. 6, 2017, the Allegheny County Police
Department (ACPD) provided a copy of Duncan’s phone to the FBI. ACPD had
obtained this copy during an investigation surrounding the recent death of
Duncan’s infant child (the cause of death in the autopsy was inconclusive). The
FBI’s review of Duncan’s imaged phone revealed numerous internet searches for
ISIS-related material, ISIS attacks, weapons, and body armor.
On Dec. 29, 2017, FBI agents executed the search warrant at
Duncan’s residence. Upon execution of the warrant, the agents knocked on the
door, identified themselves as FBI, and announced that they were there to
execute a search warrant. Moments before the FBI agents entered the residence
through the front door, Duncan ran out the back door, barefoot, and with
something clenched in his fist. FBI agents guarding the back door yelled at
Duncan to stop. Before stopping, Duncan threw a plastic baggie in the air and
over the heads of the agents. FBI agents recovered the baggie thrown by Duncan.
The baggie contained a memory chip from a thumb drive that had been snapped
into pieces, and placed in a liquid substance that produced frothy white
bubbles. Upon searching Duncan, agents recovered a broken casing for a thumb
drive from Duncan’s pants pocket.
Receipt of Child Pornography
In December 2017, Duncan possessed a smartphone containing
images of pre-pubescent minors that appeared to be engaged in sexually explicit
conduct with adult males. Other images on the phone were of pre-pubescent
minors posed to expose their genitalia in a sexual manner. Several of the
images of child pornography were screen shots that Duncan had taken of websites
containing child pornography that he had visited. The pre-pubescent minors in
the photos were as young as infants, and the total number of images was in the
thousands.
One image on his phone consisted of Duncan's hand exposing
the genitalia of an infant in a sexual manner. Also found on several of
Duncan’s phones and electronic devices were thousands of videos and images of
children and women that Duncan took in a voyeuristic manner. Several of the
videos and images are taken in public venues such as stores, metros, parks, and
restaurants.
Duncan pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and receipt
of child pornography, and will be sentenced on July 6. By accepting the plea,
the Court is bound to sentencing Duncan within 15-20 years in prison.
Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the
Eastern District of Virginia, and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge
of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was
accepted by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema. Assistant U.S. Attorneys
Gordon D. Kromberg, Colleen E. Garcia, Jay V. Prabhu, and Trial Attorneys B.
Celeste Corlett and Rachel Hertz of the National Security Division’s
Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of
the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court
documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for
the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No.
1:18-cr-19.
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