Vicente Adolfo Solano, 53, a citizen of Honduras residing in
Miami, was sentenced to 210 months in prison, to be followed by a lifetime of
supervised release, for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic
State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization,
after planning to detonate an explosive device at a Miami mall. Solano pleaded guilty on March 14.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C.
Demers, U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg for the Southern District of
Florida, and Special Agent in Charge Robert F. Lasky of the FBI’s Miami Field
Office made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Paul C.
Huck.
“The efforts of the dedicated women and men of the FBI and
the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force have kept the people of Miami safe
from this ISIS supporter and ensured Solano will go to prison,” said Assistant
Attorney General Demers. “I am grateful
for our law enforcement partners, and I applaud our prosecutors for today’s
successful outcome and the message it sends: we will not tolerate threats to
our country or its people.”
“Any individual who plots to support a foreign terrorist
organization puts our local community at risk and this threat remains a top
priority for our U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners,”
stated U.S. Attorney Greenberg. “Today’s
sentence speaks to those who harbor extremist ideals – your terroristic agenda
will be thwarted and your punishment of years in prison will be your only
lasting legacy.”
“Solano dreamed of detonating an explosive device in a crowded
Miami area mall, but he was denied his terroristic aspirations by the
outstanding work and team effort of the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task
Force,” said Special Agent in Charge Lasky.
“This is a job well done by a group of professionals who must remain
eternally vigilant.”
According to the stipulated factual basis filed with the
Court, in early 2017, Solano told an individual, who later became a
Confidential Human Source (CHS) for the government, that he was upset with the
United States and wanted to conduct an attack in Miami. Later, Solano told this CHS that he wanted to
join ISIS.
Solano planned to place and detonate an explosive device in
a crowded area of a popular Miami mall.
Solano discussed his plot with the CHS and two undercover FBI employees. According to the complaint, Solano provided
three videos to the CHS, in which Solano makes pro-ISIS statements and
expresses anti-U.S. sentiments. Just
prior to his arrest, Solano took possession of what he believed was an
explosive device, took steps to arm it, and walked toward a mall entrance in
order to carry out his attack.
Unbeknownst to Solano, the device was inert and did not pose a risk to
the public. Solano was taken into
custody prior to entering the Mall.
Judge Huck imposed a sentence below the statutory maximum
recommended by the advisory sentencing guidelines and advocated by the
government, noting that the defendant is currently in removal proceedings and
will be returned to his native country of Honduras following his prison term. Solano had been residing in the United States
under Temporary Protected Status. His
protected status has since been revoked.
Mr. Demers and Mr. Greenberg commended the investigative
efforts of the FBI and the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S.
Attorney Karen E. Gilbert for the Southern District of Florida and Trial
Attorney Jolie Zimmerman of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism
Section.
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