Cudahy Resident Waheba Dais Pleads Guilty To Attempted Material Support of ISIS

A Wisconsin woman pleaded guilty today to a national-security crime related to her support of a foreign terrorist organization, announced United States Attorney Matthew D. Krueger of the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Waheba Issa Dais, 46, was convicted of one count of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. Dais’s support took the form of expert advice and assistance to ISIS, which she provided in early 2018, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2339B(a)(1).

According to admissions made in connection with her plea, Dais used hacked Facebook accounts in order to support ISIS. Using these accounts, she pledged her allegiance to ISIS on numerous occasions, communicated with and encouraged other ISIS supporters who described their plans to conduct attacks, disseminated information about explosives and biological weapons, and attempted to recruit new members to ISIS’s cause. For example, Dais posted videos providing step-by-step instructions on how to make an explosive belt and TNT, and she provided a detailed recipe for the poison Ricin. Dais also maintained encrypted social-media channels, where she posted messages encouraging ISIS supporters who could not travel to ISIS-controlled lands to conduct terrorist attacks in their home countries. Through those encrypted channels, she also provided detailed information about explosives, guns, attack planning, and target selection.  

“From her home in Cudahy, Dais promoted ISIS’s hateful, violent agenda and provided detailed instructions on how to harm innocent people,” said U.S. Attorney Krueger. “This case underscores the need to remain vigilant in our efforts to identify, disrupt, and bring to justice those who would provide material support to terrorism, whether abroad or in our community. The Department of Justice is committed to protecting national security as our first priority.”

Acting Special Agent in Charge Michelle Sutphin of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Milwaukee Field Office said: “Protecting Americans from terrorist threats is the highest priority of the FBI.  We are dedicated to working around the clock, here in Wisconsin, with our Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) partners at the local, state and federal level to keep our community safe from those seeking to provide support and resources to a known foreign terrorist organization.”

Dais faces a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty years, a maximum term of supervised release for life, and a maximum fine of $250,000. Her sentencing is set for September 12, 2019 at 9:30 am before Judge Pamela Pepper.

This conviction is the result of an extensive investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Milwaukee Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca Taibleson and Trial Attorney Jennifer Burke of the National Security Division.