Miami Resident and ISIL Sympathizer Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

Miguel Moran Diaz, 45, of Miami, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Joan A. Lenard of the Southern District of Florida to the statutory maximum term of 120 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, following his guilty plea for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office and members of the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) made the announcement.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to using our law enforcement resources in order to disrupt potential terroristic plots and prosecute those individuals who seek to jeopardize our security,” said U.S. Attorney Ferrer.  “Individuals who unlawfully possess firearms and advocate for violent extremism will continue to be identified, prosecuted and brought to justice under the federal sentencing guidelines.”

“Miguel Moran Diaz was an armed, convicted felon who harbored sympathies for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria,” said Special Agent in Charge Piro.  “He called himself a ‘Lone Wolf’ for ‘ISIS.’  This is not a scenario where law enforcement can afford to wait and see what happens next.  The FBI and our partners in the Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated and disrupted this threat to South Florida.”

According to court documents and statements made in court, in late January 2015, Diaz came to the attention of the FBI due in part to Facebook postings in the name of  “Azizi Al Hariri,” a photo of Diaz possessing a firearm and articles regarding the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.  Thereafter, during a subsequent undercover operation, Diaz told an FBI confidential source that he was a convicted felon and could not purchase a firearm.  Diaz asked the  confidential source to purchase him a “baby Glock” (a small concealable semi-automatic firearm) and other weapons, in exchange for $500.  Diaz proposed that he would arrange to have the guns “stolen” from the confidential source’s vehicle.

Diaz also advised that he already owned a number of weapons, including a rifle, handgun and a Ket Tec 2000 with a collapsible stock that he would use to conceal the firearm.  Diaz showed the confidential source photographs of him holding firearms and also displayed a gun that was concealed in his vehicle.

On Jan. 30, 2015, during a meeting with the confidential source in Miami, Diaz described himself as a “Lone Wolf” for ISIS.  Diaz indicated that he wanted to acquire a .308 caliber bolt action rifle and intended to scratch “ISIS” into the shell casings.  Diaz claimed that after he killed people, authorities would find the shell casings and put the city on lockdown as they attempted to locate the sniper.  Diaz also used his iPhone to view Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP’s) Inspire Magazine website in order to learn how to build bombs.

On Feb. 8, 2015, the confidential source again met with Diaz in Miami in order to conduct target practice with loaded firearms.

On March 20, 2015, the confidential source asked Diaz if he would like to purchase any additional ammunition.  Diaz stated that he had approximately 500 rounds of ammunition at his residence, but wanted to purchase 500 additional rounds if the price was good.

On April 2, 2015, the FBI executed a warrant and found Diaz driving a vehicle while in possession of a .40 caliber handgun loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition and a magazine containing 15 addition rounds.  A search of Diaz’s residence revealed an additional Kel-tec 2000, .40 caliber rifle and approximately 200 to 300 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition.

U.S. Attorney Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and JTTF.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marc S. Anton and Karen E. Gilbert of the Southern District of Florida.

North Pole Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison on Explosives and Weapons Convictions

ANCHORAGE—U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that Coleman L. Barney from North Pole, Alaska, was sentenced in federal court in Anchorage to five years in prison for conspiracy to possess grenades and silencers and to five years in prison for possession of an unregistered destructive device, with the two sentences to run concurrently.

U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. Bryan presided over the trial in this case and also imposed the two five-year concurrent prison terms on Coleman Barney.

On June 18, 2012, a jury returned guilty verdicts against Coleman Barney, Schaffer Cox, and Lonnie G. Vernon on a majority of charges alleged in the superseding indictment and acquitted them on several other charges. Cox, a local militia leader, and Vernon, a fellow militia member, were found guilty of conspiring to murder federal officials, which carries a possible life sentence. Barney, a fellow militia member, was convicted of conspiracy to possess unregistered silencers and destructive devices, as well as possession of unregistered destructive devices. The jury could not reach a verdict as to one of the counts, which charged Barney with conspiracy to murder federal officials, and that count was later dismissed. The verdicts represented the culmination of an extensive investigation that included obtaining recordings of Vernon, Cox, and Barney discussing the murder of numerous state officials in retaliation for attempting to arrest Cox.

Barney’s sentencing is an important step toward concluding this investigation, which resulted in a six-week trial in June. Sentencing for the Vernon’s and Schaeffer Cox are scheduled to occur this coming November.

Ms. Loeffler said, “The actions of Mr. Barney and his co-conspirators presented a very real and dangerous threat to our community.” She commended “the professional work and dedication of law enforcement in protecting citizens and public servants from these threats.”

Mary Rook, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Alaska added, “This investigation and prosecution found its genesis in the voice of concerned citizens that a group of people, operating under the auspices of a sovereign militia, were planning to murder state and federal officials. As a result of the investigation by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Alaska State Troopers, Coleman Barney and his co-conspirators were arrested before they could carry out their murderous plans.”

Ms. Loeffler commends the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the United States Marshals Service; the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Alaska State Troopers; and the Fairbanks Police Department for the investigation of this case.

Hillside Man Arrested After FBI Undercover Investigation on Federal Charges for Attempting to Bomb Downtown Chicago Bar

CHICAGO—A Hillside man was arrested Friday evening after he allegedly attempted to detonate what he believed to be car bomb in front of a bar in downtown Chicago, announced Gary S. Shapiro, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; William C. Monroe, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Garry F. McCarthy, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.

The arrest of ADEL DAOUD, 18, a U.S. citizen, was the culmination of a rigorous undercover operation during which Daoud developed his attack plans and surveilled and selected a target. Daoud was closely monitored by law enforcement and was offered several opportunities to change his mind and walk away from the supposed attack.

“The explosives that Daoud allegedly attempted to detonate posed no threat to the public. They were inert and had been supplied by undercover law enforcement personnel,” Mr. Shapiro said.

Daoud was charged in a criminal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court with one count of attempt to use of a weapon of mass destruction (explosives) and one count of attempt to damage and destroy a building by means of an explosive. Daoud had an initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Arlander Keys. He remains in custody pending a detention and preliminary hearing, which was scheduled for 3 p.m. Monday in federal court. Daoud faces a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison for attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a potential maximum of 20 years in prison for attempt to damage or destroy a building by means of an explosive.

According to an affidavit in support of the complaint, beginning in about October 2011, Daoud used e-mail accounts to obtain and distribute material, some of which he purported to author, relating to violent jihad and the killing of Americans.

In about May 2012, two FBI online undercover employees contacted Daoud in response to material Daoud posted online and thereafter exchanged several electronic communications with Daoud. According to the affidavit, during these communications Daoud expressed an interest in engaging in violent jihad, either in the United States or overseas.

The affidavit alleges that, from late May to mid-June 2012, Daoud confirmed his belief in the propriety of killing Americans in a terrorist attack and then began seeking online resources regarding how to carry out an attack.

In about June 2012, Daoud was introduced to a purported cousin of one of the undercover employees, who said he resided in New York and was an operational terrorist. Daoud allegedly expressed an interest in meeting the cousin, who unbeknownst to Daoud was an FBI undercover agent. In the course of his dealings with the undercover agent, Daoud allegedly drafted a list of approximately 29 potential targets, including military recruiting centers, bars, malls, and other tourist attractions in the Chicago area. He then selected, researched and surveilled a target for attack to be carried out with an explosive device supplied by the undercover agent, the affidavit alleges.

About 7:15 p.m. yesterday, Daoud met the undercover agent in Villa Park and they drove to downtown Chicago. During the drive, Daoud led the undercover agent in a prayer that Daoud and the agent succeed in their attack, kill many people, and cause destruction. They entered a parking lot where a Jeep containing the purported explosive device was parked. Daoud then drove the Jeep out of the parking lot and parked the vehicle in front of a bar in downtown Chicago, which was the target that he had previously selected. According to the affidavit, Daoud exited the vehicle and walked to an alley approximately a block away, and in the presence of the undercover agent, attempted to detonate the device by pressing the triggering mechanism. He was then arrested.

This case was investigated by the Chicago FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), which is comprised of FBI special agents, officers from the Chicago Police Department and representatives from 20 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The Justice Department’s National Security Division assisted in the investigation.

The public is reminded that a criminal complaint contains mere allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Raleigh-Durham Joint Terrorism Task Force Receives FBI Director’s Award

The Director of the FBI recognized 15 members of the Raleigh-Durham Joint Terrorism Task Force with an award for Outstanding Counterterrorism Investigation in Washington, D.C., on September 6, 2012. Robert S. Mueller, III presented the award to members of the team for their work investigating Daniel Patrick Boyd and seven other men who were plotting a terrorist attack on the U.S. and overseas. The case became known as the Triangle Terror Group.

Daniel Boyd was a convert to Islam and was actively recruiting people to join him in an attack. Boyd, Zakaryia Boyd, Dylan Boyd, Hysen Sherifi, Ziyad Yaghi, Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan, Anes Subasic, and Jude Kenan Mohammad were indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2009 after more than four years of a detailed and highly complex investigation by the FBI and its law enforcement partners. Seven of the men were convicted on federal terrorism charges and are currently serving prison sentences.

The award was presented to employees at the FBI, Raleigh Police Department, Durham Police Department, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, members of the prosecutorial team at the United States Attorney’s Office Eastern District of North Carolina, and members of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. The Director’s Award is considered the most prestigious within the FBI.

“The outstanding work by the Raleigh-Durham Joint Terrorism Task Force is a textbook example of how the FBI handles counterterrorism investigations since 9/11. The JTTF collected intelligence to develop a complete understanding of the threat and disrupted it, likely sparing innocent lives in the U.S. and abroad,” said Chris Briese, Special Agent in Charge of the Charlotte Division of the FBI.

Award recipient and Supervisory Special Agent Maria Jocys said, “This investigation exemplified the importance of a joint task force. They not only enable law enforcement to share intelligence, but they bring together the skills, talent, and unique authorities from each agency into a single team to mitigate emerging terrorist threats.”