Long Island Woman Sentenced to 13 Years’ Imprisonment for Providing Material Support to ISIS

Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Zoobia Shahnaz was sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment by United States District Judge Joanna Seybert for providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, specifically more than $150,000 to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), and attempting to travel to Syria to join ISIS.  Shahnaz pleaded guilty in November 2018.  

John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Dermot F. Shea, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the sentence.

As set forth in court filings and facts presented at the sentencing hearing, between March 2017 and July 2017, Shahnaz defrauded numerous financial institutions to obtain money for ISIS, including a loan for approximately $22,500.  Shahnaz also fraudulently obtained more than a dozen credit cards and used them to purchase approximately $62,000 in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies online.  Shahnaz then made multiple wire transfers totaling more than $150,000 to individuals and entities in Pakistan, China and Turkey that were fronts for ISIS.

Shahnaz accessed ISIS violent jihad-related websites and message boards, and social media and messaging pages of known ISIS recruiters, facilitators and financiers.  She also performed numerous internet searches for information that would facilitate her entry into Syria.  Court-authorized search warrants executed at Shahnaz’s residence on Long Island resulted in the seizure of terrorist and jihad-related propaganda, including a photograph of a suicide belt of explosives and a night vision scope.

On July 31, 2017, Shahnaz was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, while attempting to board a flight with a layover in Istanbul, Turkey – a common point of entry for individuals travelling from western countries to join ISIS in Syria.     

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section and Long Island Criminal Division.  Assistant United States Attorney Artie McConnell is in charge of the prosecution, with assistance provided by Trial Attorney Joseph Attias of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.   

DOD Identifies Army, Air Force Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two service members who were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. Both service members died March 11, 2020, when their units were engaged by enemy indirect fire at Camp Taji, Iraq.  The incident is under investigation.

The deceased are:

-- Army Spc.* Juan Miguel Mendez Covarrubias, 27, of Hanford, California.

-- Air Force Staff Sgt. Marshal D. Roberts, 28, of Owasso, Oklahoma.

Mendez Covarrubias was assigned to 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Roberts was assigned to the 219th Engineering Installation Squadron, Oklahoma Air National Guard.

For more information regarding Spc. Juan Miguel Mendez Covarrubias, media may contact Fort Hood Public Affairs office at 254-287-9993/0106 or usarmy.hood.imcom-central.list.pao-mr@mail.mil.

For more information regarding Staff Sgt. Marshal D. Roberts, media may contact the Oklahoma National Guard Public Affairs office at 405-228-5212.

*Indicates posthumous promotion

DOD Identifies Marine Casualties

---

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two Marines who were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.

The following Marines died March 8, 2020 while supporting Iraqi Security Forces in north central Iraq. The incident is under investigation.

Gunnery Sgt. Diego D. Pongo, 34, of Simi Valley, California.
Capt. Moises A. Navas, 34, of Germantown, Maryland.

Both Marines were assigned to 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, Marine Forces Special Operations Command, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

For more information regarding Gunnery Sgt. Diego D. Pongo and Capt. Moises A. Navas, media may contact the Marine Forces Special Operations Command Communication Strategy office at marsocofficial@socom.mil.

Edmond Man Charged with Illegal Smuggling of Firearms to the Middle East

OKLAHOMA CITY – RANDY LEW WILLIAMS, 57, of Edmond, Oklahoma, has been charged for illegally shipping firearms to the Middle East, announced U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Downing.

According to an affidavit in support of a criminal complaint filed on March 3, 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Legal Attaché in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates notified the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office that a FedEx shipment had been seized on December 19, 2018.  The shipment contained multiple Glock pistols and firearms parts, and shipment records indicated the shipment was sent from Williams, at an address in Oklahoma City.  Records also indicated the shipment contained tools and that the intended recipient was located in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq.  The affidavit further explained that FBI authorities later learned that between January 2018 and October 2018, Williams received approximately $12,761.00 in wire transfers from Sweden.  The affidavit states that Williams did not have a Federal Firearms License (FFL) from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) or authority from the Department of Defense to export defense articles (i.e., weapons) outside the United States.

The defendant was arrested yesterday and made his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gary M. Purcell.  The criminal complaint charges Williams with four criminal counts:  1) shipping firearms in foreign commerce without a license, 2) shipping firearms in foreign commerce without notifying the carrier, 3) illegally smuggling firearms from the U.S., and 4) conspiracy to smuggle firearms from the U.S.

If found guilty of counts 1, 2, or 4, the defendant faces a maximum potential penalty of 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.00.  If found guilty of count 3, the defendant faces a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.00.  Each count carries a term of supervised release of not more than three years.

This case is a result of an investigation by the FBI—Oklahoma City Field Office, the ATF, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Oklahoma City Police Department, and the Edmond Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matt Dillon and Mark Stoneman are prosecuting the case.

The public is reminded that these charges are merely allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.