A federal jury today convicted two Orange County,
California, men – one of whom attempted to travel to the Middle East to join
the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist
organization – of conspiring to provide material support to ISIL.
The verdict was announced by Assistant Attorney General for
National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker of the Central
District of California and Assistant Director in Charge Deirdre Fike of the
FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.
Nader Elhuzayel, 25, and Muhanad Badawi, 25, both of
Anaheim, California, were convicted today in U.S. District Court for the
Central District of California following a two-week trial. Elhuzayel was found guilty of attempting to
provide material support and Badawi was found guilty of aiding and abetting the
attempt to provide material support to ISIL.
“Foreign terrorist fighters have traveled from countries
around the world to join ISIL and are responsible for some of the most
despicable acts of violence committed by the terrorist organization,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “ISIL depends on these travelers as a
significant part of its fighting force.
Stopping Americans from engaging in terrorist activity on behalf of ISIL
here or abroad will remain one of the highest priorities of the National
Security Division.”
“These two defendants betrayed their country and sought to
join ISIL, a terrorist organization dedicated to brutally murdering innocent
people,” said U.S. Attorney Decker. “The
FBI and the Orange County Joint Terrorism Task Force did outstanding work in
investigating and apprehending these men before their plans could be
completed. The fine work of law
enforcement undoubtedly saved lives, both in the United States and abroad.”
“These convictions are a message to those who aim to travel
to take up arms with ISIL and to those who support them – the FBI and our
partners are determined to thwart your efforts,” said Assistant Director in
Charge Fike. “The JTTF’s proactive identification
of these subjects and disruption of a terrorist conspiracy is a coup in the
fight against the scourge of ISIL. At
trial, the jury heard evidence that Mr. Badawi also encouraged other associates
to support ISIL and participate in violent jihad. This is a reminder that our work is not done
and the public must remain steadfast and report suspicious behavior, whether
that behavior is carried out in person or online.”
In addition to the terrorism-related counts, Elhuzayel was
found guilty of 26 counts of bank fraud and Badawi was found guilty of one
count of federal financial aid fraud.
Both men were arrested on May 21, 2015, when Elhuzayel
attempted to board a plane at Los Angeles International Airport to travel to
Turkey to join ISIL. Badawi had
purchased for Elhuzayel a one-way ticket to Israel with a layover in Istanbul.
Badawi and Elhuzayel used social media to discuss ISIL and
terrorist attacks, expressed a desire to die as martyrs and made arrangements
for Elhuzayel to leave the United States to join ISIL. In recorded conversations, Badawi and
Elhuzayel discussed “how it would be a blessing to fight for the cause of
Allah, and to die in the battlefield.”
The evidence at trial also showed that Badawi had a Facebook
account, on which he made posts that supported ISIL and violence aimed at
non-Muslims, and he said he intended to join the terrorist organization. Elhuzayel also had a Facebook account and
used the ISIL flag as his profile picture.
According to court documents, on Oct. 21, 2014, Badawi made a video of
Elhuzayel in which Elhuzayel swore allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the
leader of ISIL, and pledged to travel to Syria to be an ISIL fighter.
Elhuzayel was convicted of obtaining cash through a scheme
to defraud three different banks by depositing stolen checks into his personal
checking accounts and then withdrawing cash at branch offices and ATMs in
Orange County. The money generated from
the bank fraud was to finance his travel to Syria to join ISIL.
Badawi was convicted of using his federal financial aid to
purchase a plane ticket for Elhuzayel to travel to Turkey.
U.S. District Judge David O. Carter of the Central District
of California scheduled Elhuzayel’s sentencing hearing for Sept. 19, 2016, and
Badawi’s sentencing hearing for Sept. 26, 2016.
At the time of sentencing, Elhuzayel will face a statutory
maximum sentence of 30 years in prison on each bank fraud count, Badawi faces a
statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison on the financial aid fraud
count and both men each face a statutory maximum sentence of 15 years in prison
on each material support count.
Both men have been held in federal custody without bond
since their arrests.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the FBI’s
Joint Terrorism Task Force in Orange County, which includes the following
agencies: the Anaheim Police Department; the California Highway Patrol; the
Orange County Sheriff’s Department; the Orange County Intelligence Assessment
Center; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security
Investigations; the U.S. Secret Service; IRS-Criminal Investigation; the City
of Orange, California, Police Department; the Irvine, California, Police Department;
the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; and the Orange County Regional
Computer Forensics Laboratory. The
Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General provided substantial
assistance in the investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Judith
A. Heinz, Deirdre Z. Eliot and Julius J. Nam of the Central District of
California, with assistance from Trial Attorney Michael Dittoe of the National
Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
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