Richardson Man Indicted for ISIS Support, False Statements

A federal grand jury in Fort Worth has hit Said Azzam Mohamad Rahim, 41, of Richardson, Texas, with a superseding indictment charging him on seven counts tied to his support of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). The announcement came this week from U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox and FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Eric Jackson, sharpening the legal blade in a years-long national security probe.

Rahim now faces six counts of making false statements to a federal agency and one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. The superseding indictment replaces an earlier criminal complaint filed in March 2017, when Rahim was first taken into custody. He remains behind bars as the case moves toward trial.

According to the indictment, Rahim lied to federal law enforcement agents on March 5, 2017, about his activities and affiliations with ISIS. Those false statements form the backbone of six separate charges, each carrying a maximum penalty of eight years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and a period of supervised release.

The seventh charge—that of attempting to provide material support to ISIS—carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a potential fine. Prosecutors allege Rahim worked to funnel support to the terrorist group from October 2014 through March 2017, including offering services and attempting to help recruit personnel for the organization’s violent campaign.

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force led the investigation, with boots on the ground from the Richardson Police Department, Dallas Police Department, Department of Homeland Security, Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, and the Federal Air Marshal Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Errin Martin is handling prosecution, aided by Taryn Meeks from the DOJ’s National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

“Our highest priority is to pursue justice against those who seek to harm our country and our citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox. “I appreciate the outstanding work by the Dallas FBI and the support of the Department’s National Security Division.” If convicted, the court will determine Rahim’s sentence based on federal guidelines and statutory factors, though the maximum penalties reflect Congress’s stance on terrorism-related offenses.

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