Grimy Times can confirm a 20-year-old man from Point Pleasant, New Jersey, has pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Gregory Lepsky, 20, of Point Pleasant, New Jersey, pleaded guilty today to an information charging him with one count of attempting to provide material support to ISIS. Lepsky admitted that he planned to construct and use a pressure cooker bomb in New York on behalf of ISIS.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers and U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced the plea which was accepted by U.S. District Court Judge Michael Shipp.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Lepsky admitted that beginning in January 2017, he began to formulate a plan to detonate the pressure cooker bomb in New York City on behalf of ISIS. Lepsky admitted that he used the internet to access ISIS directives, obtain bomb-making instructions, and purchase the pressure cooker and other items to be used in the attack.
Lepsky was arrested by the Point Pleasant Police Department on February 21, 2017, in connection with an incident that occurred that day in his family’s home. Following the arrest, law enforcement officers searched the residence and found a new pressure cooker stored behind a roll of bubble wrap in Lepsky’s bedroom closet.
During searches of computers and other digital evidence linked to Lepsky, law enforcement officers found evidence of Lepsky’s plan to build and detonate a bomb as part of his support for ISIS. During several social media communications, Lepsky told others that he intended to fight on behalf of ISIS and that he would, if necessary, become a martyr by driving a “bunch of explosives” to where the “enemies” could be found and blowing himself up.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Lepsky will be given a sentence between 16 and 19 years in prison and a lifetime term of supervised release.
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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