Jesus Wilfredo Encarnacion, Material Support to LeT, New York 2023

Jesus Wilfredo Encarnacion, a Manhattan man who went by aliases including ‘Jihadistsoldgier’ and ‘Lionofthegood,’ was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for attempting to provide material support to Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT), a Pakistan-based foreign terrorist organization. The announcement came from Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss and Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers, confirming the end of a chilling plot to join one of the world’s most violent jihadist networks.

Encarnacion, who pleaded guilty on January 22, 2020, before U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams, openly declared his intent to travel overseas, train with LeT, and carry out beheadings, shootings, and bombings in the name of terrorism. In recorded online conversations, he told an undercover FBI employee he was ‘ready to kill and die in the name of Allah’ and specifically requested help to become an ‘executioner’ for the group. His ambitions weren’t limited to foreign soil—he admitted wanting to launch attacks in the U.S., but claimed he lacked weapons and guidance.

The investigation began in November 2018 when Encarnacion voiced support for terrorist groups in an online chat, where he connected with a co-conspirator (CC-1) who unknowingly introduced him to an undercover FBI agent (UC-1). Through encrypted messaging, Encarnacion repeatedly expressed allegiance to LeT, a group designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization since 2001 and infamous for the 2008 Mumbai attacks that left 166 dead.

Over several months, Encarnacion and the undercover agent crafted what he believed was a real escape route to Pakistan via a European city. He purchased a ticket for a February 7, 2019 flight from JFK Airport—and walked straight into an FBI sting operation upon arrival. He was arrested before boarding, ending his self-styled jihadist journey before it left American soil.

In addition to his 15-year sentence, Encarnacion was slapped with a lifetime term of supervised release—a permanent leash on a man who once dreamed of slaughter. Authorities emphasized that even aspirational terrorism is treated as a grave threat under U.S. law, especially when individuals take concrete steps like purchasing travel tickets and seeking operational support.

Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss credited the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force—including NYPD and over 50 federal, state, and local agencies—for stopping Encarnacion. ‘Thanks to the FBI, the NYPD, and the Joint Terrorism Task Force, Encarnacion has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term for his crime,’ Strauss said. The case stands as a grim reminder: homegrown terror plots begin online—but they end behind bars.

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