Muse Muse, Conspiring to Provide Material Support to ISIS, Michigan 2020

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN - A Lansing man has been sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Chief United States District Judge Robert J. Jonker handed down the sentence to Muse Muse, age 22, on [January 21, 2020] for his role in the plot. Following his release from prison, Muse Muse was ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release.

According to court documents, between December 2018 and January 2019, Muse Muse coordinated with an individual he believed to be a Somali ISIS fighter to wire funds to be used to purchase airline tickets for travel to Mogadishu, Somalia, where he believed he would meet an ISIS representative.

Muse Muse and his co-conspirators, Mohamud Muse and Mohamed Haji, pledged allegiance to ISIS in recorded videos and submitted them to individuals they believed were associated with the terrorist organization. The three men also discussed traveling overseas to join ISIS and adopted fighter aliases by which they would be known when fighting for the group.

Records provided to the court at sentencing demonstrated that throughout the conspiracy, all three defendants participated in numerous conversations during which they discussed their plans to join ISIS. In one conversation, Muse Muse and Mohamed Haji celebrated the deadly vehicle attack in New York City that occurred on October 31, 2017.

The government sought a sentence of 178 months (nearly 15 years) in prison consistent with the sentence recommended by the United States Sentencing Guidelines. However, the court found that Muse Muse's age at the time of the offense, his lack of personal financial resources to finance overseas travel, and the potential for rehabilitation were among the factors considered in imposing the 78-month sentence.

Muse Muse admitted to conspiring with his relatives and co-defendants to provide material support to ISIS, knowing that the organization was a designated foreign terrorist organization. He further admitted that the individuals he conspired with were Mohamud Muse and Mohamed Haji, who have each also pled guilty in connection with the plot and await sentencing.

The court's findings highlight the seriousness of the charges against Muse Muse and the need for harsh penalties to deter individuals from supporting terrorist organizations. The case serves as a reminder of the ongoing threat posed by ISIS and the importance of vigilance in the face of terrorism.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmi/pr/2021_0810_Muse_Muse