Yahya Farooq Mohammad, Terrorism, Ohio 2024
Ohio Man Faces Terrorism Charges for Plotting to Murder Federal Judge
A Toledo, Ohio, grand jury returned a three-count indictment against Yahya Farooq Mohammad, 37, from the United Arab Emirates, charging him with soliciting the murder of a federal judge, announced U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Mohammad was charged with attempted first degree murder of a federal officer, solicitation to commit a crime of violence and use of interstate commerce facilities in commission of murder for hire.
The indictment alleges that on April 8, Mohammad told another inmate in the Lucas County Corrections Center in Toledo that he wanted Judge Jack Zouhary kidnapped and murdered. That inmate then introduced Mohammad to an undercover FBI employee.
Mohammad allegedly told the undercover employee that he was willing to pay $15,000 to have Zouhary killed. Mohammad also allegedly told the undercover employee that he could send a down payment through a mail courier or that the undercover could meet Mohammad’s wife in Chicago to pick up the money.
Mohammad's wife, identified in the indictment as N.T., met the undercover agent at a post office in Bolingbrook, Illinois, and provided $1,000 in cash inside a white envelope, according to the indictment. If convicted, Mohammad's sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record.
The case is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Freeman and Matthew Shepherd of the Northern District of Ohio following an investigation by the FBI. The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio has recused herself from this case.
“According to the charges in the indictment, this defendant not only attempted to have a federal judge murdered, but he did so to obstruct justice in a terrorism case against him,” said U.S. Attorney McQuade. “This prosecution seeks to hold the defendant accountable for attempting to victimize the judge and for trying to undermine our criminal justice system.”
Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →