Long Island Woman Sentenced to 13 Years’ Imprisonment for Providing Material Support to ISIS
Brentwood, NY – In a federal court in Central Islip, Zoobia Shahnaz, a 30-year-old woman from Brentwood, New York, was sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment for providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, specifically more than $150,000 to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), and attempting to travel to Syria to join ISIS. Shahnaz pleaded guilty in November 2018.
According to court filings and facts presented at the sentencing hearing, between March 2017 and July 2017, Shahnaz defrauded numerous financial institutions to obtain money for ISIS, including a loan of approximately $22,500. She also fraudulently obtained more than a dozen credit cards and used them to purchase approximately $62,000 in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies online. Shahnaz then made multiple wire transfers totaling more than $150,000 to individuals and entities in Pakistan, China and Turkey that were fronts for ISIS.
Shahnaz accessed ISIS violent jihad-related websites and message boards, and social media and messaging pages of known ISIS recruiters, facilitators and financiers. She also performed numerous internet searches for information that would facilitate her entry into Syria. Court-authorized search warrants executed at Shahnaz’s residence on Long Island resulted in the seizure of terrorist and jihad-related propaganda, including a photograph of a suicide belt of explosives and a night vision scope.
On July 31, 2017, Shahnaz was stopped at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, while attempting to board a flight with a layover in Istanbul, Turkey – a common point of entry for individuals traveling from western countries to join ISIS in Syria.
“Today, the defendant learned the consequences of seeking to join ISIS and funneling thousands of dollars into the terrorist organization’s coffers,” stated United States Attorney Richard P. Donoghue. “There is no higher priority of the Department of Justice and this Office than protecting our country from those who support violent, hate-filled terrorist organizations.”
Shahnaz will serve her sentence at a federal facility to be determined. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section and Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorney Artie McConnell is in charge of the prosecution, with assistance provided by Trial Attorney Joseph Attias of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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