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Brentwood resident Zoobia Shahnaz has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue announced.
Specifically, Donoghue said Shahnaz provided more than $150,000 to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), and attempted to travel to Syria to join ISIS.
According to court papers, between March 2017 and July 2017, Shahnaz defrauded numerous financial institutions to obtain money for ISIS, including a loan of approximately $22,500.
Shahnaz also fraudulently obtained more than a dozen credit cards and used them to purchase approximately $62,000 in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies online, Donoghue said.
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.
Donoghue said that 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 Brentwood home led to the seizure of terrorist and jihad-related propaganda, including a photograph of a suicide belt of explosives and a night vision scope.
“Today, the defendant learned the consequences of seeking to join ISIS and funneling thousands of dollars into the terrorist organization’s coffers,” Donoghue stated. “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.”
On July 31, 2017, Shahnaz was stopped at JFK Airport while attempting to board a flight with a layover in Istanbul, Turkey, which Donoghue noted is a common point of entry for individuals traveling from western countries to join ISIS in Syria.
“Financing terrorist organizations shouldn’t be viewed as any less dangerous of a crime than actually carrying out an act of terror itself,” FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney stated. “Make no mistake about it, Shahnaz funneled a significant amount of money into the hands of those who intended to use it in furtherance of ISIS objectives, and she set out to travel overseas with similar goals in mind.”
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