Politics
Former Iraqi Refugee Pleads Guilty To Providing Material Support For ISIS
A former Iraqi refugee and legal resident of Richmond, Texas has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice. The group in question has been identified as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).
Abdulrahman Mohammed Hafedh Alqaysi, 28, admitted to providing material support and resources to the international terrorist organization.
According to prosecutors, Alqaysi used his computer and graphic design expertise to develop and post logos for a media arm of ISIS known as the Kalachnikov team. In addition, he sent hacking videos and instructions to ISIS members, as well as stolen credit card information and fraudulent documents.
U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett accepted the guilty plea and has scheduled sentencing for June 5. Alqaysi faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine as high as $250,000.
Alqaysi has been and will remain in federal custody until the sentencing date, the DOJ announced in a press release.
Alqaysi and two other men, including his cousin, were arrested in the Houston area in 2022. Photo: ABC 13 Houston
Alqaysi was first arrested with conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization in 2022. He was arrested alongside two other men, including his cousin, Mohammed (aka Moe) Amer Faisal Al Qaysi, 26, another former Iraqi refugee, and Hami Jamshid aka Jamshid Ahmadzai, 32, a naturalized U.S. citizen, according to a report from ABC 13 Houston at the time.
In addition to the conspiracy count, Alqaysi was charged with three counts of making a false statement in a naturalization application. He falsely answered “no” when asked if he had ever been a member of or in any way associated, either directly or indirectly, with a terrorist organization, or if he was ever a part of any group or ever helped any group, unit or organization that used a weapon against any person or threatened to do so.
All three men falsely answered “no” when asked the same question, prosecutors said.
From 2015 through mid-2017, the three men conspired to devise a scheme to defraud and obtain funds and property by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises. Alqaysi also committed aggravated identity fraud in connection with the scheme.
The cases against Amer Faisal Al Qaysi and Hami Jamshid are still pending.
