LI Woman Pleads Guilty To Supporting ISIS: DOJ

BRENTWOOD, NY - A Brentwood woman plead guilty on Monday to providing material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Zoobia Shahnaz, 27, entered the plea before U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert, according to the DOJ.

Between March 2017 and the date of her attempted travel to Syria on July 31, 2017, Shahnaz engaged in a scheme to defraud numerous financial institutions by obtaining a loan for $22,500 by way of materially false pretenses, representations and promises, according to the DOJ.

She also fraudulently applied for and used over a dozen credit cards, which she used to purchase $62,000 in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies online, according to the DOJ.

She then engaged in a pattern of financial activity, resulting in several wire transactions totaling over $150,000 to individuals and shell entities in Pakistan, China and Turkey that were fronts for ISIS, according to the DOJ.

During the time Shahnaz was committing bank fraud and laundering money overseas, she was also accessing ISIS propaganda online, including violent jihad-related websites and message boards, and social media and messaging pages of known ISIS recruiters, facilitators and financiers, according to the DOJ.

In addition, she conducted numerous internet searches for information that would facilitate her entry into Syria, but ultimately was intercepted by the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) while trying to board a flight with a multi-day layover in Istanbul, Turkey – a common point of entry for individuals travelling from Western countries to join ISIS in Syria, according to the DOJ.

As part of her plea agreement with the government, Shahnaz admitted to defrauding numerous financial institutions and laundering the stolen proceeds out of the country with the intent to support a specified unlawful activity, namely the provision of material support to ISIS, after which she attempted to leave the United States and travel to Syria, according to the DOJ.

When she is sentenced, Shahnaz faces up to 20 years in prison, as well as restitution, criminal forfeiture and a fine, according to the DOJ.

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