Jibreel Pratt, a 26-year-old resident of Detroit, Michigan, has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison after pleading guilty to two counts related to concealing cryptocurrency donations intended for the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS), which is designated as a foreign terrorist organization. The sentencing was announced by United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., along with Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan.
Court records show that in February 2023, Pratt began communicating with a Confidential Human Source (CHS) whom he believed was affiliated with ISIS and could assist him in traveling overseas to join the group. Over several months, Pratt expressed his intention to travel abroad to join ISIS and recorded a video pledging allegiance to its leader. He also provided various ideas and documents on how ISIS could use technology such as drones and remote-controlled cars for attacks, organize intelligence operations, and improve air defense systems.
In March and May 2023, Pratt sent Bitcoin cryptocurrency to the CHS. He believed these funds would be used either for facilitating others’ travel to join ISIS or supporting an individual planning violence on behalf of the group. To hide his activities, Pratt used privacy tools including a VPN and an app that encrypted transaction data.
“Over these last years, our office has worked shoulder-to-shoulder with the FBI to protect Americans from hardened ISIS supporters in our midst. Mr. Pratt is the latest traitor who—in his own words—operated ‘in the shadows.’ And we will continue to stand guard because he may not be the last,” said U.S. Attorney Gorgon.
“Today’s sentencing of Jibreel Pratt is a testament to the hard work of FBI Detroit’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in keeping Michigan safe from homegrown violent extremists,” said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “It should send a strong message to anyone seeking to support foreign terrorist organizations, via financial means or otherwise, that the FBI will not stand idly by and allow this activity to occur within the United States. FBI Detroit remains committed to protecting the American people and will work relentlessly to disrupt any plot that threatens the security of our nation.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation into this case. Assistant United States Attorney Douglas Salzenstein and Jennifer Burke from the National Security Division at the U.S. Department of Justice prosecuted it.
