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Date: 11-23-2021
Case Style:
Case Number: 2:17-cr-00228-DRH-AKT
Judge: Denis R. Hurley
Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (King County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: United States Attorney’s Office
Defendant's Attorney:
Description: Brooklyn, New York criminal defense lawyer represented defendant charged with providing material support and resources to the designated foreign terrorist organizations the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and the al-Nusrah Front.
Elvis Redzepagic, 30, of Commack, pleaded guilty in April 2021. According to court documents, in early 2015, Redzepagic began communicating with an individual he believed to be both the commander of a battalion in Syria and a member of ISIS or the al-Nusrah Front, and made attempts to join that individual’s battalion to engage in violent jihad. In July 2015, Redzepagic traveled to Turkey and made multiple unsuccessful attempts to cross the border into Syria. Unable to enter Syria from Turkey, Redzepagic traveled to Jordan in August 2016, but was stopped and deported by Jordanian authorities.
In Facebook messages from October 2015, Redzepagic explained that “jihad” is when “you fight for the sake of God” and “die for the sake of Allah.” Redzepagic stated that he traveled to Turkey to “perform Jihad and join Jabhat Al-Nusra.” He predicted, “there will come a time where people will only know to say Allahu Akbar.” In subsequent interviews with law enforcement, Redzepagic admitted that at the time he attempted to enter Syria, he was prepared to strap a bomb to himself.
A search of the defendant’s laptop yielded a variety of ISIS-specific extremist propaganda, including ISIS nasheeds, or Islamist hymns, including the “ISIS Anthem” in English. Redzepagic also repeatedly accessed the website “Put hilafeta,” or “Way to the Caliphate,” a Bosnian-language website for prospective foreign fighters from the Balkans who primarily sought to join ISIS and wage jihad in Syria.
The FBI investigated the case. Valuable assistance was provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI Legal Attaché Office for Serbia, and the Government of Montenegro Ministry of Justice, Prosecutor’s Office and Special Police Unit.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Saritha Komatireddy and Artie McConnell for the Eastern District of New York and Trial Attorney Katie Sweeten of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case.
18:2339B(a)(1), 2339B(d), 2 and 3551 et seq. PROVIDING MATERIAL SUPPORT OR RESOURCES TO TERRORISTS; 18:981(a)(1)(C) and 981(a)(1)(G); 21:853(p); 28:2461(c) CRIMINAL FORFEITURE ALLEGATION
(1-2)
Outcome: Defendant was sentenced to 16 years' in prison.
11/16/2021 147 ORDER granting 144 Motion to Unseal Document 144 First MOTION to Unseal Document the defendant's sentencing submission as to Elvis Redzepagic (1): The government's motion to unseal defendant's sentencing memorandum is granted as follows: unless defendant obtains a stay of this Order from the Second Circuit, the Clerk of Court is directed to unseal docket entries 142, 142-1, 142-2, 142-4 and 145 on November 19, 2021. Absent a stay, on November 19, the Court will file a redacted version of 142-3 consistent with the discussion at note 3 supra. Ordered by Judge Denis R. Hurley on 11/16/2021. (Gapinski, Michele) (Entered: 11/16/2021)
11/16/2021 148 REDACTION by Elvis Redzepagic to 142 Sentencing Memorandum, filed by Elvis Redzepagic (Cubano, Jazmin) (Entered: 11/19/2021)
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: