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Date: 10-17-2022

Case Style:

United States of America v. Abdullahi Ahmed Abdullahi, a/k/a Phish and Fish

Case Number: 3:17-cr-00622

Judge: Thomas J. Whelan

Court: United States District Court for the Southern District of California (San Diego County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: United States Attorney’s Office

Defendant's Attorney:




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Description: San Diego, California criminal law lawyer represented Defendant charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2339, which provides:

(a) Prohibited Activities.—
(1) Unlawful conduct.—
Whoever knowingly provides material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization, or attempts or conspires to do so, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both, and, if the death of any person results, shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life. To violate this paragraph, a person must have knowledge that the organization is a designated terrorist organization (as defined in subsection (g)(6)), that the organization has engaged or engages in terrorist activity (as defined in section 212(a)(3)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act), or that the organization has engaged or engages in terrorism (as defined in section 140(d)(2) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989).
(2) Financial institutions.—Except as authorized by the Secretary, any financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of, or control over, any funds in which a foreign terrorist organization, or its agent, has an interest, shall—
(A) retain possession of, or maintain control over, such funds; and
(B) report to the Secretary the existence of such funds in accordance with regulations issued by the Secretary.

* * *

Abdullahi provided both money and personnel to support the violent jihadist activities of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a foreign terrorist organization. From November 2013 through March 2014, Abdullahi encouraged, aided and financially assisted six North American nationals in traveling to Syria where they joined the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and engaged in armed battles to gain control of the territories and civilian populations within Syria. These six individuals included his three cousins from Edmonton, Canada, an 18-year-old cousin from Minneapolis, as well as San Diego resident Douglas McAuthur McCain.

On September 15, 2017, pursuant to an extradition request by the United States, Canadian authorities arrested Abdullahi. Abdullahi was detained in Canadian custody without bail, pending extradition. On October 24, 2019, Canada extradited Abdullahi to San Diego to face the material support charges in the indictment and pleaded guilty to all charges on December 17, 2021.

Abdullah admitted that following the departure of those foreign fighters, he also caused money to be wired to third-party ISIS intermediaries in Gaziantep, Turkey (located approximately 40 miles from the Syrian border) for the purpose of continuing to support his coconspirators in violent jihadist activities on the battlefield. All six individuals were subsequently reportedly killed fighting for ISIS.

Abdullahi also admitted that in order to finance the travel of others to Syria, members of the conspiracy encouraged Abdullahi and others to steal and commit fraud against the “kuffar” (a pejorative term used to describe non-Muslims), claiming that such criminal activity was permissible under Islamic law. Abdullahi admitted that in order to raise funds to support the violent terrorist activities in Syria, he personally committed a violent crime – the January 9, 2014, armed robbery of an Edmonton, Canada, jewelry store. Within weeks after committing that robbery, Abdullahi wired monies to San Diego, totaling approximately $3,100, for the purpose of financing the travel of Douglas and the 18-year old Minneapolis cousin’s travel to Syria to join and fight for ISIS.

Douglas, a former San Diego resident, is the first known American to die fighting for ISIS. He departed from San Diego in March 2014, and on or about August 25, 2014, he was reportedly killed fighting for ISIS against Free Syrian Army forces. Douglas’ brother, Marchello McCain, was previously convicted in San Diego federal court and sentenced to 10 years in custody for illegal possession of a cache of firearms and providing false statements to FBI agents regarding his knowledge of the conspiracy, including the involvement of Abdullahi.

During the course of the conspiracy, Abdullahi and his coconspirators created and used email accounts so that foreign fighters, facilitators and recruits could communicate and avoid law enforcement detection. Abdullahi and his coconspirators used these draft emails to recruit others to travel to Syria and join ISIS, coordinate their travel from North America to Syria, communicate regarding the financial and other resource needs of the ISIS foreign fighters, and relay information regarding ISIS’ armed efforts to establish a Caliphate in Syria.

Grossman thanked the prosecution team as well as FBI San Diego and the federal, state and local law enforcement partners at the San Diego Joint Terrorism Task Force for their hard work and dedication to the multi-year, complex investigation that led to today’s sentencing. Grossman also expressed gratitude for the assistance of the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and Canadian law enforcement partners, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; Edmonton Police Services; the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service; the Public Prosecution Service of Canada; and the Canada Crown Prosecutor’s Office, all of whom have been instrumental in the United States’ efforts to prosecute Abdullahi and combat international terrorism.

DEFENDANT Criminal Case No. 17CR0622-W

Abdullahi Ahmed Abdullahi Age 37 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to Terrorists – Title 18, U.S.C., Sections 2339A(a)

Maximum penalty: Fifteen years in prison and $250,000 fine (per count)

Providing Material Support to Terrorists – Title 18, U.S.C., Sections 2339A(a)

Maximum penalty: Fifteen years in prison and $250,000 fine

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

San Diego Joint Terrorism Task Force

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Air Marshal Service

Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations

Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Border Patrol

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations

Outcome:

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

Comments:



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