Seven Charged with Terrorism Violations in North Carolina

http://www.investigativeproject.org/3726/ringleader-of-nc-terror-cell-gets-18-years

For The Record - The IPT Blog

“Ringleader of NC Terror Cell Gets 18 Years”
by Abha Shankar • Aug 27, 2012 at 3:27 pm

SNIPPET: “In a recorded conversation, Boyd and Subasic had what prosecutors described as “a coded conversation in which they discussed preparing to send two individuals overseas to engage in violent jihad.” Another recording showed the two men discussing exercising care so to avoid FBI scrutiny.”

SNIPPET: “Several of the defendants led by Boyd traveled to Israel in June 2007 hoping to die “as martyrs in furtherance of violent jihad.” After failing to get into the country, the men returned to plot attacks within the United States, including scouting the Marine Corps base at Quantico for a possible attack.”

NOTE The following text is a quote:

www.fbi.gov/charlotte/press-releases/2012/two-plead-guilty-in-north-carolina-to-murder-for-hire

Two Plead Guilty in North Carolina to Murder-for-Hire

U.S. Attorney’s Office
November 01, 2012

Eastern District of North Carolina

RALEIGH, NC—Shkumbin Sherifi, 22, and Nevine Elsheikh, 47, of Raleigh, pleaded guilty today before Senior U.S. District Judge W. Earl Britt to conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, announced Thomas G. Walker, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

On January 20, 2012, a criminal complaint for conspiring to commit murder was issued by a U.S. magistrate judge, and the arrests of Sherifi and Elsheikh followed on January 22, 2012. A federal grand jury sitting in the Eastern District of North Carolina returned an indictment on February 21, 2012, charging Shkumbin Sherifi, Nevine Elsheikh, and Shkumbin’s brother, Hysen Sherifi, with conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and related charges. Hysen Sherifi was previously convicted on terrorism charges in 2011 and sentenced to 45 years in January 2012.

According to the indictment, beginning in December 2011 through January 22, 2012, Shkumbin Sherifi and Nevine Elsheikh conspired with each other and Hysen Sherifi to commit murder-for-hire. The object of the murder-for-hire was to retaliate against witnesses who provided testimony in Hysen Sherifi’s 2011 trial and prevent their testimony in the subsequent trial of co-defendant Anes Subasic.

At sentencing, Sherifi and Elsheikh face a potential of 10 years in prison, followed by up to three years of supervised release, for knowingly participating in the conspiracy.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI Resident Agencies in Raleigh and Wilmington, North Carolina, with the assistance of the New Hanover County, N.C., Sheriff’s Office.

The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Frank Bradsher and Brian S. Meyers of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina and Trial Attorney Matthew F. Blue of the Counterterrorism Section in the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

NOTE The following text is a quote:

www.fbi.gov/charlotte/press-releases/2012/jury-in-north-carolina-finds-convicted-terrorist-guilty-of-murder-for-hire-plot

Jury in North Carolina Finds Convicted Terrorist Guilty of Murder-for-Hire Plot

U.S. Attorney’s Office
November 08, 2012

Eastern District of North Carolina

RALEIGH, NC—In federal court today, a trial jury found Hysen Sherifi, 28, of Raleigh, guilty of nine counts involving conspiring to commit a murder-for-hire, announced Thomas G. Walker, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

U.S. Attorney Walker stated, “This conviction is further evidence of our resolve to pursue those who seek to attack our freedoms and destroy the way of life we all cherish. We will not waiver in our commitment to bring these individuals to justice.”

Following a trial that began on Monday, November 5, 2012, Sherifi was convicted of conspiring with two others to commit a murder with an agreement to pay for that murder in retaliation for testimony given by witnesses in a previous material support terrorism case.

Sherifi was charged along with his brother, Shkumbin Sherifi, and Nevine Elshiekh in a federal indictment filed on February 21, 2012. Shkumbin Sherifi and Elshiekh entered into plea agreements with the United States and served as witnesses for the government during the trial. Hysen Sherifi was previously convicted on terrorism charges in 2011 and sentenced to 45 years in January 2012.

“Thanks to a coordinated law enforcement effort, Hysen Sherifi’s jailhouse plot to behead federal agents and witnesses involved in his prior terrorism prosecution was thwarted before anyone was harmed. Today, he is being held accountable for his actions,” said Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “I applaud the agents and prosecutors responsible for this successful prosecution.”

The trial evidence and testimony proved that from November 2011 through January 22, 2012, Sherifi conspired to pay a hitman to murder and behead three witnesses and three law enforcement officers who testified against him in the 2011 trial. The plot was designed to get revenge for the witnesses’ testimony; to help his former co-defendant, Anes Subasic, in his May 2012 terrorism trial; and to win an appeal and dismissal of his own terrorism charges.

While incarcerated at the New Hanover County, North Carolina Detention Facility in October 2011, Sherifi approached another inmate seeking information on hiring someone to commit the murders. The inmate reported the conversation to his attorney and federal agents and began working for the government in November 2011.

Hysen Sherifi enlisted the help of his brother and Elshiekh to raise money for the murder and used them as couriers of the money and messages, including the identities of the witnesses, to another informant outside the detention facility. A total of $5,000 was passed from Sherifi, his brother, and Elshiekh to the outside informant for the purpose of paying the hitman.

On the day of his arrest, Shkumbin Sherifi couriered staged photos of the dead body of one of the witnesses and a photo of his severed head to his brother in the detention facility as proof that the first murder had been committed.

The evidence presented at trial included, among other things, recordings of jail calls, jail visits, wiretap recordings from inside and outside of the jail, as well as the testimony of the two informants and the two co-conspirators.

“Hysen Sherifi, while in prison on a prior conviction on terrorism-related crimes, hatched a bizarre murder-for-hire plot against the witnesses who bravely helped convict him, even enlisting a friend and family member to help him carry out the scheme. The FBI is committed to vigorously investigating these types of crimes, regardless of where they may originate, especially when they attempt to thwart the judicial process,” said Chris Briese, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Charlotte Field Office.

At sentencing, Sherifi faces a potential maximum penalty of life in prison. Senior U.S. District Court Judge W. Earl Britt will determine his sentence on February 4, 2013.

The investigation of this case was conducted by the FBI Resident Agencies in Raleigh and Wilmington, North Carolina, with the assistance of the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office.

The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Frank Bradsher and Brian S. Meyers of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina and Trial Attorney Matthew F. Blue of the Counterterrorism Section in the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

http://www.investigativeproject.org/3799/convicted-terrorist-guilty-in-murder-for-hire

For The Record - The IPT Blog

“Convicted Terrorist Guilty in Murder-for-Hire Plot”
by Abha Shankar • Nov 8, 2012 at 6:02 pm

SNIPPET: “During his incarceration at the New Hanover Detention Facility, Sherifi sought an inmate’s help in hiring a hit man to target the witnesses and law enforcement officers from his 2011 trial. Others involved in the plot included Sherifi’s brother, Shkumbin Sherifi, and friend, Nevine Aly Elsheikh, who pleaded guilty to their charges.

Sherifi was part of a Triangle terror cell whose members sought to wage jihad overseas and engage in military-style training. He along with the ringleader of the terrorist cell conspired to attack U.S. military personnel and their families at the Marine Corp Base in Quantico, Va.”

NOTE The following text is a quote:

www.fbi.gov/charlotte/press-releases/2014/fourth-circuit-affirms-convictions-of-boyd-defendants

Fourth Circuit Affirms Convictions of Boyd Defendants

U.S. Attorney’s Office
February 04, 2014

Eastern District of North Carolina

RALEIGH—United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that today, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed the convictions and sentences of defendants Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan, Ziyad Yaghi, and Hysen Sherifi, who were charged and convicted as a part of United States v. Boyd et al. in the Eastern District of North Carolina. Mr. Walker stated, “This decision not only affirms the convictions and sentences of these individuals, but it affirms the dedication of the many agencies involved in this investigation and prosecution to protect our nation from harms both foreign and domestic.”

The issues raised by the defendants included the sufficiency of the evidence, First or Second Amendment rights, whether portions of the government’s evidence were improperly admitted and defendants’ evidence improperly excluded, whether probable cause existed for surveillance authorized under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and sentencing challenges including the imposition of the terrorism enhancement set forth under the United States Sentencing Guidelines. The Fourth Circuit rejected each of these challenges and went further to state, “The laudable efforts of law enforcement and the prosecutors have ensured that, on this occasion at least, we will not be left to second-guess how a terrorist attack could have been prevented.”

The indictment in United States v. Boyd et al. alleged that, as part of the conspiracy, the multiple defendants in the case prepared themselves to engage in violent acts and were willing to die as martyrs. They also offered training in weapons and financing and helped arrange overseas travel and contacts so others could wage violent acts overseas. In addition, as part of the conspiracy, the defendants raised money to support training efforts, disguised the destination of such money from the donors, obtained assault weapons, and trained in military tactics. Some defendants also radicalized and recruited others to believe that violent acts were a personal religious obligation.

On October 13, 2011, after a month-long trial, a federal jury convicted Hassan, Yaghi, and Sherifi. Yaghi and Sherifi were convicted on all counts, while Hassan was acquitted of conspiring to carry out attacks overseas, but convicted of providing material support to terrorists, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 2339A. Sherifi was sentenced to 45 years’ imprisonment. Yaghi was sentenced to 31 years and six months of imprisonment. Hassan was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment.

The co-defendants in this case included Daniel Patrick Boyd, Dylan Boyd, Zakariya Boyd, and Anes Subasic. Zakariya Boyd pled guilty on June 7, 2011, to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2339A, and received a sentence of nine years’ imprisonment. On September 14, 2011, Dylan Boyd pled guilty to one count of aiding and abetting a conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2339A, and received a sentence of eight years’ imprisonment. On February 9, 2011, Daniel Patrick Boyd pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2339A, and one count of conspiracy to murder, kidnap, maim, and injure persons in a foreign country, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 956(a). Daniel Boyd’s sentencing was held in abeyance until the conclusion of Subasic’s trial. On June 14, 2012, Subasic was found guilty of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2339A, and conspiracy to murder, kidnap, maim, and injure persons in a foreign country, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 956(a). Subasic represented himself at his jury trial. On August 24, 2012, Subasic was sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment, and Daniel Boyd was sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment. Subasic’s appeal is pending and will be argued separately.

Investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Charlotte Division, Raleigh Resident Agency Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). The Raleigh JTTF consists of the following agencies: FBI, DHS-HSI, Raleigh Police Department, Durham Police Department, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and North Carolina Department of Public Safety (North Carolina State Highway Patrol and North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement). The prosecution on appeal was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Jason Kellhofer and Kristine Fritz. The prosecution in district court was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys John Bowler and Barbara Kocher and by then-Trial Attorney Jason Kellhofer of the Counterterrorism Section in the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2014/02/06/65164.htm

Thursday, February 06, 2014
Last Update: 10:06 AM PT

“More Than Words Behind Terror Convictions”
By LORRAINE BAILEY

SNIPPET: “(CN) - Three Muslim men convicted of conspiring to attack the U.S. Marine base at Quantico were not victims of an “Orwellian ‘thoughtcrime’” because they intended to act on their convictions, the 4th Circuit ruled. In 2009, Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan, Ziyad Yaghi and Hysen Sherifi, along with five other Muslims not involved in this appeal, were convicted of conspiring to attack the Marine base in Quantico, Va., and to materially support violet jihad in foreign countries. Members of this North Carolina-based terrorist cell practiced military tactics and the use of weapons, while traveling to Gaza, Israel, Jordan and Kosovo in the hopes of making their way to Palestine to engage in jihad.”