A Detroit man pleaded guilty Tuesday to concealing cryptocurrency donations intended to support the Islamic State (ISIS), 14 months after his arrest on terrorism charges, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

Jibreel Pratt, 26, admitted in federal court to attempting to finance the foreign terrorist organization using Bitcoin and encrypted communication tools. He now faces a recommended nine-year prison sentence as part of a plea deal, with formal sentencing scheduled for November 13.

“Today’s guilty plea by Jibreel Pratt underscores the serious threat posed by individuals who attempt to support foreign terrorist organizations known for violence and human rights abuses,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. “The FBI remains unwavering in its commitment to protecting the American people from those who seek to carry out or orchestrate acts of terrorism.”

According to court documents, Pratt first made contact in February 2023 with an individual he believed to be a member of ISIS. That individual was, in fact, a confidential FBI informant. During their communications, Pratt expressed a desire to travel abroad to join ISIS and recorded a video pledging allegiance to the group’s leader.

Prosecutors said Pratt also shared sensitive documents with the informant to help ISIS improve its operational security and defensive capabilities. In March and May 2023, he sent Bitcoin transactions he believed would fund terrorist travel and help another individual commit a terrorist act in ISIS’s name.

To hide the transactions, Pratt used a virtual private network (VPN) and multiple encryption tools, federal investigators said.

“Jibreel Pratt has many talents. And he swore a binding oath to use them to help ISIS — a genocidal anti-American terrorist organization,” said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. “Pratt meticulously plotted to support ISIS and covertly sent them money to further their evil works.”

The charge of concealing material support to a designated terrorist organization carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Under the plea agreement, both prosecutors and the defense have recommended a nine-year sentence.

“Make no mistake,” said Gorgon. “We will find the terrorists operating in our shadows and bring them to justice.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)