Jibreel Pratt, a 26-year-old resident of Detroit, received a nine-year federal prison sentence this week after pleading guilty to two counts of concealing cryptocurrency donations intended for the terrorist group ISIS. Court records show he started communicating in February 2023 with an individual he believed to be an ISIS facilitator, who was actually an FBI confidential human source.
Over several months, Pratt expressed his intent to travel overseas and join ISIS, even recording a video where he pledged allegiance to the group’s leader. He shared detailed suggestions on enhancing ISIS operations, such as deploying drones and remote-controlled cars for explosive deliveries, setting up intelligence networks, and strengthening air defenses. Prosecutors pointed out that Pratt had sworn a binding oath to aid ISIS in expanding its influence, which justified their push for the full nine-year term.
In March and May 2023, Pratt transferred Bitcoin to the source, aiming to cover travel costs for others joining ISIS or to finance acts of violence in the group’s name. He took steps to hide these transactions using a privacy-focused VPN and an encryption app for keys and data. Authorities confirmed Pratt knew ISIS was a designated terrorist organization at the time.
“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 Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr.
“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.”
This development arrives amid a string of ISIS-related arrests in the Detroit area. Just weeks earlier, federal agents charged multiple individuals in an alleged Halloween plot to attack LGBTQ+ venues in Ferndale, a Detroit suburb, with ties to ISIS support and firearms intended for terrorism. Additional suspects were apprehended in New Jersey, including one stopped before boarding a flight to Istanbul.
These cases point to persistent efforts by extremists to exploit tools like cryptocurrency for funding terror, raising alarms about hidden networks that could strike at any time. With Bitcoin’s anonymity features enabling such schemes, calls are growing for stricter oversight to cut off these lifelines before more threats emerge.
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