A Detroit man was sentenced to federal prison after admitting he tried to use cryptocurrency to support ISIS and take steps to join and aid the group.
Jibreel Pratt, 26, of Detroit, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison after pleading guilty to two counts for concealing cryptocurrency donations he intended for the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham, a designated foreign terrorist organization. The case stems from communications and transfers in 2023 that federal prosecutors say were aimed at facilitating travel and funding for foreign fighters.
According to court records, Pratt began contacting a Confidential Human Source in February 2023 whom he believed was an ISIS member capable of arranging overseas travel to join the organization. Over several months he described his intent to travel, recorded a video pledging allegiance to ISIS’s leader, and discussed plans for going abroad.
Prosecutors say Pratt also shared technical ideas and handwritten notes on how militants could use drones and remote-controlled vehicles to deliver explosives, organize intelligence operations, and attempt to bolster air defenses. Those materials appear in court filings as part of the evidence that he provided ideas and operational details beyond mere rhetoric.
In March and again in May 2023, Pratt sent Bitcoin to the Confidential Human Source with the stated intent that the funds would help pay for the travel of individuals purportedly going overseas to join ISIS or to support someone he believed would commit an act of violence in support of ISIS. The transactions and the timeline formed a central part of the government’s case at sentencing.
“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 Gorgon.
Investigators say Pratt tried to hide the nature and origin of his Bitcoin transfers by routing traffic through a virtual private network and using an application that encrypted private keys and transaction data. That concealment was cited in court as deliberate conduct to mask the destination and purpose of the funds.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation, with prosecution by Assistant United States Attorney Douglas Salzenstein and Jennifer Burke, Trial Attorney, National Security Division, U.S. Department of Justice. The FBI’s Detroit Joint Terrorism Task Force worked the matter as part of broader efforts to detect and disrupt homegrown violent extremists.
“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 sentence comes amid heightened focus on domestic threats and recent regional cases, including a separate FBI operation tied to an alleged Halloween terror plot. In that investigation officials arrested three people accused of planning an attack on a nightclub in a Detroit suburb, highlighting persistent security challenges for law enforcement in the area.
The Pratt prosecution underlines how modern tools like cryptocurrency and encrypted apps can be misused to try to move money to extremists, and it also shows how federal investigators combine undercover sources, digital forensics, and traditional case work to stop plots before they materialize. The convictions and the sentence reflect a tough stance from prosecutors and agents focused on preventing violent extremism at home.
