Two men from suburban Chicago have been convicted of conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham.
A jury in federal court in Chicago convicted Joseph D. Jones, 37, and Edward Schimenti, 37, of Zion, on one count of conspiring to provide material support and resources to IS. Schimenti was also convicted of making false statements to the FBI.
The Justice Department said the two men used social media to advocate for violent extremism in support of the terrorist group. Jones and Schimenti met with undercover FBI agents and shared their devotion and commitment to IS.
In 2017, the duo provided cellphones to an undercover agent believing they would be used to set off explosions in attacks overseas. On April 7, 2017, Jones and Schimenti drove that individual to O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, thinking the agent would travel to Syria to fight with IS.
The material support charge has a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, while the false statement count carries a maximum sentence of eight years.