SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - California, Eastern), published as received.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Ammaad Akhtar, 34, of Stockton, pleaded guilty today to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, between February 2025 and June 2025, Akhtar, a citizen of the United States, attempted to provide funds, weapons, and other equipment to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). He communicated online with an online undercover officer, whom he believed was a member of ISIS. In these conversations, Akhtar voiced his support for ISIS and jihad, expressed a desire to travel overseas to join and fight with ISIS, and stated a desire to send guns and money to ISIS.
In April 2025, during this investigation, Akhtar demonstrated a desire to provide support of ISIS and did so by providing financial funding on multiple occasions. After a few payments, the online undercover officer indicated that ISIS had procured several guns with the money Akhtar had sent. In his response, Akhtar said, “May Allah destroy our enemies” and affirmed that he will send more money that same day.
Akhtar also talked about planning acts of violence, including conducting an attack against a specific individual and an attack utilizing homemade explosives. He said that he “want[s] to die in the cause of Allah fighting the kuffar [infidels]” and asked for instructions on how to make a homemade explosive device in order “to make a boom” at a populated event.
Then, on June 23, 2025, Akhtar met with an individual he believed was an ISIS associate, but who was actually an undercover agent. Akhtar provided clothing, binoculars, $400 cash, two loaded guns, and six additional magazines. Akhtar then swore bayat (a pledge of loyalty) to ISIS.
The FBI Field Offices in New York and Sacramento and the New York City Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elliot Wong and Charles Campbell and Trial Attorney Ryan D. White of the National Security Division are prosecuting the case.
Akhtar is scheduled to be sentenced on February 26, 2027, by U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins. Akhtar faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
