Richardson Man Indicted For Offenses Related to His Support of ISIS

DALLAS — A federal grand jury in Fort Worth returned a superseding indictment this week, charging Said Azzam Mohamad Rahim, 41, of Richardson, Texas, with seven counts related to a terrorism investigation, announced Erin Nealy Cox, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas and Eric Jackson, Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Field Office of the FBI.

The indictment supersedes an earlier indictment returned in the case. Rahim is charged with six counts of false statements to a federal agency and one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, namely the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).

Rahim was arrested in March 2017 on a related criminal complaint and will remain in custody pending trial. The maximum statutory penalty for each false statement count is eight years in federal prison, a period of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Rahim faces not more than 20 years in federal prison and a possible fine for attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. 

“Our highest priority is to pursue justice against those who seek to harm our country and our citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox.  “I appreciate the outstanding work by the Dallas FBI and the support of the Department’s National Security Division.”

The indictment alleges that Rahim made a number of false statements to federal law enforcement on March 5, 2017 related to his support for ISIS.. The indictment also alleges, beginning in October 2014 and continuing through March 2017, Rahim attempted to provide material support or resources, including services and personnel, to ISIS.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is responsible for this investigation, specifically its Joint Terrorism Task Force which includes Richardson Police Department, Dallas Police Department, Department of Homeland Security, Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, and the Federal Air Marshal Service. Assistant United States Attorney Errin Martin is prosecuting the case with assistance from Taryn Meeks with the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes.  If convicted of any offense, the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors

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