Former Sacramento Resident Extradited from UK to Face Federal Charges

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Following three and a half years of extradition litigation before courts in the United Kingdom, a former Sacramento resident was arraigned today in the Eastern District of California, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

On June 12, 2020, Brian Arthur Dempsey, 48, was extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States to stand trial on charges that he made false statements to an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation concerning his travel to Syria. He was first arrested in the United Kingdom on Jan. 18, 2017, and has been in custody since that date.

On June 23, 2016, a grand jury, sitting in the Eastern District of California, returned an indictment charging Dempsey with a single count of making false statements in a matter involving an international terrorism investigation. The indictment alleges that on or about Aug. 22, 2013, during an interview with an FBI agent at the Fiumicino International Airport in Rome, Italy, Dempsey did knowingly and willfully make and cause to be made materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements and representations in a matter involving international terrorism. The false statements were related to the nature of his travel to Syria in July 2013.

This case is the product of an investigation by the FBI. The Department of Justice acknowledges and expresses its appreciation of the significant assistance provided by the UK authorities. The Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division provided significant support in securing and coordinating Dempsey’s arrest and extradition. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heiko Coppola is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Dempsey faces a maximum statutory penalty of eight years in prison. Any sentence, however, would 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. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.