San Joaquin County Man Indicted on Charges of Attempting to Provide Material Support to Foreign Terrorist Organization

SACRAMENTO, CA—A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today charging Nicholas Michael Teausant, 20, of Acampo, with attempting to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, Teausant traveled to the Canadian border with the intent of continuing to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, a foreign terrorist organization more widely known as al Qaeda in Iraq.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Modesto Police Department and San Joaquin Sheriff’s Office, who are members of the Modesto/Stockton Joint Terrorism Task Force, with significant assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Assistant United States Attorneys Jean M. Hobler and Jason S. Hitt are prosecuting the case in conjunction with Trial Attorney Andrew Sigler of the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Teausant was charged by complaint with one count of attempting to provide material support or resources to a terrorist organization on March 17, 2014. He is currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals pending transportation to the Eastern District of California from the Western District of Washington, where he was arrested, to face the charges now brought by indictment. The date of his arrival in the Eastern District of California is not yet set.

The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Teausant faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. 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.