Three Florida Men Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to Provide Material Support to ISIS

Gregory Hubbard, a/k/a, Jibreel, 54, of West Palm Beach, Florida; Dayne Antani Christian, a/k/a, Shakur, 33, of Lake Park, Florida; and Darren Arness Jackson, a/k/a, Daoud, 53, of West Palm Beach, were sentenced to prison today for conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, Special Agent in Charge Robert F. Lasky of the FBI’s Miami Field Office, and members of the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg.

“Individuals seeking to travel to take up arms with ISIS pose a threat to the security of all nations,” said U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg.  “As demonstrated today, this threat will be met with swift and certain justice.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, and the Joint Terrorism Task Force continue to work proactively in order to stifle and disrupt any potential danger posed by terrorist organizations and their supporters.”

“Gregory Hubbard and his co-conspirators are a great example why the FBI’s number one priority is counterterrorism,” said Robert F. Lasky, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Miami.  "This is not a scenario where law enforcement can afford to wait and see what happens next.  The FBI and our Joint Terrorism Task Force, along with many law enforcement partners, diligently investigated and disrupted this threat."

According to the court docket, including the factual basis for the guilty pleas, Hubbard was arrested on July 21, 2016, at Miami International Airport where he had been driven by co-defendant Jackson for a scheduled flight to Berlin, Germany.  From Berlin, Hubbard intended to travel to Syria to join ISIS. 

At various times during the conspiracy, which ran from approximately July 2015 until Hubbard’s arrest, Hubbard and his co-defendants, Christian and Jackson, talked about their support for ISIS and jihad, including acts of terrorism committed by and attributed to ISIS and its supporters. During the conspiracy, Hubbard and his co-defendants and others, practiced shooting weapons multiple times in preparation for Hubbard traveling to Syria to join ISIS.

Hubbard received a joint recommended sentenced of 12 years in prison, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release.

Christian and Jackson who both pleaded guilty in 2017 and provided significant cooperation to the government, received sentences of eight years in prison and four years in prison, respectively.  Both were also sentenced to five years of supervised release.

The FBI and JTTF investigated the case with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Transportation Security Administration; Miami International Airport Police Department; Boca Raton, Florida, Police Department; Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office; City of West Palm Beach Police Department; and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen E. Gilbert and Edward C. Nucci of the Southern District of Florida, and Trial Attorney Larry Schneider of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov