| The Chicago Sun Times has a photo of the two miscreants taken in happier times. |
[ABC7Chicago] A north suburban man who was once pictured holding the ISIS flag at a popular state park, and who fantasized about seeing the terrorist flag on display at the White House, was sentenced Friday to 13 1/2 years in federal prison for terrorism-related offenses.Edward "Abdul Wali" Schimenti, 39, from the lakeshore community of Zion north of Chicago, had been convicted in June of 2019 for conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist organization and for lying to the FBI. Schimenti's co-defendant in the terrorism case, Joseph D. Jones, 38, was sentenced last month to 12 years in prison. Federal prosecutors had asked that Schimenti receive a longer sentence than co-defendant Jones.
| ...Joseph D. Jones, also known as Yusuf Abdulhaqq, is a loving family man, former army brat, and convert. Edward Schimenti was banned by the local Black Lives Matter group for being too radical... |
"I'm not a terrorist," Schimenti told U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood during Friday's sentencing hearing.
"I'm a big softie; a big teddy bear," he said prior to the lengthy sentence being imposed by Judge Wood. Schimenti and his co-defendant both maintained that they had been entrapped by several government informants, an argument that the jury didn't believe.
During his courtroom statement delivered on Friday, Schimenti said only that he had "some off-color ideas" and that he "could've made better decisions." Schimenti admitted having lied to federal agents after he was arrested in 2017 but told Judge Wood that "I don't support terrorism."
In a conversation secretly recorded by the FBI, Schimenti allegedly stated he was considering attacking the Naval graduation that takes place on "Buckley." The Great Lakes Naval Base, where every U.S. Navy recruit is trained, is located on Buckley Street in North Chicago.
Among the ISIS fantasies that federal prosecutors say Schimenti shared with an informant: gay people would be thrown off of Chicago's tallest building, the Willis Tower.
Investigators have said that Jones and Schimenti believed all three undercover federal agents were ISIS backers. Prosecutors have said Jones and Schimenti are both U.S. citizens who pledged their allegiance to ISIS and advocated frequently on social media for
"Drench that land with they, they blood," Schimenti is alleged to have said of the U.S. on one occasion.
Schimenti was sentenced to 13 1/2 years on the conspiracy count and a year and a half for the false statement conviction. While the sentences total 15 years, the terms will be served concurrently which means he will face a total of 13 1/2 years behind bars, of which most federal prisoners serve 80%.
In addition to the total 15 year prison sentence, Schimenti will face five years of probation when he is released.