Major Achievements in the Courtroom: Terrorism Cases: United States v. Zachary Chesser
United States v. Zachary Chesser
United States Department of Justice
Eastern District of Virginia
United States v. Zachary Chesser
2012
United States Department of Justice
Offices of the United States Attorneys
Briefing Room
National Security
Major Achievements in the Courtroom: Terrorism Cases
Eastern District of Virginia
United States v. Zachary Chesser
Zachary Chesser was a resident of the Eastern District of Virginia and an American convert to Islamic extremism. Chesser became an avid supporter of the designated foreign terrorist organization al-Shabaab in Somalia. Two times Chesser unsuccessfully attempted to travel to Somalia to join the terrorist group. Chesser also posted prolific jihadist messages on the Internet, threatening the lives of the creators of the television show South Park and of the Facebook supporters of “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day.” Chesser solicited others to engage in hoax bomb threats by leaving suspicious-looking packages in public places. He pleaded guilty in February 2011 to charges of communicating threats over the Internet, soliciting hoax threats, and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and was sentenced to a term of 25 years of imprisonment.
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This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States federal government (see 17 U.S.C. 105).
