Suburban man convicted of fentanyl trafficking after trying to give money to ISIS soldier

CHICAGO – A Lombard man was sentenced last week to 18 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to trafficking fentanyl and attempting to send money to an ISIS terrorist.

Jason Brown, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to support ISIS, one count of distributing fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to a plea agreement, Brown said he smuggled fentanyl from California to the Chicago suburbs and illegally possessed several loaded handguns in 2019.

He also admitted that on three occasions in 2019 he passed $500 in cash to an individual with the understanding that the money would be transferred to an ISIS soldier involved in terrorist activities in Syria. However, the person to whom he provided the money was working confidentially with law enforcement, and the suspected ISIS fighter was an undercover law enforcement officer.

Brown was sentenced to 18 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Mary M. Rowland during a hearing Wednesday in Chicago.

Brown has been in police custody since his arrest in 2019.