United States v. Jason Fong | ALL MATERIAL SUPPORT CHARGES DISMISSED!

United States v. Jason Fong | ALL MATERIAL SUPPORT CHARGES DISMISSED!

Mr. Fong was 25 when he reverted to Islam in January 2020. After he reverted, he was targeted by FBI counterterrorism undercover online operatives who sought to persuade Mr. Fong to commit a crime. They tried to get him to aid a terrorist group in Syria to build bombs, but he refused. When it became clear that Mr. Fong just wanted to train for self-defense, a legal activity, he was arrested and charged with multiple material support of terrorism charges. Partnering with his local counsel, MLFA challenged the questionable charging, fought for a fair trial, and put Mr. Fong’s statements concerning Hamas and training in context. Most importantly, MLFA overcame the restrictions the prosecution sought to place on the questioning of the undercover informants and exposed the primary informant’s dubious background and the government’s tactics, which included targeting underage Muslims as part of their investigation.

Verdict/Ruling: ALL MATERIAL SUPPORT CHARGES DISMISSED!

After the first trial ended in a mistrial, rather than face MLFA in court again, the U.S. Attorney’s Office agreed to dismiss all the material support of terrorism charges against Jason Fong in exchange for a plea to making a false statement.

IMPACT

This marked the first dismissal of such charges in an undercover operation targeting an American Muslim since 9/11–a precedent our Criminal Defense Department was proud to set.