Home Grown Terrorists Continue To Appear: Three Sentenced
Posted: Thursday, June 30, 2011
by Joel Hendon
http://hebronics.org/index.html
The FBI continues it’s vigilance in seeking out those who would do harm here in the United States and it is surprising at the growing number who are citizens. The costs of hunting these terrorists down, the drawn out prosecution procedures and the years of sustaining them in some federal prison, continue to grow.
Often the sentences given these enemies of society seem quite small considering the severity of the crimes they plot, whether or not they are able to carry out their schemes. But on the other hand, the longer the sentences, the higher the costs rise. So, unless the crime is worthy of death, it creates a real dilemma. Perhaps many of the more severe crimes should include the death penalty.
This case began three years ago when an informant for the FBI encountered the following:
In June 2008, an informant working with the FBI was approached by CROMITIE in Newburgh, New York. CROMITIE explained to the informant that his parents had lived in Afghanistan and that he was upset about the war there. CROMITIE expressed interest in returning to Afghanistan and said that if he were to die a martyr, he would go to “paradise.” He also expressed an interest in doing “something to America.”
The following month, CROMITIE and the informant discussed Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, with which the informant claimed to be involved. CROMITIE stated that he would be interested in joining the organization to “do jihad.” (FBI Press release: June 29, 2011)
In subsequent meetings, three other men joined in the conspiracy. It now consisted of James Cromitie, age 45, David Williams 30, Onta Williams 35, and Laguerre Payen. The FBI informant told the men that he had connections with Jaish-e-Mohammed and could get a surface to air missile and three improvised explosive devices which they wanted to bomb Jewish synagogues in the Bronx and the SAM to bring down a military aircraft from the Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York.
The FBI then furnished the informant with a Stinger surface to air missile which had been disabled and could not be fired, plus the three explosive devices which had over 30 pounds each of inert C-4 plastic explosives.
The four men, along with the informant, drove to Stamford, Connecticut to secure these explosives and the four defendants drove them back to Newburgh. Two days later, the four met to discuss and plan the logistics of the operation. The FBI arrested them as they were taking active steps to utilize the weapons.
CROMITIE, DAVID WILLIAMS, and ONTA WILLIAMS, were each found guilty of one count of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction within the United States, three counts of attempting to use weapons of mass destruction within the United States, one count of conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles, one count of attempting to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles, and one count of conspiracy to kill officers and employees of the United States. CROMITIE and DAVID WILLIAMS were also found guilty of one count of attempting to kill officers and employees of the United States. (Ibid)
Each of those three men were sentenced to 25 years in prison, plus 5 years of supervised release at the end of their prison sentences, also Cromitie and David Williams were each ordered to pay an $800 special assessment. Onta Williams was ordered to pay a $700 special assessment.
Payen, also convicted at the October 2010 jury trial, will be sentenced at a later date.
For a more detailed description of the case, the FBI press release can be viewed here.
This Article has been viewed 250 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.