Alleged Chicago Gang Leader Admits to Trafficking Fentanyl, Giving Money to ISIS

The U.S. Department of Justice in Washington on June 20, 2023. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The alleged leader of a Chicago street gang has admitted to trafficking fentanyl and other drugs across the United States while also attempting to provide material support to the terror group ISIS, according to the Department of Justice.

Jason Brown, 41, of Lombard, Illinois, pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to provide material support to ISIS, one count of distributing fentanyl, and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime during a court appearance on Dec. 6.

U.S. District Judge Mary M. Rowland set sentencing for May 28, 2024.

If found guilty, Mr. Brown faces a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison for the firearms charge; a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 40 years for the drugs charge; and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the terrorism charge.

According to court documents, Mr. Brown admitted in a plea agreement that he had attempted to provide $500 in cash to ISIS, despite knowing the group was a designated foreign terrorist organization and that it was engaging in terrorist activity.

Specifically, prosecutors said Mr. Brown—who was also known as Abdul Ja'Me—had handed over the $500 in cash to an unnamed individual with the intent and understanding that it would be wired to an ISIS soldier engaged in active combat or terrorist activity in Syria in need of financial resources.

However, the unnamed individual to whom Mr. Brown handed over the money was actually an undercover law enforcement officer who had been secretly recording their meetings.

Mr. Brown further admitted to trafficking fentanyl from California to the Chicago suburbs in 2019 and illegally possessing several loaded handguns in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities, prosecutors said.

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times more powerful than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat acute pain. As little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal. It is also extremely addictive.

AHK Gang Flaunted Criminal Activities Online

According to a separate criminal complaint, Mr. Brown was the leader of the AHK street gang, which is based in Bellwood, Illinois, and traffics narcotics, including marijuana, fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine, throughout the Chicago area.

Officials said AHK is comprised of former members of the Black P-Stones, Gangster Disciples, and Four Corner Hustlers street gangs, many of whom have converted to Islam. The group often boasts about their criminal activities on social media, according to the DOJ.

According to the Bellwood Police Department, the AHK members traffic various narcotics in order to fund the workings of the street gang.

Mr. Brown allegedly used his position as the leader of the AHK street gang to actively recruit and radicalize AHK members and others to support ISIS.

Pink, heart shaped fentanyl-laced pills, pressed to look like candy seized in Lynn, Massachusetts by the FBI’s North Shore Gang Task Force, Nov. 2023. Courtesy Department of Justice

“Based upon the investigation and information from confidential sources, it appears that BROWN regularly watched violent ISIS videos, and shared the ISIS videos and philosophy with AHK members, CS-3, and others, in an effort to recruit and radicalize them,” court documents state.

“As a result, it appears that BROWN viewed his work sharing ISIS videos and philosophy with other gang members and CS-S as engaging in jihad while inside the United States,” they continue.

Prosecutors said Mr. Brown also intended to travel to Syria with his family although it was unclear if he had planned to join ISIS.

Mr. Brown has been in law enforcement custody since his arrest in 2019 alongside several other AHK members or associates following a police raid.

During that raid, law enforcement officers shut down the gang’s operation of two illicit drug markets on the West Side of Chicago and executed search warrants at numerous locations.

The Epoch Times has contacted an attorney for Mr. Brown for further comment.