Michigan man receives 20-year sentence for attempting to aid ISIS and possessing pipe bomb

A federal judge in the Eastern District of Michigan sentenced Jeremy D. Smith to 20 years in prison on May 7, 2026, following his conviction for attempting to provide material support to ISIS and possessing a destructive device.

The 20-year term represents the statutory maximum for the material support count under 18 U.S.C. § 2339B. Smith must also serve three years of supervised release after prison. The U.S. Department of Justice stated that Smith, a Michigan resident, attempted to provide material support including personnel and services to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, a designated foreign terrorist organization.

He separately possessed an unregistered pipe bomb, which qualifies as a destructive device under federal firearms law.

The case originated from an investigation by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. Evidence presented at trial showed Smith took concrete steps to join ISIS and prepared an explosive device for potential use. The jury returned guilty verdicts on both counts after a trial in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

The sentence shifts Smith from pretrial status to immediate federal incarceration at a Bureau of Prisons facility to be designated by the agency. Federal sentencing guidelines required the court to consider the serious nature of providing support to a terrorist group and the inherent danger of an unregistered explosive device. The 20-year term runs concurrently on both counts.

Downstream, the conviction activates federal asset forfeiture procedures for any property linked to the offenses. The Bureau of Prisons must classify Smith under its security protocols for terrorism-related inmates, which limit visitation, phone calls and correspondence.

Upon release in 2046, Smith will face supervised release conditions that prohibit contact with terrorist organizations, restrict international travel and bar possession of firearms or explosives. The case also requires the FBI to close its active investigative file and archive collected evidence for the statutory retention period.

This marks the latest federal prosecution in the Eastern District of Michigan involving attempted material support to ISIS. The Department of Justice has pursued similar cases since 2014 under the same statute, resulting in lengthy prison terms for individuals who sought to travel to Syria or Iraq or who manufactured explosives for domestic use in furtherance of terrorist objectives.

The press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan on May 7, 2026, supplied all factual details of the sentencing.