ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Ardit Ferizi, 20, a citizen of Kosovo, has made his initial appearance on charges alleging that he provided material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and committed computer hacking and identity theft violations in conjunction with the theft and release of personally identifiable information (PII) of U.S. service members and federal employees.

Ferizi, who was detained by Malaysian authorities on a U.S. provisional arrest warrant, was charged by criminal complaint on Oct. 6, 2015. The criminal complaint was unsealed on Oct. 15, 2015.

Ferizi’s next court appearance will be on Friday at 2 p.m. at the federal courthouse in Alexandria.

Ferizi faces a maximum penalty of 35 years in prison, if convicted. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and FBI’s Jacksonville Division.

The U.S. Attorney, Assistant Attorney General, and FBI Assistant Director thanked the Malaysian authorities for their assistance in this matter.   back...