Crime · Las Vegas

North Las Vegas man, 19, pleads guilty to attempted material support of terrorism

He admitted one count tied to the Islamic State, and a judge will hear arguments on his sentence Dec. 7.

November 2, 2026 at 3:02 PM · Vegas Support Center

A 19-year-old North Las Vegas man has pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support for acts of terrorism or for terrorists, according to court records and local news reports. He entered the plea Oct. 26. His sentencing hearing is set for Dec. 7.

He was first charged with eight counts. Under the plea deal, he admitted to a single count, which carries two to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors and the defense did not agree on a specific sentence, so both sides can argue what it should be at the December hearing.

He was arrested in 2023 and ordered to be tried as an adult. Authorities accused him of gathering bomb-making components, naming the governor and then-President as targets, and keeping videos of ISIS executions on his phone. A grand jury had indicted him on counts including providing material support for terrorism, attempting to commit or cause terrorism, soliciting another person to aid terrorism, and incendiary device charges.

Police and prosecutors said that in a November 2023 chatroom post, he announced he would begin "lone wolf operations" in Las Vegas and described himself as a supporter of the Islamic State. Prosecutors said he took part in a chatroom with ISIS supporters and told detectives he liked execution videos.

According to prosecutors' court filings, his phone held the names of ISIS leaders, bomb-making instructions and a poem fantasizing about violence toward Jewish people. A grand jury indictment also said he had a floor plan of Chaparral High School and manuals for building an explosive device. Prosecutors said he also saved an image reading "Conquest of Las Vegas" over a photo of the city skyline.

Prosecutors argued that by the end of November 2023 he had moved toward actual violence, saying he dressed as an ISIS soldier with a knife and flag and collected components for pipe bombs. He told police he did not plan to carry out an attack. Prosecutors also said he told detectives after his arrest that he had been in contact with other extremists.

Prosecutors said he was suspended from Cannon Junior High School in 2020 after staff and students reported that he threatened a school shooting.

The Metropolitan Police Department sheriff earlier refused to release him onto electronic monitoring. Metro attorneys said in a filing that releasing him under any circumstances would pose an unreasonable risk to public safety.

His public defenders said in a statement that they look forward to presenting a fuller picture of him at sentencing. They said his history and neurodivergence leave him vulnerable and in need of care. Prosecutors did not respond to requests for comment about the plea.

Source: Review-Journal, News 3

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