Month: February 2023

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that a jury returned a guilty verdict today against STANISLAV YAKUBOV, a/k/a “Steve,” on three counts in a Superseding Indictment, including one count of money laundering conspiracy and two counts of making false statements to federal law enforcement agents.  YAKUBOV is scheduled to be sentenced on June 1, 2023, by U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos, who presided over the eight-day trial.     

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Stanislav Yakubov agreed to purchase hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of diamond-encrusted, stolen luxury watches that had been taken during violent robberies, the victims of which included jewelers from Yakubov’s own community.  Yakubov’s actions fueled a year-long robbery spree that targeted nearly a dozen victims, and his conviction sends a message to the community that the purchase and laundering of stolen property will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted.”

Photographs of some of the stolen watches are set forth below.  If you believe you know the whereabouts of any of these watches, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York at 1-866-874-8900, and reference this case:

According to the Superseding Indictment and the evidence presented at trial:

From at least in or about October 2019 up to and including November 2020, STANISLAV YAKUBOV, and others known and unknown, agreed to purchase stolen watches worth up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, each that had been taken during armed robberies.  The watches owned by victims targeted in the robberies included diamond-encrusted Richard Mille, Rolex, Audemars Piguet, and Patek Philippe watches owned by jewelers as part of the jewelers’ businesses based in Manhattan’s Diamond District and elsewhere.  

The robberies and attempted robberies included the following: 

1. On October 3, 2019, a jeweler in Long Island City, New York, was robbed of, among other things, a Richard Mille watch worth over $150,000.
2. On October 25, 2019, a jeweler in Jamaica, New York, was robbed of, among other things, a Rolex watch worth over $118,000.
3. On December 10, 2019, a jeweler in Brooklyn, New York, was robbed of, among other things, a Patek Philippe watch worth over $160,000 and a diamond necklace worth over $77,000. 
4. On January 14, 2020, a jeweler in Rego Park, New York, was robbed of, among other things, a Richard Mille watch worth over $500,000.
5. On February 16, 2020, a jeweler in Jamaica Estates, New York, was robbed of, among other things, an Audemars Piguet watch worth over $28,000.
6. On February 20, 2020, an individual in Long Island City, New York, was robbed of, among other things, an Audemars Piguet watch worth over $125,000.
7. On June 11, 2020, a jeweler in Brooklyn, New York, was robbed of, among other things, a Richard Mille watch worth over $148,000. 
8. On July 6, 2020, a jeweler in Hoboken, New Jersey, was robbed of, among other things, a Richard Mille watch worth over $81,000. 
9. On July 20, 2020, a jeweler in Queens, New York, was the victim of an attempted robbery involving a Richard Mille watch worth over $180,000.
10. On August 2, 2020, a food critic/social media influencer was robbed of, among other things, a Richard Mille watch worth over $250,000 in the vicinity of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 

In addition, on or about October 20, 2020, and March 24, 2021, YAKUBOV knowingly and willfully made false statements to federal law enforcement officers investigating the robbery spree.  YAKUBOV falsely said, among other things, that he never purchased any watches from the robbery crew and that the robbers were merely customers who had purchased jewelry from YAKUBOV in the past.

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YAKUBOV, 42, of Queens, New York, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum prison term of 20 years, and two counts of making false statements to federal law enforcement agents, each of which carry a maximum prison term of five years.

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the New York City Police Department.  Mr. Williams also thanked the Bergen County, New Jersey, Prosecutor’s Office, the Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, Police Department, the Weehawken, New Jersey, Police Department, and the Nassau County Police Department for their assistance.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mathew Andrews, Andrew K. Chan, and Thomas John Wright, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Grayson Glogoff, are in charge of the prosecution.

DAYTON, Ohio – A Beavercreek, Ohio, man who was arrested by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force at John Glenn International Airport in 2018 while trying to travel to Afghanistan to join ISIS or ISIS- Khorasan (ISIS-K) was sentenced today in federal court.

Naser Almadaoji, 23, an Iraqi-born United States citizen, was sentenced to 120 months in prison and 15 years of supervised release.

Almadaoji pleaded guilty in November 2021 just before his jury trial was scheduled to begin. He admitted to attempting to provide material support – himself, as personnel – to foreign terrorist organizations, namely ISIS and ISIS-K.

“Almadaoji was not just an ideological supporter of terrorism, he attempted to train to fight, assassinate, kidnap and kill, in hopes of employing violence in America on behalf of ISIS,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Thanks to the FBI and our other law enforcement partners, Almadaoji was ultimately unsuccessful in his plan to become a human weapon and will now spend a decade in federal prison.”

“Mr. Almadaoji was stopped by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force while attempting to join ISIS and learn the deadly methods of terrorists,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers. “The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, and our partners, will continue to work to protect the community from those determined to support terrorism and plan violent attacks.”

According to court documents, Almadaoji purchased a plane ticket for travel on October 24, 2018, and was arrested by FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force officers after checking in and obtaining his boarding pass.

The defendant intended to travel to Astana, Kazahkstan, where he planned to be smuggled into Afghanistan so that he could join and receive military training from ISIS-K in support of both that terrorist group and ISIS.

Almadaoji explained to an individual whom he believed to be an ISIS supporter that he wanted “weapons experts training, planning and executing, hit and run, capturing high value targets, ways to break into homes and avoid security guards. That type of training.” He began making travel plans in September 2018.

Prior to that, between February 16 and 24, 2018, Almadaoji traveled to Egypt and Jordan for the purpose of joining ISIS’s affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula, ISIS Wilayat Sinai, another designated foreign terrorist organization, but he ultimately was unsuccessful.

Almadaoji told an individual posing as an ISIS supporter online about his proposed plot to start a conflict in the United States between the federal government and anti-government militias. He asked the purported ISIS supporter for a guide on how to make a car bomb.

In August 2018, Almadaoji also told the purported ISIS supporter that he was “always willing” to assist with “projects” in the United States.

Almadaoji recorded and sent a video of himself wearing a headscarf and pledging allegiance to the leader of ISIS.

In addition, Almadaoji translated a purported ISIS document from Arabic to English, telling his contact, “Don’t thank me . . . it’s my duty.”

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice National Security Division; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge of the Cincinnati Division of the FBI; Alan J. Hill, Oakwood Public Safety Director; and Greene County Sheriff Gene Fischer announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice.

Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas A. Dingeldein and Trial Attorney Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are representing the United States in this case.

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A Beavercreek, Ohio, man, who was arrested by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force at John Glenn International Airport in 2018 while trying to travel to Afghanistan to join the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) or ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), was sentenced today in federal court.

Naser Almadaoji, 23, an Iraqi-born U.S. citizen, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release.

Almadaoji pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization in November 2021. He admitted to attempting to provide material support – himself, as personnel – to foreign terrorist organizations, namely ISIS and ISIS-K.

According to court documents, Almadaoji purchased a plane ticket for travel on Oct. 24, 2018, and was arrested by FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force officers after checking in and obtaining his boarding pass.

The defendant intended to travel to Astana, Kazahkstan, where he planned to be smuggled into Afghanistan so that he could join and receive military training from ISIS-K in support of both that terrorist group and ISIS.

Almadaoji explained to an individual whom he believed to be an ISIS supporter that he wanted “weapons experts training, planning and executing, hit and run, capturing high value targets, ways to break into homes and avoid security guards. That type of training.” He began making travel plans in September 2018.

Prior to that, between Feb. 16 and 24, 2018, Almadaoji traveled to Egypt and Jordan for the purpose of joining ISIS’s affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula, ISIS Wilayat Sinai, another designated foreign terrorist organization, but he ultimately was unsuccessful.

Almadaoji told an individual posing as an ISIS supporter online about his proposed plot to start a conflict in the United States between the federal government and anti-government militias. He asked the purported ISIS supporter for a guide on how to make a car bomb.

In August 2018, Almadaoji also told the purported ISIS supporter that he was “always willing” to assist with “projects” in the United States.

Almadaoji recorded and sent a video of himself wearing a headscarf and pledging allegiance to the leader of ISIS.

In addition, Almadaoji translated a purported ISIS document from Arabic to English, telling his contact, “Don’t thank me . . . it’s my duty.”

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio, Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI Counterterrorism Division and Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers of the FBI Cincinnati Field Office made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Dingeldein for the Southern District of Ohio and Trial Attorney Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are representing the United States in this case.