Colorado man who planned to join Islamic State group pleads guilty to federal terrorism charge

Davin Daniel Meyer was arrested three years ago at the Denver airport before heading to Iraq via Turkey to join the terrorist organization.DENVER (CN) — A 21-year-old Colorado man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a single federal charge of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization after he planned to travel to Iraq to join the Islamic State group at age 18.“I need to convince myself that you understand your decision to plead guilty, the consequences of pleading guilty and the rights you will give up,” U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney said from the bench.After Davin Daniel Meyer confirmed he understood the change of plea and change, Sweeney said, “ I have concluded you are competent.”Authorities arrested Meyer on July 14, 2023, at Denver International Airport. He had a ticket to Turkey with plans to continue on to Iraq to join the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization.In the months leading up to his arrest, Meyer thought he was being recruited online by the organization’s members, but prosecutors said he was actually communicating with an FBI informant. Meyer also met with an FBI mole three times during that period to discuss traveling to Iraq to join the terrorist group.Meyer was working part time for a feed store at the time, having dropped out of school in 10th grade.In court documents, investigators detail how Meyer become radicalized through watching extremist videos online. When he was 17, an acquaintance reported Meyer to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office for making “violent threats to act upon his radical Islamic beliefs.”Federal prosecutors hit the 18-year-old resident of Castle Rock with a single charge of attempting to support a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carried a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.Although he initially pleaded not guilty and was scheduled to go to trial this week, Meyer entered a motion to change his plea on Aug. 5 in exchange for the government agreeing to cap his sentence at 10 years in prison with lifelong supervised release.“The government intends to file a two-step reduction for acceptance of guilt,” said U.S. Attorney Melissa Hindman.Meyer is represented by David Kaplan of Stimson LaBranche in Denver, who declined to speak with Courthouse News.Sweeney did not rule on Meyer’s change of plea, opting to take it under advisement while scheduling a sentencing hearing for Dec. 17.She also granted Meyer’s request to remain free on bond.“Given the success of your treatment plan, I find there are exceptional circumstances that justify you remain on bond pending sentencing,” Sweeney said.Earlier this year, another federal judge sentenced Colorado resident Humzah Mashkoor, 20, to three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of concealment and disguise of the intent to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, related to his plans to join the Islamic State group in December 2023.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads