Shannon Maureen Conley, the Denver teenager who was arrested on her way to join ISIS in Syria this summer, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support for a terrorist organization. While she didn’t make it, the penalty can still be up to five years in prison, and a $250,000 fine on top of that.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, she will have to cooperate with investigators to help find others who want to join ISIS.
The 19-year-old nurse’s aid was arrested in July, after she bought a (presumably one-way) ticket to Turkey. Like many of those going to join the Islamic State, Conley had become radicalized online. She planned to cross the border into Syria from that country to unite with a male fighter she had met through the internet. Conley also hoped to use her medical skills to help wounded jihadis.
Conley had already been on law enforcement’s radar for some time, since she had earlier been reported for lurking around a local church. “If they think I’m a terrorist, I’ll give them something to think I am,” she reportedly said at the time. FBI agents met with her weekly after that, and she reportedly straight up told them she was committed to going to Syria to fight.
Setting off alarm bells before you even do anything? Worst. Terrorist. Ever.
