California man given 15 years for trying to aid Islamic State

SANTA ANA, Calif. — A federal judge on Monday sentenced a California man to 15 years in prison for trying to join the Islamic State group in Syria, calling his conduct a serious threat to the U.S. and saying it was influenced by his abusive childhood and history of mental problems.

Orange County native Adam Dandach, 22, also was ordered to undergo supervised release for the rest of his life after he pleaded guilty last year to trying to provide material support to a terror group and lying on his passport application.

The case against Dandach is one in a series involving young men in states ranging from California to Georgia who have been charged with trying to assist Islamic State and other groups.

The U.S. “faces significant threat from terrorists’ acts planned or committed by homegrown violent extremists like (the) defendant who become radicalized online and seek to engage in terror and support groups like ISIL,” federal prosecutors wrote in court filings before sentencing.

The prosecutors had sought a 20-year sentence for Dandach, who authorities said had videos of executions and decapitations by terrorists stored on his computer. He also encouraged terrorist beliefs in online chatrooms and continued to write violent poetry even from jail, authorities said.

U.S. District Judge James V. Selna said terrorist activity in any form is a threat to the U.S. and other countries. In court filings, Selna acknowledged Dandach’s abuse at the hands of his father, history of obesity and litany of mental problems ranging from post-traumatic stress to depression.

Dandach weighed as much as 550 pounds when he was a teenager and later underwent surgery, the judge wrote. His parents divorced when he was 9.

The now-slender Dandach appeared in court wearing shackles and a tan jail jumpsuit. He exchanged fleeting looks with his mother, who sobbed throughout the hearing, and told the judge he had dissociated himself from the person he once was.

“Pardon me for my poor judgment,” he said. “I believe it should be understood that I am just a hollow shell of what I used to be.”