Court Case

USA v. Osadzinski, Thomas

November 2019 (Updated November 17, 2022)
Chicago, IL
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)

[NDIL] Thomas Osadzinski of Chicago was charged in a federal complaint with one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The complaint alleges that Osadzinski designed a process that uses a computer script to make ISIS propaganda more conveniently accessed and disseminated by users on a social media platform. Osadzinski earlier this year shared his script – and instructions for how to use it – with individuals whom he believed to be ISIS supporters and members of pro-ISIS media organizations, the complaint states. Unbeknownst to Osadzinski, the individuals were actually covert FBI employees and a person confidentially working with law enforcement, according to the complaint. A federal jury convicted Osadzinski in October 2021 for attempting to provide material support to ISIS.

Case Updates

2022-11-17 | Chicago Man Sentenced to Seven and a Half Years in Federal Prison for Attempting To Provide Material Support to ISIS

A federal judge today sentenced Thomas Osadzinski to seven and a half years in federal prison for attempting to provide material support to ISIS. Evidence presented at trial revealed that ISIS and its supporters disseminated the terror group's propaganda materials on social media to recruit fighters and inspire violence against the United States and other countries. Many social media platforms removed ISIS media content due to the violent nature of the materials. Osadzinski, a U.S. citizen, designed, used, and taught a process using a computer script to make ISIS propaganda more conveniently disseminated online. The process would automatically copy and preserve ISIS media postings in an organized format, allowing social media users to continue to conveniently access and share the content.

Osadzinski in 2019 shared his script – and instructions for how to use it – with individuals whom he believed to be ISIS supporters and members of pro-ISIS media organizations. Unbeknownst to Osadzinski, the individuals were actually covert FBI employees and a person confidentially working with law enforcement.

2021-10-18 | Jury Convicts Chicago Man of Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS

A federal jury convicted Thomas Osadzinski in October 2021 for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a foreign terrorist organization. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Osadzinski designed a process using a computer script to make ISIS propaganda more conveniently disseminated online. The process would automatically copy and preserve ISIS media postings in an organized format, allowing social media users to continue to conveniently access and share the content. In 2019, Osadzinski shared his script and instructions for how to use it with individuals whom he believed to be ISIS supporters and members of pro-ISIS media organizations. Unbeknownst to Osadzinski, the individuals were covert FBI employees and a person confidentially working with law enforcement.

Case Documents