A New York ISIS Recruiter Was Sentenced

Madeline Leesman | April 14, 2025 9:30 AM

An ISIS recruiter residing in New York was sentenced to nearly two decades in prison.

According to the New York Post, this sentence came after she received a “shockingly low” 48-month sentence that was tossed out by an appeals court.

Now, Sinmyah Amera Ceasar, 30, will be imprisoned for 19 years. The sentence was set by Brooklyn Federal Court Judge Kiyo Matsumoto.

“With today’s sentence, Sinmyah Amera Ceasar, an unrepentant ISIS recruiter, will be incarcerated for a significant period of time to protect Americans here and abroad from her violent extremism,” United States Attorney John Durham said in a statement.

“Even after pleading guilty to providing material support to ISIS, the defendant continued to support terrorists, obstructed justice and fled from prosecution. This Office, together with the FBI, the NYPD, and all the members of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, work tirelessly to pursue and hold accountable all those who support terrorism,” he added.

The late Judge Jack Weinstein sentenced Ceasar in 2019 to four years in prison. Reportedly, he argued that she needed education and mental health treatment to “save her as a human being” from her terrorism ties, the Post reported (via NYP):

Ceasar — whose war name “Umm Nutella” translates to “Mother of Nutella” — was out for 13 months when the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein’s decision in August 2021, calling it a “shockingly low” penalty — and ordered that Ceasar be re-sentenced.
But Ceaser tried to make a run for it, blowing off a court-ordered appearance on Aug. 25, 2021, after the appeals decision — slicing off her ankle monitoring bracelet in an attempt to flee to Russia to avoid going back to prison, federal prosecutors have said.
She was captured days later while hiding out at an auto body shop in New Mexico.
Federal prosecutors said she had a desire to travel and join the terror group and “die as a martyr” — which she proved by going as far as trying to marry ISIS wannabe Fareed Mumuni, who is serving a 25-year sentence for planning to attack an FBI agent.

The Department of Justice noted that between January 2016 and November 2016, Ceasar used social media accounts to praise and promote ISIS. She recruited individuals in the United States to leave and fight for ISIS. She was regularly in contact with members of the terrorist organization. She helped at least five people from the US join ISIS.