Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Former Brooklyn stockbroker convicted in federal court for training ISIS fighters in Syria
By
Samantha Max
Published Feb 8, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Samantha Max
Published Feb 8, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A former Bay Ridge resident and one-time stockbroker could spend the rest of his life in prison for joining ISIS after a jury convicted him of multiple charges in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday.
Prosecutors said that Ruslan Maratovich Asainov, 46, converted to Islam in 2009 and developed extremist views with help from radical online content. Four years later, they said, he dropped out of classes at the Borough of Manhattan Community College and bought a one-way ticket to Turkey, leaving behind his wife and daughter. From there, they said he traveled to Syria to train and fight.
Prosecutors argued at trial that Asainov became a sniper for ISIS and taught sniper skills to about 100 others. In a press release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York said that Asainov spent about five years fighting for ISIS, until he was captured after the terrorist organization’s last stand in Baghouz in 2019. He was indicted later that year.
Ruslan Maratovich Asainov faces a potential life sentence
“There is no place in a civilized world for the defendant’s bloody campaign of death and destruction,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement.
Asainov admitted to the FBI that he had fought with ISIS in multiple battles and told his mother in recorded phone calls that he was carrying out Allah’s orders, according to prosecutors. Asainov’s wife also testified at trial that he had told her he had joined ISIS and had sent her a photograph of dead ISIS fighters. Bureau of Prisons staff allegedly confiscated a handmade ISIS flag that he hung in his cell in 2020.
Asainov was convicted of all five counts against him, including providing material support to ISIS and obstruction of justice. Jurors also found that his actions had resulted in the deaths of one or more people.
Asainov faces a sentence of life in prison. His defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Associated Press reported that Asainov’s lawyers challenged his own statements, arguing that he had exaggerated his role and that his claims lacked corroborating evidence.
Tagged
us attorneys
isis
brooklyn
conviction
Samantha Max
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NY Archdiocese will soon settle $800M clergy sexual abuse claims
The deal would compensate over 1,300 alleged victims and help the church avoid bankruptcy.
By
Arya Sundaram
Published Oct 24, 2026 at 6:31 p.m. ET
Chinatown residents file lawsuit against after-hours construction on new 'mega jail'
Residents cite sleep disruption and dust-induced illness from nearly ‘round the clock’ construction.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
Chinatown residents file lawsuit against after-hours construction on new 'mega jail'
Residents cite sleep disruption and dust-induced illness from nearly ‘round the clock’ construction.
By
Arya Sundaram
Peepapalooza: NYC is heading to the Hudson Valley to watch the leaves
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
Sean Carlson
NYPD: Officer shot, injured knife-wielding woman during ‘chaotic’ night at Queens home
By
Ryan Kost
3 slates vying to run Jersey City school board as city stares down major tax hikes
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .