Pensacola Man Charged with Making False Statements in Investigation of ISIL-Related Postings

Thursday, July 28, 2016

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Robert Blake Jackson, 31, of Pensacola, made an initial appearance today in federal court after being arrested this morning on a charge of making materially false statements in a federal investigation. The criminal complaint was announced by Christopher P. Canova, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

According to the criminal complaint affidavit, on several occasions in 2014 and 2015, Jackson made Facebook postings expressing support for extremist terrorist groups and stating a desire to assist the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS or ISIL). The affidavit also alleges that, in January 2015, a Pensacola telemarketing business reported it had fired Jackson for viewing ISIL and other terrorist-related websites and videos on his work computer. It is further alleged that, when FBI agents interviewed Jackson in June 2015, he denied all these activities.

The punishment for the crime alleged is a maximum of five years in prison. Jackson is currently in federal custody, being held at the Santa Rosa County Jail, pending further proceedings. Future court appearances will take place in the U.S. District Court in Pensacola on a date to be determined.

This case resulted from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the other members of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.