Alleged Fayetteville ISIS supporter pleads guilty to tax charges

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Houcine Bechir Ghoul, a Fayetteville man accused of being an ISIS supporter, has pleaded guilty to immigration and tax violations.

In a criminal complaint, Ghoul was charged with attempted unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization and filing a false tax return.

READ MORE: FBI accuses Fayetteville man of lying about support for ISIS

On Monday, he pleaded guilty to two counts of filing false tax returns and one count of trying to procure citizenship unlawfully.

Authorities said an informant sent the FBI screenshots from Ghoul's social media accounts in which he expressed support for ISIS.

Court documents said Ghoul sold drugs out of the convenience store, Snack Attack where we previously worked and was underreported his income.

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An investigation revealed Ghoul's sympathies to ISIS despite answering "no" in his citizenship interview when asked if he supported terrorist organizations.

Reports show Ghoul, a Tunisia native, praised recent terror attacks.

He could face up to 16 years in prison, three years of supervised release, $450,000 in fines, and a $300 special assessment.

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