Prosecutors Seek Deal In Case Of Lodi Man Accused Of Trying To Join ISIS
LODI, Calif. (AP) -- Prosecutors say they will seek permission from Washington, D.C., to offer a deal to a California man charged with trying to join Islamic extremists in Syria.
The Sacramento Bee reports that an attorney for 21-year-old Nicholas Teausant told a judge Tuesday morning that lawyers are "cautiously optimistic" about a plea deal.
The judge will delay the trial so prosecutors can pursue approval from the Justice Department.
Teausant was arrested in March 2014 as he tried to take a bus into Canada. The FBI and prosecutors say his trip was part of a plan to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State.
His lawyers say he suffers from a mental illness. Last December he was ruled not competent, but in August he was found to be competent and the case continued.