Defendants in US terrorism and kidnapping case scheduled for sentencing in New Mexico

A U.S. judge is expected to hand down sentences Wednesday for five defendants in a federal terrorism and kidnapping case that stemmed from the search for a toddler who went missing from Georgia in late 2017 that ended months later with a raid on a squalid compound in northern New Mexico.

The sentencing hearing comes months after jurors convicted four of the family members in what prosecutors had called a “sick end-of-times scheme.” Each faces up to life in prison for their convictions. Defense attorneys have indicated they plan to appeal.

The key defendant — Jany Leveille, a Haitian national — avoided being part of a three-week trial last fall by pleading guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and being in possession of a firearm while unlawfully in the United States. Under the terms of her plea agreement, she faces up to 17 years in prison.

Read more: Miami Herald