Photo: On the left criminals Mir Islam and Troy Woody jr. after their arrest for murder and on the right Iraqi ISIS terrorist Adam Iza.
In the landscape of domestic security, the most dangerous threats often no longer come from outside our borders. They now come from within—from bank accounts, homes, and digital devices that operate in full view of law enforcement. Nowhere is this clearer than in the case of Katy and Troy Woody Sr., a suburban couple accused of funding and facilitating a multi-layered conspiracy that includes cybercrime, extortion, kidnaps, robberies and terror plots targeting American civilians and public figures.
Two active lawsuits—one federal and one state—name the Woodys directly. They paint a picture not of passive enablers or grieving parents, but of active co-conspirators. According to these filings, the couple provided logistical and financial support to their son Troy Woody Jr. and his network of criminals, including convicted cyber-extortionist Mir Islam and an alleged ISIS affiliate, Adam Iza (a Iraqi citizen with US green card - birth name Ahmed Faiq).
The allegations are not theoretical. They come with screenshots, videos, photos, affidavit confessions, financial records, Telegram messages, and prison surveillance reports. At their center is a chilling reality: the infrastructure for terrorism on U.S. soil may be quietly sustained by American families whose basements and bedrooms serve as digital command posts.
The federal civil RICO case—Case No. 2:24-cv-09601, filed within the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California—details a vast criminal enterprise operating from within the prison system. It accuses Troy Jr., Islam, and Iza of engaging in extortion, kidnaps, robberies, aggravated threats, deepfake abuse, online defamation and terror-linked activities. Katy and Troy Sr. are named as direct enablers.
The state case—Case No. 25STCV12990, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court—adds another layer. It charges Troy Sr. specifically with negligence, aiding and abetting, and civil conspiracy, pointing to financial transfers, password-sharing, and his full knowledge of the operation’s scope. Katy is alleged to have executed most of the transactions, many of which were traced to prepaid crypto platforms, shell accounts and more. Investigative sources are saying that indictments are on the way to bring to justice the rest of the criminal organization as well, on the list figures: private detective Ken Childs owner of Paramount Investigative Services, Ron Miranda, Krystal D Preston (Woody - former last name) and Daniel K Preston. Adam Iza, Iris Au and the Los Angeles corrupt Sheriff Deputies involved already plead guilty. While Troy Woody Jr and Mir Islam are already in a detention facility in the Philippines for the murder of a US citizen Tomi Master (Troy Woody’s girlfriend).
Together, the cases outline a deeply disturbing family portrait: two parents financing a domestic crime and terror syndicate while maintaining the outward appearance of normal life in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
What separates this case from other forms of cyber-enabled crime is the evidence of intent. These were not parents misled by their child or unaware of how their money was being used. They were actively involved.
One chat submitted as evidence in the RICO case features Katy Woody texting her son, “Did you get the money?” The message was linked to a bribe payment for contraband devices smuggled into the Philippines jail system. Another series of messages reveals Troy Jr. confirming that his mother funded operations used to target actor Enzo Zelocchi and his girlfriend Vanessa, a high-profile Christian leader’s daughter.
Further logs show Katy allegedly discussing operational timing, while Troy Sr. authorized the use of family accounts and accepted explanations of how the money would be used. This is not ambiguity. This is affirmation.
The parents were reportedly aware of the names of targets, the digital tools being used, and even the legal risks they were incurring. And yet, the support continued.
Compounding the problem is the apparent corruption inside the very institutions designed to stop such behavior. Several deputies with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department have now been implicated in the conspiracy and already plead guilty.
Court documents name Deputy Dudgeon and Deputy Rawlings, both accused robberies, kidnaps, conspiracy and other violent attacks – mainly targeting victims with cryptocurrency. Troy Woody’s smuggled devices were essential to the operation’s digital warfare—enabling Mir Islam and Troy Jr. to coordinate with Iza, receive funds, draft threats, and disseminate deepfake media against their targets.
The deputies’ cooperation was not isolated. The implications here are serious. If members of a major sheriff’s department can be paid and hired by an ISIS terrorist with a criminal record for robbery, how secure are our cities can really be? How many other syndicates may be operating under the same shield of institutional neglect?
The most alarming claim in both cases relates to terrorism financing. A May 2023 police report cited in the filings alleges that Troy Jr. and Mir Islam actively plotted a C-4 detonation in Los Angeles, under the guidance of Adam Iza. The plan involved targeting high-traffic areas to cause mass panic and potential loss of life.
According to the report, the operation was to be funded in part by cryptocurrency assets sent from Katy Woody’s personal accounts. The FBI traced funds through multiple exchanges and identified activity consistent with obfuscation techniques used by terror groups.
At the time of these transactions, the parents had full knowledge of the devices in use, the threats being drafted, and the people being targeted. The lawsuits argue convincingly that their continued support was not accidental or coerced, but deliberate.
This shifts the legal framework from enabling to material support for terrorism—a federal offense with grave implications.
The scope of the syndicate’s targets suggests the conspirators were not simply interested in money or revenge. They wanted reach. They wanted chaos.
The lawsuits allege that actor Enzo Zelocchi, his girlfriend Vanessa, Margot Robbie, Steven Spielberg, and even a Christian political advisor connected to President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were all selected for specific strategic reasons.
Vanessa was reportedly viewed as a “political gateway,” her family relationships seen as leverage. Robbie and Spielberg were labeled “pressure points” in chat logs—high-visibility names that could be used to generate maximum media attention and emotional disruption.
The convergence of celebrity, politics, and religion made the targets more than symbolic. They were infrastructure. And the Woodys helped fund the operation that aimed to dismantle it.
With this mountain of evidence, the question becomes: Why haven’t federal criminal charges been filed against Katy, Troy Sr. and other associates like private investigator Ken Childs, attorney Ron Miranda, Krystal D Preston (Woody - former last name) and Daniel K Preston, yet?
Legal experts suggest that federal prosecutors are building a broader case—one that may encompass material support for terrorism, wire fraud, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice. The civil litigation already underway is often a precursor to sealed indictments.
At a minimum, both Woody parents face potential asset seizure, permanent injunctions, and multi-million-dollar damages in the civil cases. At maximum, they may soon be indicted for actions that extend far beyond negligence or familial misjudgment.
This case demands a national conversation.
We often associate terrorism with radicalized youth overseas, lone wolves, or state actors abroad. But the Woody case reveals a far more insidious threat: the family next door, quietly funding terror plots with bank transfers and prepaid crypto.
It also reveals the systemic vulnerabilities in American law enforcement, financial oversight, and prison security. If a convicted murderer and a known cyberterrorist can coordinate bomb plots, blackmail campaigns, and political intimidation from inside prisons, with help from their parents, then our threat matrix is outdated.
What’s required now is policy reform ad new international agreements to protect US Citizens. That includes tighter domestic and international financial surveillance, digital monitoring inside prisons, anti-collusion safeguards for correctional staff, and real accountability for civilians who provide logistical support for violence.
The Woody case is not a family tragedy. It is a national security breach. And unless law enforcement, lawmakers, and the judiciary move decisively, it won’t be the last.
