Mohammed Rafik Naji, 37, had expressed support for an attack in Times Square, according to a criminal complaint.
The 37-year-old, who lives in Brooklyn, was charged on Monday, said a spokeswoman for the FBI.
Times Square was the site of a failed car bomb attempt in 2010 carried out by a 30-year-old Connecticut resident.
A paid police informant made contact with Mr Naji in August 2015.
Suspicions had been aroused after he flew to Turkey with the alleged ambition of joining Islamic State in Yemen.
He had emailed his girlfriend while he was away, asking her for money and sending her a "selfie" of himself in black clothing wearing an armoured vest, according to court papers.
When he flew back to New York later in 2015, he remained in contact with the informant and one recorded conversation five days after the Nice attacks led to him being charged.
In that conversation, Mr Naji expressed his support for staging a similar attack - 84 people were killed in France by a lorry driving into crowds celebrating Bastille Day - in New York's Times Square, say prosecutors.
"They want an operation in Times Square, reconnaissance group already put out a scene, the Islamic State already put up scenes of Times Square, you understand," Mr Naji said, according to the court papers.
"I said that was an indication for whoever is smart to know."

The Battle of Stamford Bridge saw an army led by the Saxon King Harold defeat a group of Viking invaders.
Villagers are holding a re-enactment of the fighting with a descendant of King Harald of Norway who was killed by the Saxons.
Guests at the event include the Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu, who was given a tour of the battlefield.
Chris Rock, chairman of the Battle of Stamford Bridge Society, said the battles in Yorkshire had been overshadowed by King Harold's death at the hands of William of Normandy a few days later at Hastings.
"What happened here decided the outcome at Hastings, which is the battle that everyone remembers," he said.
"Without him being here he would have been on the south coast waiting for William.  He would have pushed him back into the sea. We'd have a Saxon line of kings now, maybe."
As well as the re-enactment, villagers are working on a Bayeux-style tapestry depicting the battle.
The weekend's events will culminate with the burning of Viking boat at sunset on Sunday.

Lincoln Castle underwent a Â£22m renovation project ready for the document's 800th anniversary.
Castle manager Rachel Thomas said about 34,000 people visited in April - up 21,000 on last year.
Last month, the castle was named as one of 12 sites in the county that could be outsourced to save the council money.
Since the 11th Century castle reopened at the beginning of April, 33,941 people have visited, compared with 12,503 last April.
Lincoln's copy of Magna Carta, is one of only four surviving copies.
Ms Thomas said she had not expected so many visitors.
"Partly, no doubt, the coverage around Magna Carta and the raising in the public consciousness of Magna Carta has helped," she said.
The renovation project included a new wall walk and the reopening of the Victorian prison to visitors.
The high-security underground vault houses the 1215 Magna Carta, alongside an original copy of the Charter of the Forest, which was signed two years later.
The work was funded by Lincolnshire County Council, Heritage Lottery money and private donations.
The authority said a final decision on whether to outsource 12 attractions including the castle, Gainsborough Old Hall and the Museum of Lincolnshire Life has not yet been made.
A Yemeni man living in New York City has been charged with attempting to provide support to the Islamic State group, say US authorities.
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An East Yorkshire village has been commemorating the 950th anniversary of a historic battle.
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A castle that had a multi-million pound vault built to house a surviving copy of Magna Carta has almost tripled visitor numbers.