A San Diego man, Reda Mazen Rida Sabassi, 38, was arrested on Tuesday and faces federal charges of terrorism, wire fraud, and money laundering for allegedly raising approximately $600,000 for Hamas through a fraudulent charity, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday. The funds were collected via online fundraising campaigns that falsely claimed to provide humanitarian aid to people in Gaza, according to prosecutors.
Sabassi is accused of sending around $116,000 to a known Hamas member and attempting to convert about $382,000 into cryptocurrency to be sent to the militant group. The DOJ alleges that he publicly supported Hamas, including by creating and posting an "hour-long propaganda video of the October 7 Hamas Massacres" on his social media accounts a few months after the attack and again on the two-year anniversary of the event.
The case is being prosecuted in the Southern District of New York. Sabassi was arrested in San Diego, and the investigation highlights ongoing efforts to combat terrorism financing through deceptive online schemes.