US prosecutors have charged a California man with terrorism and fraud for allegedly raising funds through a fake charity to support Hamas and personal use.
US federal prosecutors announced terrorism charges on Wednesday against a California man for allegedly raising hundreds of thousands of dollars through a fake charity to fund Hamas.
Reda Mazen Rida Sabassi will face "terrorism, sanctions-evasion, wire fraud, money laundering, and false statement charges in connection with his efforts to divert funds raised through purported charitable campaigns to Hamas and for personal use," the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York said in a statement.
The 38-year-old San Diego resident is accused of using social media accounts and crowdfunding websites to raise money while falsely promising to send humanitarian aid to people in Gaza, prosecutors said.
Sabassi is also accused of "publicly supporting Hamas online," and creating "an hour-long propaganda video" to inspire donations in the wake of the attacks against Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group in 2023.
