A resident of Springfield, Massachusetts, Mohammed Ajaruddin Chipa has been sentenced to 30 years and 4 months in prison for financing a foreign terrorist organization known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The court found that from October 2019 to October 2022, Chipa raised and transferred over $185,000 in cryptocurrencies to women associated with ISIL in Syria.
This is reported by Бізнес • Медіа
Funding Terrorist Acts and Supporting Militants
The funds raised were used to finance escapes from prison camps, support ISIL militants, and organize terrorist acts. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, Chipa actively exploited social media to raise funds, receiving donations electronically and traveling to obtain cash, which he then converted into cryptocurrency.
The transfers were sent to Turkey, from where the funds were smuggled into Syria, directly to ISIL members. Attorney General Pamela Bondi expressed concern about the situation:
“This defendant directly funded ISIL in its attempts to carry out horrific terrorist acts against innocent people in America and around the world. If you fund terrorism — we will hold you accountable and lock you away for decades”
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Conviction for Financing Terrorism
In December 2024, a federal jury found Chipa guilty of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, as well as four separate counts of providing or attempting to provide such support. Federal Prosecutor for Virginia Eric Siebert noted that responsibility lies not only with those who carry out attacks but also with those who
“finance terror”
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Chipa, according to prosecutors, knowingly transferred significant sums for the violent activities of an organization seeking to impose extremism on the world. FBI Director Kash Patel also emphasized the importance of investigating terrorist financing schemes, stating that
“this is yet another example of the FBI investigating and prosecuting those who assist terrorists — regardless of their role”
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It is worth noting that in March 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice uncovered a scheme to finance Hamas terrorists for over 200,000 USDT.