Crowdfunding Twist: Hamas Pipeline Exposed

Masked men with firearms standing on a vehicle

A California man is now accused of using “charity” money raised after October 7 to help bankroll Hamas from inside the United States.

Story Snapshot

Federal prosecutors say San Diego resident Reda Mazen Rida Sabassi raised about $600,000 through online “Gaza aid” fundraisers and a fake charity, then routed money to Hamas and to himself.^[3]
The Justice Department says he sent around $116,000 to a Hamas member and tried to move about $382,000 into cryptocurrency to send through the Hamas-linked group Gaza Now.^[3]
Sabassi faces terrorism, sanctions-evasion, wire fraud, money laundering, and false statement charges, with possible decades in federal prison if convicted.^[7]
The case highlights how sham “humanitarian” campaigns can hide terror financing and scam well-meaning American donors during war and crisis.^[3]

DOJ Says “Charity” Campaigns Became A Hamas Cash Pipeline

Federal prosecutors say 38-year-old San Diego resident and naturalized citizen Reda Mazen Rida Sabassi ran a network of online fundraisers that promised help for civilians in Gaza but were really designed to send money to Hamas and cover his personal bills.^[3] The Justice Department says he used social media, crowdfunding pages, and a supposed non-profit called Ikram – The Arab Charity Foundation Inc. to collect donations from people in the United States and abroad.^[3] The complaint says the campaigns surged after Hamas’s October 7 terror attack on Israel, when global sympathy and confusion made it easier to draw quick online gifts.^[8]

Court records say that between December 2023 and February 2024, Sabassi raised about $600,000 through these online drives.^[3] Prosecutors allege he sent around $116,000 to a Hamas member, then tried to convert roughly $382,000 into cryptocurrency so he could send it through Gaza Now, which the Treasury Department later labeled a key fundraising channel for Hamas.^[3] Investigators say he even used part of the “charity” money to pay his rent and his personal credit-card bill, turning donor generosity into his own private slush fund.^[3]

Charges, Penalties, And The Presumption Of Innocence

The Justice Department’s complaint charges Sabassi with conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, conspiring to violate federal sanctions law, conspiring to commit wire fraud, conspiring to commit money laundering, and making false statements.^[7] Each of the first four counts carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, while the false statement charge carries up to five years, so he could face decades behind bars if convicted.^[7] Prosecutors say he was arrested in San Diego and brought before a federal magistrate judge, then ordered to face the case in the Southern District of New York, which often handles complex terror-finance prosecutions.^[5]

Justice Department officials stress that these are still charges, not a final verdict, and that Sabassi is presumed innocent unless and until a jury finds him guilty.^[2] At the same time, senior national security officials say the evidence includes financial records, online posts, and private messages that they argue show he knew he was helping a United States–designated terrorist group.^[3] The Department of Justice also points out that Hamas has been on the terror list for years, so any material support from inside the United States directly breaks long-standing federal law and undermines American and Israeli security.^[9]

Why This Case Matters For Patriots, Donors, And National Security

This case should alarm every American who cares about national security, honest charity work, and the rule of law. Federal officials say Sabassi “exploited the barbaric acts of terror perpetrated on October 7, 2023, to attract donors to his fraudulent ‘humanitarian’ causes,” then funneled those funds to Hamas and to his own wallet.^[8] That means ordinary people who thought they were feeding desperate families in Gaza may have unknowingly helped arm the same terrorist group that murdered Israeli civilians and took hostages.

The Palestinian genocidal Hamas terrorist fundraiser plot gets bigger by the hour. Hamas terrorist fundraiser Reda Sabassi was employed with Booz Allen Hamilton.

Reda Mazen Rida Sabassi, 38, was charged with terrorism, sanctions evasion, wire fraud, money laundering and making… https://t.co/DL9yyD6eCL pic.twitter.com/5KIh4DFOQR

— Saint James Hartline (@JamesHartline) June 18, 2026

Law enforcement experts warn that this scheme fits a wider pattern of “sham charities” and online campaigns that claim to support relief but instead send money to jihadist groups or line scammers’ pockets.^[19] The Treasury Department has already sanctioned multiple overseas “aid” outfits that were really Hamas fundraising arms, and research shows terror groups often hide behind emotional appeals and trendy crowdfunding tools to reach Western donors.^[19] For conservatives who want secure borders, strong counterterror laws, and honest use of their hard-earned money, the lesson is simple: verify every “charity” before giving, especially when politics and war are involved.^[22]