San Diego Resident Accused of Raising $600,000 for Hamas Under Guise of Charity

A 38-year-old man from San Diego faces federal terrorism charges after allegedly soliciting donations through fake humanitarian campaigns and sending proceeds to Hamas.

San Diego Resident Accused of Raising $600,000 for Hamas Under Guise of Charity

A 38-year-old man from Southern California was taken into custody and charged in federal court with using a fake charity to collect donations for Hamas while enriching himself.

Reda Mazen Rida Sabassi faces five counts, including providing material support to a terrorist group, evading sanctions, wire fraud, laundering money, and lying to authorities. He was arrested in San Diego and brought before a magistrate judge, as detailed by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Investigators say Sabassi leveraged the October 7, 2023 attacks to draw contributors to what he portrayed as relief efforts. Between late 2023 and early 2024, he reportedly gathered about $600,000 via internet campaigns. Prosecutors claim he passed roughly $116,000 to a member of Hamas and tried to turn approximately $382,000 into digital currency for transfer through an entity called Gaza Now.

Sabassi promoted his efforts through social media and crowdfunding sites under the banner of a nonprofit he called Ikram — The Arab Charity Foundation Inc. Court papers indicate he and an accomplice privately discussed naming drives after Hamas's armed wing before settling on the charity's label.

The complaint also states he produced and circulated a lengthy video glorifying the October 7 massacres across his online profiles. Hamas has been on the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations for nearly three decades.

If found guilty, Sabassi could receive up to two decades behind bars on each of the four most serious charges, and up to five years on the false statements count.

Source: DOJ Justice News