Crowdfunds Turned Hamas Pipeline?

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A California fundraiser is accused of turning “Gaza charity” appeals into a $600,000 cash pipeline for Hamas and his own pockets.

Story Snapshot

Federal prosecutors say a San Diego man raised about $600,000 through “humanitarian” Gaza fundraisers and secretly routed money to Hamas.
The Justice Department alleges he used a fake charity, social media, and crowdfunding sites to trick donors who thought they were helping civilians.
Prosecutors say about $116,000 reached a Hamas member and another $382,000 was prepped for crypto transfer through a Hamas-linked group.
The case highlights how fake charities exploit Americans’ generosity and why strict enforcement is vital to protect our security and the rule of law.

DOJ Alleges Fake Gaza Charity Became Pipeline To Hamas

Federal prosecutors say 38‑year‑old Reda Mazen Rida Sabassi, a naturalized citizen living in San Diego, ran online fundraisers that looked like charity but were really a terror finance scheme.^[3] The Department of Justice says he set up crowdfunding campaigns and a supposed nonprofit called Ikram – The Arab Charity Foundation to raise money he claimed would aid people in Gaza.^[3] Instead, prosecutors say the real plan was to move those dollars to Hamas and also cover his personal bills.^[3]

According to the criminal complaint, Sabassi’s campaigns surged after the brutal Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, when many Americans were searching for ways to help innocent civilians.^[8] Prosecutors say he exploited that moment, using emotional appeals and social media to pull in donations from across the United States and overseas.^[2] The Justice Department says he marketed his efforts as pure “humanitarian” aid while hiding links to Hamas fundraising networks behind the scenes.^[3]

How Prosecutors Say $600,000 Was Raised, Moved, And Diverted

Between December 2023 and February 2024, the complaint says Sabassi raised roughly $600,000 through online fundraising drives that claimed to send food, medicine, and relief into Gaza.^[7] Investigators say bank and payment records show that about $116,000 went to an identified Hamas member tied to the group’s operations.^[7] The government also alleges he tried to convert around $382,000 into cryptocurrency to route through Gaza Now, which the Treasury Department later labeled a Hamas fundraising organization.^[3]

In addition to alleged transfers to Hamas-linked channels, prosecutors say some of the money never left the United States.^[3] The Justice Department complaint says Sabassi used donor funds to pay his own rent and personal credit card bill in early 2024, treating money meant for “charity” as a private slush fund.^[3] Officials argue that this mix of terror support and straight-up fraud shows how fake aid campaigns can steal both from generous Americans and from real families in need.

Charges, Penalties, And Broader Crackdown On Sham Charities

The Justice Department has charged 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.^[7] Officials stress that these are charges, not a conviction, and that he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.^[2]

National security and Treasury officials say this case fits a wider pattern where “charities” and crowdsourcing pages pretend to deliver humanitarian relief while quietly feeding Hamas and other designated terror groups.^[19] In recent years, Treasury has sanctioned several sham aid organizations abroad that raised money “under the pretense of humanitarian work” but in fact funded Hamas’s military wing.^[19] Combined with this new case, the message is clear: using charity fronts to bankroll terrorism will draw heavy prison time, asset seizures, and public exposure.