A jury convicted Mohammed Azharuddin Chhipa, 35, of Springfield, Virginia, last week for charges relating to his efforts to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a foreign terrorist organization.
From October 2019 to October 2022, Chhipa sent money to female ISIS members in Syria to support the group, including funding escapes from prison camps and aiding fighters.
He raised funds through social media, received money via electronic transfers or in person, converted it to cryptocurrency, and sent it to Turkey, where it was smuggled into Syria for ISIS.
Chhipa’s main accomplice was a British-born ISIS member in Syria who raised funds for prison escapes, terrorist attacks, and ISIS fighters.
During the conspiracy, Chhipa sent over $185,000 in cryptocurrency.
A jury convicted Chhipa of one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and four counts of providing or attempting to provide such support.
He faces up to 20 years in prison for each count. His sentencing is scheduled for May 5.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony T. Aminoff and Amanda St. Cyr for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorneys Andrew John Dixon and Andrea Broach of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.