Crypto Trail Lands Virginia Man 30-Year Sentence for Funding ISIS
A Virginia man, Mohammed Azharuddin Chhipa, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for funneling over $185,000 in cryptocurrency to ISIS between 2019 and 2022. Chhipa was convicted on five felony counts, including conspiracy and attempts to provide material support to a terrorist organization. He raised funds through social media, encrypted communications, and in-person collections, converting them to crypto for transfer to Syria via Turkey. The funds primarily supported female ISIS members in detention camps and aimed at financing prison escapes and supporting fighters in Syria. Chhipa's co-conspirator, a British-born ISIS member in Syria, coordinated financial transfers for militant recruitment. The FBI led the investigation, which is part of a broader DOJ campaign targeting terrorism-linked cryptocurrency. In related efforts, the DOJ seized over $200,000 in crypto linked to Hamas in March.
