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Mateo Ventura, 18, of Wakefield, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston this week on the charge of knowingly concealing the source of material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said.
Investigators said Ventura provided multiple gift cards worth $700 to someone he believed was an ISIS supporter. The gift cards would be sold on the dark web for less than their face value, with the proceeds going to fund ISIS's "war on kuffar (disbelievers)," the prosecutor said.
Ventura allegedly ran this scheme from January until May 2023, when FBI agents arrested him.
Ventura's father told CBS Boston that this was a misunderstanding and that his son was just trying to show the FBI how easy it is to connect with terrorists online.
The teen faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty.
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