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Mohammed Azharuddin Chhipa, 35, of Springfield, was convicted by a federal jury for his role in a scheme to provide financial and logistical support to ISIS, officials announced Monday.
Prosecutors said Chhipa used social media to raise funds, collected money both electronically and in person, converted it to cryptocurrency, and sent it to Turkey, where it was smuggled to ISIS members in Syria.
Those funds were then used to aid ISIS fighters, facilitate prison escapes, and support attacks orchestrated by the terrorist group.
In total, more than $185,000 in cryptocurrency were sent out of the country by Chhipa.
Chhipa’s primary collaborator was a British-born ISIS member living in Syria, who helped orchestrate funding for ISIS operations, investigators noted.
From October 2019 through October 2022, Chhipa participated in this extensive scheme, sending funds that he knew would benefit ISIS operatives, court records showed.
The charges include conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization and four counts of providing and attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization
Chhipa faces up to 20 years in prison for each count and is set to be sentenced in May 2025.
The FBI led the investigation.
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