Two men have been convicted in federal court in Brooklyn for conspiring and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), as well as conspiring to launder money. Abdullah At Taqi was found guilty by a jury on all three counts of the indictment, while his co-defendant, Mohammad David Hashimi, pleaded guilty to all charges earlier this month before United States Magistrate Judge Taryn A. Merkl. Both men face up to 60 years in prison when sentenced.
According to prosecutors, the defendants sent thousands of dollars through cryptocurrency and wire transfers to an individual who claimed to be a member of ISIS. The case was announced by Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Todd Blanche, United States Deputy Attorney General; John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge at the FBI’s New York Field Office; and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department.
“The defendants used Bitcoin, PayPal and GoFundMe to fund ISIS’s deadly mission,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “ISIS relies on supporters, like the defendants, to sponsor its terrorist aims, which is why our Office and our law enforcement partners are working tirelessly to disrupt that pipeline and prosecute those who provide material support to terrorist organizations and their evildoers.”
Nocella also thanked the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force for their work on the case.
“An exceptional team uncovered the defendants’ use of electronic currency to bankroll an abhorrent organization that harbors deep-seated animosity toward America,” stated Deputy Attorney General Blanche. “Their intent was to procure weapons for terrorism and now their actions will result in incarceration. Justice has been served.”
Assistant Attorney General Eisenberg commented: “Today, a federal jury convicted Abdullah At Taqi for conspiring to fund ISIS, a terrorist organization that has unleashed terror and unimaginable brutality across the globe. Taqi conspired to support the group and its atrocities by funneling cryptocurrency to ISIS fighters, hoping they would establish a stronghold in the Middle East from which the group could destabilize the entire region. This conviction reflects the Department’s commitment to holding accountable those who knowingly finance terrorism.”
FBI Assistant Director Raia added: “Abdullah At Taqi and Mohammed Hashimi knowingly donated thousands of dollars to an ISIS member through various cryptocurrency exchanges, wire transfers, and purported humanitarian fundraisers. The defendants’ actions potentially facilitated the purchase of explosives and ammunition by a designated terrorist organization. May today’s conviction emphasize the FBI’s stout determination to cease all funding of terrorists to ensure their malevolent ideologies are never brought to fruition.”
NYPD Commissioner Tisch said: “The NYPD will stop at nothing to protect New Yorkers from the dangers of ISIS and terrorists who seek to harm our country. These defendants used a variety of online platforms in an attempt to covertly send thousands of dollars to ISIS members to purchase weapons. Today’s conviction demonstrates the NYPD’s expertise and commitment to rooting out terrorism and the importance of our partnership with the U.S Attorney’s Office and the FBI to stop these dangerous individuals.”
Evidence presented at trial showed that At Taqi made 15 separate Bitcoin transactions over nearly a year directly to Osama Obeida (also known as Osama Abu Obayda), who identified himself as an ISIS member. In conversations with an online confidential source (CHS-1), At Taqi explained he used cryptocurrency so money could be sent “unnoticed” via a “brother,” referring specifically to Obeida as being affiliated with ISIS.
Obeida told CHS-1 he had known At Taqi for two years and regularly received funds from him. He provided CHS-1 with photographs showing an ISIS flag and weapons annotated with CHS-1’s screenname and date—purportedly demonstrating donations were used for purchasing weapons.
Other communications revealed Obeida instructing At Taqi on operational security measures such as deleting messages or changing IP addresses.
Hashimi participated in an encrypted group chat supporting ISIS where members discussed posting links under humanitarian pretenses but intended proceeds would go toward arming fighters instead. The group shared both Bitcoin addresses and PayPal campaign links controlled by Obeida; Hashimi cautioned others about law enforcement detection risks when sharing such information.
Collectively using Bitcoin, PayPal, and GoFundMe platforms, At Taqi, Hashimi, Seema Rahman (another co-defendant), along with Khalilullah Yousuf (a co-conspirator), transferred more than $24,000 in cryptocurrency alone—Yousuf contributing over $20,000—with additional funds sent via PayPal accounts associated with Obeida. Rahman also created multiple GoFundMe campaigns claiming charitable purposes but ultimately wired approximately $10,024 raised through Western Union connections linked back to Obeida.
Rahman pleaded guilty earlier this year on similar charges related to providing material support for terrorism; she awaits sentencing while Yousuf was prosecuted separately in Canada.
The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorneys Ellen H. Sise, Nina C. Gupta, Gilbert M. Rein from EDNY’s National Security and Cybercrime Section with assistance from DOJ Counterterrorism Section Trial Attorney Alicia Cook.
Defendants include:
– Mohammad David Hashimi (38) from Potomac Falls, Virginia
– Abdullah At Taqi (26) from Queens, New York
– Seema Rahman (28) from Edison, New Jersey
The case is filed under E.D.N.Y Docket No. 22-CR-553 (ENV).
