Hamas Funding Scheme Uncovered
Federal Prosecutors Charge San Diego Man for Diverting $600,000 Charity Funds to Hamas
Key Points
Prosecutors allege Sabassi worked with “the Hamas fundraising organization Gaza Now” and other co-conspirators to operate the campaigns, which he allegedly ran claiming humanitarian relief in Gaza “since at least 2022.”
The complaint describes Sabassi posting Hamas-related propaganda online, including “an hour-long video” about the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks shared on at least two social media accounts, and later reposted on the attacks’ two-year anniversary.
Court documents cited in the reporting say private messages showed Sabassi and a co-conspirator joking about naming the fundraiser after Hamas’s “al-Qassam Brigades” before settling on the “Ikram” foundation name.
The five-count complaint includes multiple “conspiring” charges, with prosecutors stating four counts carry maximum penalties of 20 years in prison, while the making-false-statements count carries a maximum penalty of five years.
DOJ officials framed the case as an effort to stop financing terrorism through deceptive schemes; for example, Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg said, “As alleged in the complaint, the defendant exploited the barbaric acts of terror perpetrated on October 7, 2023, to attract donors to his fraudulent ‘humanitarian’ causes,” and U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton described the arrest as part of a “whole-of-government commitment” to prosecute financial support for Hamas.
Federal prosecutors charged a San Diego man with funneling roughly $600,000 to Hamas through fake charities, according to Department of Justice. Reda Mazen Rida Sabassi, 38, was arrested June 16 and appeared before a magistrate judge the following day after a five-count criminal complaint was unsealed in federal court.
Prosecutors say Sabassi raised the money between December 2023 and February 2024 by posing as a humanitarian aid worker helping Gaza. He allegedly sent $116,000 directly to a Hamas-linked individual in Turkey and converted another $382,000 into cryptocurrency for transfer to the group, JNS reported.
Fake Charities Hid Hamas Cash Pipeline
Sabassi founded Ikram — The Arab Charity Foundation Inc. in Sacramento in 2022, listing himself as CEO, CFO, and Secretary. He also worked with Gaza Now, a Hamas-linked organization later sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in March 2024. Court documents show Ikram reported $638,627 in revenue for 2024, according to San Diego Union-Tribune.
Private messages in the complaint reveal Sabassi and a co-conspirator joked about naming the fundraiser after Hamas's al-Qassam Brigades — the group's military wing — before settling on the gentler "Ikram" name. Some of the money was not sent to Gaza at all. Prosecutors say Sabassi used portions for his own rent and credit card payments, JNS reported.
Oct. 7 Attacks Used to Recruit Donors
Prosecutors say Sabassi used Hamas propaganda to drive donations. He posted an hour-long video about the October 7, 2023, attacks across at least two social media accounts. He then reposted the same video on the attacks' two-year anniversary in October 2025, according to Department of Justice.
Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg said Sabassi "exploited the barbaric acts of terror perpetrated on October 7, 2023, to attract donors to his fraudulent 'humanitarian' causes." U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton called the arrest part of a "whole-of-government commitment" to prosecute financial support for Hamas.
Five Counts, Up to 85 Years in Prison
The complaint includes conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist organization, sanctions evasion, wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements. Four of the five counts carry a maximum of 20 years each. The false statements count carries up to five years. Combined, Sabassi faces up to 85 years in federal prison, according to San Diego Union-Tribune.
FBI Assistant Director Donald Holstead said Sabassi was "not only funding the terrorist organization Hamas but also lining his own pockets." The case was filed in the Southern District of New York and Sabassi made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Steve B. Chu in San Diego.
Case Signals Tougher Crackdown on Crypto and Crowdfunding
Legal experts compare this case to the Holy Land Foundation trial of the 2000s, the largest terror-funding prosecution in U.S. history. But the Sabassi case is different. It relied heavily on small crowdfunding donations and cryptocurrency — tools that move faster than traditional bank oversight, according to JNS.
The DOJ says this case is part of a broader push to shut down charity-based terror financing. Civil liberties observers have raised concerns that sweeping prosecutions could also catch legitimate aid groups operating in conflict zones. The tension between security enforcement and humanitarian access is likely to grow as more cases like this emerge.
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