A man from the US state of Virginia has been sentenced to over 30 years in prison for his role in financing the terrorist organization known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) with cryptocurrency. On May 7, Federal Judge David Novak sentenced Mohammed Azharuddin Chhipa to 30 years and four months behind bars for coordinating the transfer of more than $185,000 to ISIS, as reported by the Department of Justice on May 8.
Chhipa, aged 35, reportedly collected and transferred funds to female ISIS members in Syria from October 2019 to October 2022. These funds were essential for enabling members to escape from prison camps and to support ongoing militant activities.
According to the Justice Department’s findings, Chhipa utilized social media platforms to raise funds for this United Nations-designated terrorist group. He received contributions both online and in person, traveling hundreds of miles to accept donations. After collecting the funds, he would convert them into cryptocurrency and send them to Turkey, from where they were smuggled across the border into Syria for distribution among ISIS affiliates.
In December, a federal jury convicted Chhipa on various charges, including conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist organization. He faced additional charges for providing and attempting to provide support to ISIS.
Attorney General Pam Bondi stated, “This defendant directly financed ISIS in its efforts to commit vile terrorist atrocities against innocent citizens in America and abroad. This severe sentence illustrates that if you fund terrorism, we will prosecute you and put you behind bars for decades.”
Chhipa’s Attempt to Evade Capture
During the FBI’s investigation into his activities, Chhipa attempted to leave the United States to avoid prosecution, taking several measures to obscure his whereabouts. Records indicate that after FBI agents searched his residence on August 2, 2019, he withdrew $1,800 from an ATM and arranged for a stranger to drive him to a relative’s house bound for a grocery store.
Chhipa also purchased multiple bus tickets under various misspellings of his name and utilized recently created email accounts to evade detection. His journey took him from Virginia to Mexico and Guatemala, with plans to travel from there to Panama, Germany, and finally Egypt. However, an Interpol Blue Notice was issued, resulting in his return to the United States.
This case underscores the growing concern surrounding cryptocurrency’s use in financing terrorism and highlights law enforcement’s commitment to tackling such offenses.
