Charity Scam Funnels Cash To Hamas

A California man is accused of turning “charity” for Gaza into a $600,000 cash pipeline for Hamas and even his own rent.

Story Snapshot

Federal prosecutors say San Diego resident Reda Mazen Rida Sabassi raised about $600,000 through fake Gaza “charity” appeals and routed funds to Hamas.
The Justice Department says Sabassi sent around $116,000 to a Hamas member and tried to push another $382,000 through a Hamas-linked outlet called Gaza Now.
Sabassi faces terrorism, sanctions‑evasion, wire fraud, money laundering, and false‑statement charges carrying up to decades in prison.
The case fits a wider pattern of sham charities using Americans’ compassion to bankroll terror and test U.S. law enforcement under the Trump administration.

DOJ Says Gaza “Charity” Became a Hamas Cash Machine

Federal prosecutors say 38‑year‑old San Diego resident Reda Mazen Rida Sabassi used the Israel–Hamas war to launch a fake charity hustle that preyed on Americans’ desire to help civilians in Gaza while secretly feeding a United States‑designated terror group. According to a Justice Department complaint, Sabassi ran online fundraisers and a supposed nonprofit, Ikram – The Arab Charity Foundation, claiming to deliver humanitarian aid, but instead directed money to Hamas and also covered his own living expenses.

Justice Department officials say that between December 2023 and February 2024, Sabassi raised about $600,000 through social media, crowdfunding sites, and donation platforms positioned as Gaza relief.^[3] Prosecutors allege roughly $116,000 went to a known Hamas member, while he attempted to convert about $382,000 into cryptocurrency to send through “Gaza Now,” which the Treasury Department later labeled a key Hamas fundraising channel.^[3] Court documents further say he even used some of the supposed charity money to pay his rent and personal credit card bills.^[3]

Terror, Fraud, and Sanctions Charges Test America’s Defenses

The Justice Department’s unsealed complaint hits Sabassi with five serious counts: conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, conspiring to violate economic sanctions law, conspiring to commit wire fraud, conspiring to commit money laundering, and making false statements to federal agents.^[7] Each of the first four charges carries a maximum of 20 years in prison, while the false‑statement charge carries up to five years, putting decades of potential prison time on the table if a jury convicts.^[7]

Prosecutors say Sabassi is a naturalized American citizen who has publicly praised Hamas online, then used that platform to pull in donations from around the world, including from generous Americans who believed they were helping families in Gaza.^[3] In private chats cited in the complaint, he and a co‑conspirator allegedly joked about naming a fundraiser after Hamas’s Al‑Qassam Brigades, before settling on the softer‑sounding Ikram charity label.^[10] The Justice Department stresses that these are still allegations and that Sabassi is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court, but it is treating the case as a major terrorism‑financing test.

Why This Case Matters for Patriots, Donors, and Trump’s America

This case highlights a pattern that many conservatives have warned about for years: foreign extremists and their allies hiding behind “humanitarian” language, Western guilt, and online activism to move money into the hands of terrorists. Past cases, like the Holy Land Foundation prosecution, showed how groups used charity fronts and local “zakat” committees to route millions toward Hamas while claiming to help civilians.^[16] More recent actions by the Treasury Department have exposed sham charities abroad that pretended to fund schools and clinics but instead bankrolled Hamas’s military wing.^[19]

The Palestinian genocidal Hamas terrorist fundraiser plot gets bigger by the hour. Hamas terrorist fundraiser Reda Sabassi was employed with Booz Allen Hamilton.

Reda Mazen Rida Sabassi, 38, was charged with terrorism, sanctions evasion, wire fraud, money laundering and making… https://t.co/DL9yyD6eCL pic.twitter.com/5KIh4DFOQR

— Saint James Hartline (@JamesHartline) June 18, 2026

For Trump‑era officials, this new complaint is both a warning and a call to keep pressure on terrorist networks that abuse American generosity and financial freedom. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has already warned the public that scammers would use the Israel–Hamas conflict to run fake humanitarian campaigns and steal donations.^[22] For everyday conservatives who give to help real victims of war and terror, this case is a reminder to vet charities, distrust vague online appeals, and demand that Washington keep the focus on crushing terrorism, enforcing sanctions, and protecting our dollars from being turned against our ally Israel and against our own national security.