By Tiffany Williams –
On Thursday, Mateo Ventura, 18, of Wakefield, Massachusetts, was arrested for knowingly concealing the source of material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.
Ventura made an initial appearance before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy at the United States District Court in Worcester, Massachusetts.
The U.S. Attorney’s office for Massachusetts in a statement said ” Ventura provided multiple gift cards to an individual he believed was an ISIS supporter, with the intention that the gift cards be sold on the dark web for a little less than face value and resulting profits be used to support ISIS. Ventura allegedly stated that he wanted the proceeds to go to ISIS “for war on kuffar,” (disbelievers). In total, it is alleged that between January and May 2023, Ventura donated $705 intended to support ISIS.”
The charge of knowingly concealing the source of material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.