‘San Diego’ Man Faces Terrorism, Fraud Charges Over Alleged Sham Gaza Charity
It turns out Reda Mazen Rida Sabassi is a “naturalized U.S. citizen” who created a fake “humanitarian” charity to send money to Hamas.
Federal prosecutors have charged a San Diego man with using a fake “humanitarian” charity and online fundraisers to send money to Hamas and to enrich himself. He is now facing terrorism‑related and fraud charges.
Federal authorities accused 38-year-old Reda Mazen Rida Sabassi of raising roughly $600,000 through online fundraising campaigns that he claimed would provide aid to civilians in Gaza, but which investigators say were actually intended to support Hamas.
Sabassi of San Diego was arrested Wednesday and appeared before a US magistrate judge in federal court, according to the United States Department of Justice.
He faces five counts, including conspiracy to provide material support to Hamas, sanctions evasion, wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements. The most serious charges each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if he is convicted.
“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,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.
San Diego sicko snared in alleged terrorism plot after raising huge sums of cash: 'Hates America' https://t.co/A4thJi03we pic.twitter.com/pnE9b4sVU3
— California Post (@californiapost) June 18, 2026
The reason I highlighted “San Diego” in the introduction was to point out that Sabassi isn’t a blonde-haired surfer dude who frequented the beaches of La Jolla. He is a “naturalized U.S. citizen,” and I suspect the American ideals of freedom of religion and other of our cultural attitudes related to respect for individuals aren’t likely part of his make-up.
We really need to raise the bar on who is allowed to become a naturalized citizen, if this is an example.
Sabassi allegedly operated a purported nonprofit called Ikram along with other online crowdfunding campaigns and social‑media accounts.
Court documents allege that between December 2023 and February 2024, Sabassi raised approximately $600,000. Of that amount, he allegedly sent approximately $116,000 to a Hamas member and attempted to convert approximately $382,000 into cryptocurrency in order to transfer the funds to Hamas through Gaza Now, a Hamas-linked fundraising organization.
Investigators also alleged that Sabassi publicly expressed support for Hamas on social media. Among other things, he allegedly created an hour-long propaganda video about the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre and posted it to at least two social media accounts that he controlled, including around the second anniversary of the massacre.
The complaint further alleges that in private conversations with one of his co-conspirators, the two joked about naming the fundraising campaign after the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, before ultimately deciding to use the name of Sabassi’s charity, Ikram.
San Diego sicko snared in alleged terrorism plot after raising huge sums of cash: ‘Hates America’ | Zain Khan, California Post
A California man who allegedly posed as a humanitarian while secretly funneling money to Hamas and pocketing donations has been arrested on a slate of… pic.twitter.com/GCQ0AuZgaP
— Owen Gregorian (@OwenGregorian) June 19, 2026
Sabassi faces serious consequences if convicted.
Sabassi is charged with (i) conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; (ii) conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; (iii) conspiring to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; (iv) conspiring to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and (v) false statements, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by a judge.
The October 7 massacre was not just another geopolitical flashpoint, but rather a brutal, deliberate act of terror that left innocent civilians murdered and families shattered. Allegations that individuals here in the U.S. may have exploited that atrocity to raise money under the guise of “humanitarian aid” should disturb anyone paying attention.
Sabassi is entitled to the presumption of innocence, and the facts will ultimately be tested before a judge. But if convicted, accountability should be clear and commensurate with the gravity of the charges. After the horrors of October 7, justice should not only be pursued but fully served.
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Comments
Denaturalize and execute as an unlawful combatant.
Only if evidence can be found that he was a Hamas member before his naturalization, and lied about it on his application papers, thus making his naturalization invalid. If his naturalization was valid then it can’t ever be revoked, no matter what crimes he committed.
What are the chances that he was ASSIGNED to become a naturalized citizen for the purpose of doing anti-american things like this fraud? How many others like him are there and what have they been getting up to?
It’s possible, but nothing in the story indicates that there’s any evidence for it, and solid evidence is necessary in order to prove that his naturalization was invalid.
Biden/Harris Open Borders Fall-out! An invasion by our Islamic enemies.
None of this should come as a surprise. Every arab claiming to be a
“palestinian” an indigenous resident of the Jewish land of Israel is a fake and a phony.
I knew of people I was friends w/ who were sending money to “plaestinian” children’s charities via instagram and tic toc , and the horrific videos they were seeing of children being “murdered” by Israel. I told them again and again that the videos are probably fakes and if not the charities most certainly are, but here we are. Everybody knows better because the internet and social media are so reliable. There are many people like this guy doing the exact same thing in this country, we just haven’t caught them yet.
yeah california. good luck on a conviction.
We gonna have to consider more regulation/monitoring of ‘charities’. Any ‘charity’ sending $ overseas should be subjected to even higher scrutiny to weed out scams/fraud and protect gullible/naive US Citizens from having their basic decency weaponized to take advantage of their good nature/generosity.
I was feeling quiet approval of a guy who was stealing money from the brain-dead people who support “victims of Palestine genocide”, (the Robin Hood of the ME; steal from the stupid to enrich oneself) only to find out he was wanting to send that money to Hamas.
Let’s face it_ the pro-Palestine crowd would approve of supporting Hamas as well, so it hardly qualifies as stealing and they should drop the fraud charges.