Senior ISIS commanders living in the Middle East used eBay to send money to operatives in the United States, the Wall Street Journal revealed.
According to report, an unsealed FBI affidavit detailed how Mohamed Elshinawy, from Maryland, would fictitiously sell computer printers to his handlers in Syria. The phony purchases his handlers made enabled them to send money into his PayPal account, funds which Elshinawy used for purchasing a laptop and a cell phone.
Elshinawy, who was convicted in 2016 for terrorist activities, denies that he used the money for terrorism, claiming that while he accepted the money, he never planned on carrying out attacks.
The case demonstrates how ISIS has been avoiding the banks while funneling large sums of money around the globe. The Islamic State has taken great pains to avoid using banks, which can be easily tracked by authorities.
eBay said that they had "zero tolerance for criminal activity,” and that they “worked with law enforcement to bring this individual to justice.”