A federal criminal complaint unsealed on Tuesday details charges against an upstate New York woman accused of attempting to provide financial infrastructure to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Law enforcement authorities took the 37-year-old into custody for allegedly sending cryptocurrency to the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, said a statement from the Justice Department.
If convicted on the federal charge of attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, the woman faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison along with a $250,000 fine.
Federal investigators identified the woman as an influential figure within the Direct Action Movement for Palestinian Liberation (DAMPL). Court records indicate that this radical network emerged following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel.
Law enforcement documentation asserts that DAMPL deliberately opposes peaceful demonstrations, choosing instead to engage in aggressive "direct action" involving property damage and targeted sabotage directed at entities they connect to Israel.
The Department of Justice emphasized the severity of the allegations, highlighting that the defendant actively endorsed violence while routing digital currency to an active combatant.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said that the woman allegedly “repeatedly voiced support for violence against Israeli civilians and attempted to provide material support to the Palestine Islamic Jihad by sending cryptocurrency to an individual who claimed to participate in its attacks. Those who aid foreign terrorist groups will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
According to prosecutors, the illicit activity was heavily driven by extreme ideological bias, culminating in an international financing pipeline that operated across encrypted networks.
US Attorney Michael DiGiacomo for the Western District of New York explained that the investigation successfully intercepted the financial line before it could cause further regional destabilization.
Federal bureaus reiterated their focus on neutralizing the financial channels that sustain terrorist cells operating overseas.
“This individual, as alleged in the criminal complaint, provided money to a foreign terrorist organization engaged in acts of violence," said Acting Assistant Director Coult Markovsky of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “The FBI is committed to cutting off funding to terrorist groups and will continue to work side-by-side with our Justice Department partners to make sure anyone who engages in terrorism or provides assistance to such organizations is held fully accountable in our justice system."
The Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) laid the foundation for the arrest by executing a series of search warrants in February and March 2026. Data recovery specialists retrieved an extensive history of digital correspondence between the suspect and a self-identified Islamic Jihad terrorist situated within the Gaza Strip. The fighter claimed to have personally participated in operations targeting Israeli personnel.
The retrieved data files revealed that the suspect wrote, “[i]f I lived in Gaza, I would fight alongside the resistance," while commending the combatant's actions. She further remarked, “I wish every day were October 7th." Within the same exchange, she claimed that this contact was not her first encounter with a frontline terrorist, explicitly noted that she hated Jews “very much," and voiced a desire that Israel “would disappear."
Subsequent data logs revealed ongoing conversations regarding tactical strikes, weaponry, and ammunition acquisition. In another communication log, the suspect asserted, “I feel excited every time I see news of the killing of an occupation soldier."
A meticulous forensic audit of the defendant's electronic ledger profiles established that she was systematically liquidating assets into cryptocurrency to support the terrorists operations. The financial trail consisted of roughly 80 independent digital currency transmissions sent to a digital wallet under his control. The total sum reached 30,116 USDC, which holds an exact equivalent value of $30,116.
The investigation indicated that the suspect was conscious of the severe criminal exposure generated by her activities. In an outbound message recorded in November 2025, she stated, “[b]ased on my passed [sic] fundraising and posting Im [sic] gonna get put away for a few life times," appending a laughing emoji to the text.
Following her initial appearance before US Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen, the woman remains held in federal custody.