FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. ( DC News Now ) — A Springfield man is facing several years in prison after he was convicted of raising money for the Islamic State of Iraq and sending it to members of the Islamic State group, according to the United States Attorney’s Office .
According to court records and evidence presented at the trial, 35-year-old Mohammed Azharuddin Chhipa collected thousands of dollars and sent it to Islamic State group members in Syria from October 2019 through October 2022.
Records revealed that the money was used to benefit the terrorist organization by financing the escape of its members from prison camps and supporting the organization’s fighters.
Officials said Chhipa raised the money through various social media accounts. He would then receive electronic money transfers and travel to collect the money by hand.
Court documents stated that Chhipa would then convert the money to cryptocurrency and send it to Turkey, where it was smuggled to Islamic State group members in Syria.