A 38-year-old San Diego man was arrested yesterday on federal charges accusing him of running a fake humanitarian charity to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars to Hamas. Reda Mazen Rida Sabassi faces a five-count federal complaint unsealed today, charging him with terrorism, sanctions-evasion, wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements. Following his arrest, Sabassi was presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Steve B. Chu in the Southern District of California.
According to court documents, Sabassi used social media accounts, crowdfunding platforms, and a purported charity named “Ikram — The Arab Charity Foundation Inc.” to solicit donations globally, including from individuals in New York.
While online fundraising campaigns claimed the money would provide humanitarian relief to residents in Gaza, prosecutors allege the funds were actually routed directly to Hamas. Investigators found that between December 2023 and February 2024, Sabassi raised approximately $600,000. Out of those funds, he allegedly sent $116,000 to a Hamas member and attempted to convert another $382,000 into cryptocurrency to transfer to the group…