New York Woman Charged with Funding Islamic Jihad via Cryptocurrency Transfers

A 37-year-old woman from New York faces up to 20 years in prison after federal agents uncovered her cryptocurrency transfers totaling tens of thousands of dollars to the terrorist group Islamic Jihad. A federal indictment filed within the last 24 hours accuses her of providing financial infrastructure to the terror organization by sending crypto assets. If convicted of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, she could also face a fine of $250,000.

The woman was identified as an influential figure in the Palestine Liberation Organization and a member of an extremist network formed after October 7. John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, stated that she repeatedly expressed support for violence against Israeli civilians and sought to materially assist Islamic Jihad by sending cryptocurrency to an individual claiming to participate in terror attacks.

The U.S. Joint Terrorism Task Force laid the groundwork for her arrest through a series of search warrants executed in February and March. Data recovery experts extracted extensive digital correspondence between the suspect and a person alleged to be a senior Islamic Jihad operative in Gaza. Records revealed ongoing conversations about targets, weapons, and their procurement.

The case highlights ongoing U.S. efforts to disrupt financial support networks for foreign terrorist organizations and prosecute those who aid them.