Financial Crime World

Department of Justice Disrupts Cyber-Enabled Terror Finance Campaigns

Summary of Recent Cases

The Department of Justice has announced the disruption of several cyber-enabled terror finance campaigns by law enforcement agencies. The following cases highlight the efforts to combat terrorism financing and disrupt the funding of terrorist organizations.

Case 1: al-Qassam Brigades

  • The al-Qassam Brigades, a Hamas affiliate, posted calls on social media and their official websites for bitcoin donations to fund their terrorist activities.
  • Law enforcement tracked and seized 150 cryptocurrency accounts that laundered funds to and from the al-Qassam Brigades’ accounts.
  • Two Turkish individuals were charged with money laundering related to an unlicensed money transmitting business.

Case 2: al-Qaeda

  • Al-Qaeda and affiliated terrorist groups operated a bitcoin money laundering network using Telegram channels and social media platforms to solicit cryptocurrency donations for violent attacks.
  • Law enforcement uncovered the scheme and seized 155 virtual currency assets tied to the campaign.
  • An ISIS facilitator, Murat Cakar, sold fake personal protective equipment (PPE) on a website called FaceMaskCenter.com, claiming to sell FDA-approved N95 respirator masks.
  • The site was seized by law enforcement, and four related Facebook pages were also taken down.

These cases demonstrate the Department of Justice’s commitment to disrupting cyber-enabled terror finance campaigns and preventing the funding of terrorist organizations.