Virginia Resident Found Guilty in Cryptocurrency Financing Scheme for ISIS

• A Virginia man was convicted for offering money to ISIS affiliates between 2019 and 2022.
• In this period, the individual distributed over $185,000 in cryptocurrency.
• The funds were used by a collaborator to orchestrate prison escapes, terrorist attack planning, and support for ISIS operatives.

A 35-year-old Virginia resident, Mohammed Azharuddin Chhipa, was convicted on December 13 for providing material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, as the FBI led the investigation into the case.

According to court documents and trial evidence, Chhipa, from Springfield, Virginia, raised and directed funds to ISIS affiliates between October 2019 and October 2022. He specifically aimed to finance prison escapes for female ISIS members held in detention camps and provided additional support to ISIS fighters.  

Chhipa solicited funds through various social media platforms, collected payments via electronic or in-person transfers, and converted the money into cryptocurrency. 

The individual facilitated the transfer of these funds to Turkey, where they were smuggled into Syria and directed to ISIS members. Over the three-year conspiracy, Chhipa distributed over $185,000 in cryptocurrency.  

His primary collaborator was a British-born ISIS member based in Syria, who used these funds to orchestrate prison escapes, terrorist attack planning, and support for ISIS operatives.  

Following a thorough investigation, the jury found Chhipa guilty on multiple charges, including one count of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization and four counts of providing and attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.  

Each count carries a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 5, 2025, where a federal district court judge will determine the sentence based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory considerations.  

This year, Eurojust and Europol coordinated a major operation aimed at disrupting terrorist communications and propaganda, taking down servers linked to the Islamic State in Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, and Iceland.