Gaza Charity Scam Exposed — DOJ Pounces

A California man is accused of turning “charity” donations for Gaza into a $600,000 cash pipeline for Hamas and his own wallet.

Story Snapshot

Federal prosecutors say a San Diego man raised about $600,000 through fake Gaza “charity” campaigns and routed money to Hamas.
The Justice Department says he sent around $116,000 to a Hamas member and tried to push another $382,000 through a Hamas-linked crypto channel.
The case exposes how terror groups hide behind online “humanitarian” fundraisers that trick well-meaning Americans.
Under President Trump’s second term, federal agencies are under pressure to shut down sham charities and protect donors.

DOJ Says Fake Gaza ‘Charity’ Became $600K Hamas Pipeline

Federal prosecutors say 38-year-old Reda Mazen Rida Sabassi of San Diego ran online “charity” campaigns that claimed to help civilians in Gaza but instead raised at least about $600,000 that was diverted to Hamas and for his own personal expenses.^[3] The Justice Department says Sabassi used social media, crowdfunding pages, and a supposed nonprofit called Ikram – The Arab Charity Foundation Inc. to gather donations from people in the United States and around the world.^[2]

Court documents say that between December 2023 and February 2024, Sabassi’s campaigns brought in roughly $600,000 from donors who believed they were giving humanitarian aid.^[7] Prosecutors allege that he then sent about $116,000 to a person identified as a Hamas member and tried to convert about $382,000 into digital currency so it could be moved through “Gaza Now,” a group that the Treasury Department later labeled a key Hamas fundraising channel.^[3]

Charges, Terror Links, And How The Alleged Scheme Worked

The Justice Department unsealed a five-count criminal complaint charging Sabassi with conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, conspiring to violate federal economic sanctions, conspiring to commit wire fraud, conspiring to commit money laundering, and making false statements.^[3] Each of the four major counts carries a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison, while the false statement charge carries up to five years, meaning he could face decades behind bars if convicted.^[2]

Prosecutors say Sabassi was not a neutral aid worker but a long-time public supporter of Hamas who used his online presence to promote the group and attract donors.^[2] According to the complaint, he and co-conspirators privately joked about naming one fundraiser after Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades, then settled on using his “Ikram” charity brand instead.^[10] Officials say he worked with Gaza Now and other Hamas-linked figures to design and run the fundraisers, then route money to the terror group under the cover of charity.^[3]

Donor Trust, Charity Abuse, And Trump-Era Crackdown On Terror Funding

Investigators also allege Sabassi used some donor money for himself, including rent and personal credit card bills, showing how the scheme mixed terror finance with basic fraud against generous Americans.^[3] The Federal Bureau of Investigation has warned since the Israel–Hamas war that scammers would use fake humanitarian appeals to steal money, and this case appears to match that pattern almost point for point.^[22] Ordinary patriots who thought they were feeding families may have instead bankrolled terrorists and a scammer’s lifestyle.

This case lands in a wider effort to choke off Hamas money networks that hide behind charities and nonprofit groups in the West.^[19] The Treasury Department has recently sanctioned multiple “sham charities” for claiming to provide medical or humanitarian aid while secretly helping Hamas’s military wing, and has targeted Gaza-based organizations that it says were fronts for the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.^[19] These steps fit President Trump’s promise to stop foreign terror groups from abusing America’s financial system and our people’s generosity.