Helping ISIS with Bitcoin! Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison

The U.S. federal court sentenced a U.S. citizen to 13 years in prison for financial support to ISIS using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

After the Ministry of Justice’s announcement on March 13, Zoobia Shahnaz from Long Island received a 13-year prison sentence for funding ISIS with cryptocurrency payments of over $ 150,000. Shahnaz also tried to move to Syria to become a member of ISIS.

Fraudulent Loans for Financing

Shahnaz was allegedly defrauded large banks, including American Express, Chase and Discover, according to the original indictment in December 2017. United States, Shahnaz Pakistan, he bought crypto money out of China and Turkey also argued that by providing loans and credit card fraud. Shahnaz was caught on his way to Syria at JFK Airport in New York in July 2017, then was arrested during the year.

The Claim That It Was Dealing With Bitcoin

Shahnaz was convicted in November 2018. Shahnaz’s lawyer stated that he was doing charity. The following statements were used in defense: “Unlike 79 Americans who have been traveling to Syria and / or Iraq since 2011 and connected to the jihadist groups operating in these countries, none of them were motivated by the things that dragged Zoobia Shahnaz. That is, the desire to heal patients and protect the injured.”

The strategy of the defense may have worked, given that accusations against him could lead to 110 years behind bars instead of 13 years.