Global Courant
Ventura donated at least $705, intended to support ISIS through a gift card program.
An 18-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly attempting to raise money for ISIS through a gift card system on the dark web.
Mateo Ventura, of Wakefield, Massachusetts, was arrested for “knowingly concealing the source of material support or resources he intended to go to a foreign terrorist organization, namely the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS ),” said a statement from the US Attorney’s Office of Massachusetts, released on Thursday.
Ventura allegedly provided multiple gift cards to a person he believed to be an ISIS supporter, with the intention of those gift cards then being sold on the dark web for slightly less than their face value. The proceeds and resulting profits from those sales would then be used to support ISIS, authorities said.
“Ventura allegedly stated that he wanted the proceeds to go to ISIS “for war against kuffar,” (infidels),” the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office said in their statement announcing the charges against Ventura. “In total, Ventura is alleged to have donated $705 between January and May 2023 to support ISIS.”
Paul Ventura, father of 18-year-old Mateo Ventura, both of Wakefield, Mass., shows a photo on his cell phone showing what he describes as a photo of himself and his son Mateo, right, talking with reporters outside the federal government speaks in court, Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Worcester, Mass. Mateo Ventura appeared in federal court Thursday on charges of knowingly concealing the source of material support or resources for a foreign terrorist organization, the US Boston law firm said in a statement.
Steven Senne/AP
If convicted, the punishment for knowingly concealing the source of material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization could carry up to 10 years in prison, up to life on supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, authorities said.
Ventura appeared in federal court Thursday before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy. It is unclear when Ventura will appear in court.
Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes governing the determination of a sentence in a criminal case, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Massachusetts. “The accused shall be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by a court of law.”
The investigation is ongoing.
