Virginia Man in Trouble for Crypto Aid to ISIS

A Virginia resident, Mohammed Azharuddin Chhipa, is in hot water with the law. The 35-year-old Indian-born American citizen has been convicted of helping the terrorist group ISIS. How? By sending them over $185, 000 in cryptocurrency. The trial, which ended on Friday, saw a jury find Chhipa guilty of five counts, including conspiring to support ISIS. Chhipa's journey started way back in October 2019 and lasted till October 2022. During this period, he allegedly worked with a British-born ISIS member in Syria. This person was involved in planning prison escapes and attacks, among other things.

The court heard that Chhipa used social media to raise funds. He also traveled around to collect money in person. Then, he converted this cash into cryptocurrency and sent it to Turkey. From there, it was smuggled to ISIS members in Syria. Syria, by the way, has seen a big change recently. After five decades, the Assad regime fell in a relatively bloodless revolution. Chhipa's sentence will be decided by a federal judge on May 5. He could face up to 20 years in prison for each count. That's a lot of time!

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