A man in the US has been sentenced to more than 30 years in prison after a court found him guilty of converting $185,000 to cryptocurrency and transferring it to ISIS.
According to the US Justice Department, Mohammed Chhipa, who lived in Virginia, would raise funds online through social media accounts and collect it by hand, before converting the funds into cryptocurrency and sending it to Turkey, where it was smuggled to ISIS in Syria by female intermediaries.
The case, stretching back to 2023, has been full of twists and turns, including Chhipa writing letters to the judge to ask that his lawyer be replaced. He also wrote emails to the court to insist he be allowed to communicate with a woman he claims to be his wife. Allison Ekren is a US citizen who grew up in Kansas, converted to Islam and joined ISIS in Syria.
Court documents show that Chhipa, 35, was born in India in 1989, but became a naturalised US citizen.
He was convicted by a federal jury in December of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organisation and four counts of providing and attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organisation.
“This defendant directly financed ISIS in its efforts to commit vile terrorist atrocities against innocent citizens in America and abroad,” said US Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This severe sentence illustrates that if you fund terrorism, we will prosecute you and put you behind bars for decades.”
FBI director Kash Patel echoed those sentiments. “With this sentencing, this defendant will pay the price for helping finance ISIS, a brutal terrorist organisation,” he said.
Although the court case concerning Chhipa has been litigated for several years, it is the latest on a federal level to involve cryptocurrency assets being sent to ISIS, Hamas and other organisations it deems to be involved in terrorism.
In March, an investigation originating from the FBI's field office in New Mexico led to the confiscation of $201,400 in crypto funds that was intended to finance Hamas.
The assets were traced from fundraising addresses controlled by Hamas “that were used to launder more than $1.5 million in virtual currency” since October last year, the Justice Department said.
“These seizures show that this office will search high and low for every cent of money going to fund Hamas,” said US attorney Edward Martin. “Wherever it is found, and in whatever form of currency."
That investigation, and the recent sentencing involving Chhipa, come as the US continues to define its vision for an unrestrained cryptocurrency sector.
Crypto proponents were some of the most prolific contributors to President Donald Trump's campaign last year as they sought less regulation compared with former president Joe Biden's approach.
Shortly after Mr Trump entered office in January, US officials dropped various lawsuits and investigations into crypto companies.
In early March, Mr Trump signed an executive order establishing a federal strategic Bitcoin reserve, and later hosted the first White House Crypto Summit.
It is a complete about-face from 2021, when Mr Trump said in a Fox Business interview that Bitcoin, one of the flagship crypto brands, was a “disaster waiting to happen” and claimed that it hurt the dollar.
Despite increasing enthusiasm and use over the past decade, criticism and scepticism still abounds on crypto, which, unlike fiat currencies, lacks an overall regulatory apparatus and is mostly decentralised, making it appealing to groups with nefarious intentions.
Last year, while giving a speech about artificial intelligence and power grids, former energy secretary Stephen Chu, who served in the administration of Barack Obama, briefly touched on his concerns about the criminal abuse of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.
“Roughly speaking half the electricity of data centres is used to mine Bitcoin type currencies,” he said. “What is it used for? Money laundering and evading taxes … so half of the electricity doing that is not a good thing, personally it should be outlawed, but because it’s making people a lot of money, there’s a lot of forcing not wanting to outlaw it."
At the start of 2025, Russia announced that it would be banning crypto mining in several locations throughout the country in an effort to preserve energy resources.
Cryptocurrency mining is generally defined as the process by which digital assets are obtained, most famously initiated by Bitcoin. They are secured through a blockchain network.
TALE OF THE TAPE
Manny Pacquiao
Record: 59-6-2 (38 KOs)
Age: 38
Weight: 146lbs
Height: 166cm
Reach: 170cm
Jeff Horn
Record: 16-0-1 (11 KOs)
Age: 29
Weight: 146.2lbs
Height: 175cm
Reach: 173cm
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
The biog
Fatima Al Darmaki is an Emirati widow with three children
She has received 46 certificates of appreciation and excellence throughout her career
She won the 'ideal mother' category at the Minister of Interior Awards for Excellence
Her favourite food is Harees, a slow-cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled wheat berries mixed with chicken
Brief scores
Day 1
Toss England, chose to bat
England, 1st innings 357-5 (87 overs): Root 184 not out, Moeen 61 not out, Stokes 56; Philander 3-46
Pakistan World Cup squad
Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez(subject to fitness), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain
Two additions for England ODIs: Mohammad Amir and Asif Ali
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Mountain%20Boy
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zainab%20Shaheen%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Naser%20Al%20Messabi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Omar%20Hilal%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Muhammad%20Farrag%2C%20Bayoumi%20Fouad%2C%20Nelly%20Karim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
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The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
