Sacramento man sentenced for financing foreign terrorist organization
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A Russian citizen residing in Sacramento was sentenced to 12 years in prison after he sent thousands of dollars to a designated terrorist organization, according to federal officials.
Court documents claim that 37-year-old Murat Kurashev used money transfer services to send around $13,000 to two known couriers of a Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) fundraiser.
HTS is based in Syria and is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the Secretary of State, according to federal officials.
Officials said multiple transactions were sent to the couriers in Turkey in increments of $1,000, with surveillance footage of Kurashev at the businesses backing up the claim.
Social media and encrypted messages between the suspect and the fundraiser showed he knew of the fundraiser's "violent extremist ideology and participation and work on behalf of HTS."
"Kurashev’s attempts to provide that material support were not isolated. They took place over a substantial period of time and his intent with those financial transfers was clear," said U.S. Attorney Philip Talbert in a statement.
In those messages, Kurashec said he wished he "could join the fight in Syria as a mujahideen," regretting that he could only financially support them instead.
Federal officials said the Sacramento resident followed the fundraiser's online accounts; accounts that included soliciting for money to buy military equipment, boots, clothing, firearms, and a motorcycle, in one case.
His Apple iCloud account was filled with "violent extremist content," including a video showing HTS fighters, officials said.
