• Advertise
  • Submit a Press Release
NewsBTC
Bitcoin & cryptocurrency news today, price & technical analysis
Price & Market
Cap Data from
Nomics Logo
  • News
    • Bitcoin
    • Ethereum
    • Ripple
    • Cardano
    • Tezos
    • EOS
    • Chainlink
    • Sponsored
    • Press Releases
  • Analysis
    • Bitcoin (BTC)
    • Ethereum (ETH)
    • Cardano (ADA)
    • Chainlink (LINK)
    • Litecoin (LTC)
    • Tezos (XTZ)
    • Zcash (ZEC)
    • EOS
    • YearnFinance (YFI)
  • Education
    • Accepting Bitcoin payments
    • Using Bitcoin
    • What is Bitcoin Mining
    • How to Trade Bitcoin
    • How to Buy Bitcoin
    • Digital Currency Exchange
    • Proof of Existence
    • Is Bitcoin legal?
    • Bitcoin Books
  • Trading Course
  • Directory
    • Crypto Businesses
    • Bitcoin Brokers
    • Casinos
    • Sportsbooks
  • TradeeToro
  • Gamble +Try
  • Play GamesTry
  • BUY BITCOINTry
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Bitcoin
    • Ethereum
    • Ripple
    • Cardano
    • Tezos
    • EOS
    • Chainlink
    • Sponsored
    • Press Releases
  • Analysis
    • Bitcoin (BTC)
    • Ethereum (ETH)
    • Cardano (ADA)
    • Chainlink (LINK)
    • Litecoin (LTC)
    • Tezos (XTZ)
    • Zcash (ZEC)
    • EOS
    • YearnFinance (YFI)
  • Education
    • Accepting Bitcoin payments
    • Using Bitcoin
    • What is Bitcoin Mining
    • How to Trade Bitcoin
    • How to Buy Bitcoin
    • Digital Currency Exchange
    • Proof of Existence
    • Is Bitcoin legal?
    • Bitcoin Books
  • Trading Course
  • Directory
    • Crypto Businesses
    • Bitcoin Brokers
    • Casinos
    • Sportsbooks
  • TradeeToro
  • Gamble +Try
  • Play GamesTry
  • BUY BITCOINTry
No Result
View All Result
NewsBTC
No Result
View All Result
Price & Market
Cap Data from
Nomics Logo
Home Cryptocurrency news Bitcoin

Contrary to Reports, New York Woman Used Banks to Fund ISIS, Not Bitcoin

Tony Spilotro by Tony Spilotro
2 years ago
in Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency news
Reading Time: 3min read
Bitcoin
Advertisement
Listen to Article

A Pakistani-American woman is facing up to 20 years in prison after she admitted to funding a terrorist organization and for committing credit card fraud to buy cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. But contrary to reports from around the web, it wasn’t Bitcoin that was used to fund the deadly criminal operations.

27-Year-Old New York Woman Funds ISIS, Commits Credit Fraud

Zoobia Shahnaz, a 27-year old New York hospital technician, has admitted to a Federal Court Judge that she took out a fraudulent $22,500 loan and a number of fraudulent credit cards in order to raise a grand total of $62,000. The raised funds were used to buy Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. 

In addition to fraud charges, Shahnaz is also accused of wiring $150,000 to fund ISIS operations across the globe.

5 BTC + 300 Free Spins for new players & 15 BTC + 35.000 Free Spins every month, only at mBitcasino. Play Now!

Shahnaz admitted to the charges as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. Oftentimes a defendant can bargain with prosecutors for a less stringent sentence if charges are admitted to, or information is provided that further’s an investigation or better supports the charges of the case.

Related Reading: Indonesian Investigator Claims Bitcoin is Funding ISIS Operations

Even with the plea deal, the judge presiding over Central Islip federal court in New York, Judge Joanna Seybert, could sentence Shahnaz to up to 20 years in a federal prison.

Shahnaz – a U.S. citizen – was apprehended by authorities from the Joint Terrorism Task Force back in July 2017, as she was preparing to board a flight to Pakistan, on her way to Syria. The investigation also revealed that the defendant was visiting “various violent jihad-related websites and message boards, and social media and messaging pages of known IS recruiters, facilitators and financiers.”

Major Media Demonizing Bitcoin, When Banks Were to Blame

Major media outlets everywhere were quick to point out that Bitcoin was used to fund ISIS’ regime of terror, however, it was a traditional bank wire that was used as the vehicle to send the funds across the globe. Bitcoin has recently dropped to one-year lows, and is back in the headlines, but this time it’s only getting negative press, with many questioning the long-term validity of the emerging technology.

Related Reading: Blaming Bitcoin for Aiding Terrorism, Money Laundering

Pundits are quick to demonize Bitcoin for everything: from being a Ponzi scheme, to a tool for money laundering, and now, for funding terrorist operations. Here the mere mention of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency in court documents was enough for sensationalists to latch onto, completely neglecting the fact that a very basic bank wire was at the center of it all.

Crypto Not Typically an Effective Tool for Funding Terror

In this example, despite Shahnaz having access to cryptocurrencies, she ultimately chose to wire the funds to ISIS. This may be due to the fact that terrorist organizations are often located in desolate locations often hidden away from society, which makes using crypto to raise funds for their operations difficult and ineffective.

In September, during a Congressional House Financial Services Committee hearing, Fanusie revealed his findings that terrorist organizations such as ISIS have repeatedly failed to fund their criminal operation using cryptocurrencies.

Without easy access to internet or electricity infrastructure, sending and receiving cryptocurrencies creates an insurmountable challenge that has deterred terrorists from using the emerging technology to fund their criminal activities.

Even though terrorists organizations like Al Qaeda and ISIS have struggled thus far, Fanusie warned Congress that that could change in the future, and that the United States should prepare itself “for terrorists’ increasing usage of cryptocurrencies,” so the U.S. “can limit the ability to turn digital currency markets into a sanctuary for illicit finance.”

Featured image from Shutterstock.
Tags: bitcoinisisterrorismterrorists
TweetShare7
Nexo Logo
BitStarz Player Lands $2,459,124 Record Win! Could you be next big winner? Win up to $1,000,000 in One Spin at CryptoSlots
Tony Spilotro

Tony Spilotro

I'm Tony Spilotro. Behind the pseudonym, I'm a digital media executive and global remote work leader with a decade of content experience and excellent. Here, I explore my newfound passions pertaining to privacy, finance, economics, politics, cryptography, property rights, and other libertarian-esque views. I am a Bitcoin evangelist, maximalist, and educator whenever I can be, helping to spread its message of freedom from government control, monetary policy mismanagement, and passing the buck - literally – to future generations. My journey from a curious retail crypto investor to a serious Bitcoin advocate, trader, and technical analyst is an unusual one, but life-changing nonetheless and has become less about money and more about a long-overdue revolution. While a firm believer in the laws governing math and science, I am profoundly fascinated by the impact of astrology and astronomy including moon and solar cycles and planetary alignment and their ability to influence and potentially predict markets. It hasn't yet clicked for me as to how to put anything to use, but I consider it my current rabbit hole I can't yet dig out of. My perspective of growing up alongside the internet, the dot com era, the Great Recession, and roots in video games collecting coins and rare items caused Bitcoin to immediately make sense to me. Through all of these lenses, I seek to produce content that is educational and entertaining, and I thank you sincerely for taking the time to read what I have to say. Please follow me on Twitter and feel free to drop me a line if you would like to work together.

Related Posts

The DeFi Powerhouse That Keeps on Growing

The DeFi Powerhouse That Keeps on Growing

19 hours ago
Finlaw Associates to Submit Draft Cryptocurrency Regulation to Indian Govt as Community Demands for Clarity, Mr. Mishra Explains

Finlaw Associates to Submit Draft Cryptocurrency Regulation to Indian Govt as Community Demands for Clarity, Mr. Mishra Explains

3 days ago
Bitcoin, cryptocurrency, BTCUSD, BTCUSDT

Bitcoin En Route to $30,000 After Price Falls ~12% in a Day; Here’s Why

4 days ago
Highly Anticipated Ethereum Fee Model Upgrade is Expected in 2021

Highly Anticipated Ethereum Fee Model Upgrade is Expected in 2021

4 days ago
btcu

The Brilliant Minds Behind the BTC Ultimatum Project, and Their New CEO, Eric Ma

5 days ago
Can Blockchain Help Enterprises Navigate GDPR Headaches?

Can Blockchain Help Enterprises Navigate GDPR Headaches?

5 days ago

Premium Partners

Top Brokers

eToro

eToro

Review · Visit
Changelly

Changelly

Review · Visit
Evolve Markets

Evolve Markets

Review · Visit
ArbiSmart

ArbiSmart

Review · Visit
PrimeXBT

PrimeXBT

Review · Visit
Moneta Markets

Moneta Markets

Review · Visit

Top Casinos

BitStarz

BitStarz

Review · Visit
CryptoSlots

CryptoSlots

Review · Visit
mBit

mBit

Review · Visit
CryptoGames

CryptoGames

Review · Visit
Bonusfinder DE

Bonusfinder DE

Review · Visit
Bspin

Bspin

Review · Visit
Wolf Bet

Wolf Bet

Review · Visit

Top Sportsbooks

1xBit

1xBit

Review · Visit

Press Releases

Cryptowisser Releases Report on Exchanges With Lowest Fees

January 22, 2021

LABS Group Announced Strategic Partnership with Centifuge to Provide DeFi Collateralized Property Backed Lending

January 22, 2021

Jump-starting Crypto Adoption: Aurix IEO Scheduled for January 21st on ExMarkets!

January 22, 2021

Newsletter Signup


ABOUT US

NewsBTC is a cryptocurrency news service that covers bitcoin news today, technical analysis & forecasts for bitcoin price and other altcoins. Here at NewsBTC, we are dedicated to enlightening everyone about bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

We cover BTC news related to bitcoin exchanges, bitcoin mining and price forecasts for various cryptocurrencies.

COMPANY

  • Advertising
  • Comments Policy
  • Privacy Center
  • Sitemap
  • About Us
  • Contact

Technical Analysis

  • Bitcoin (BTC)
  • Ethereum (ETH)
  • Ripple (XRP)
  • Chainlink (LINK)
  • Cardano (ADA)
  • Tezos (XTZ)

LINKS

Auto Trading Software ▸

Cryptocurrency news

  • Bitcoin
  • Ethereum
  • Ripple
  • Chainlink
  • Cardano
  • EOS
  • Tezos

© 2020 NewsBTC. All Rights Reserved.

  • News
    • Bitcoin
    • Ethereum
    • Ripple
    • Cardano
    • Tezos
    • EOS
    • Chainlink
    • Sponsored
    • Press Releases
  • Analysis
    • Bitcoin (BTC)
    • Ethereum (ETH)
    • Cardano (ADA)
    • Chainlink (LINK)
    • Litecoin (LTC)
    • Tezos (XTZ)
    • Zcash (ZEC)
    • EOS
    • YearnFinance (YFI)
  • Education
    • Accepting Bitcoin payments
    • Using Bitcoin
    • What is Bitcoin Mining
    • How to Trade Bitcoin
    • How to Buy Bitcoin
    • Digital Currency Exchange
    • Proof of Existence
    • Is Bitcoin legal?
    • Bitcoin Books
  • Trading Course
  • Directory
    • Crypto Businesses
    • Bitcoin Brokers
    • Casinos
    • Sportsbooks
  • Trade
  • Gamble +
  • Play Games
  • BUY BITCOIN

© 2020 NewsBTC. All Rights Reserved.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy Center or Cookie Policy.