Man Claims He Was Scamming ISIS: Feds

EDGEWOOD, MD - The Edgewood man arrested by the FBI this week reportedly told investigators he accepted money from ISIS because he was attempting to defraud the terrorist organization.

Mohamed Elshinawy, 30, of the 300 block of McCann Street in Edgewood, is charged with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, obstructing the agency’s proceedings and making false statements, according to the Dec. 11 criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court.

Related: Edgewood Man Who Declared ‘Love of Jihad’ Arrested by FBI

Between March and June, Elshinawy received $8,700 from ISIS through channels including Paypal, Western Union and eBay, where he posed as a printer dealer to conceal the transfer of funds, according to the affidavit.

Elshinawy said the money was to carry out an attack on U.S. soil but claimed he saw it as an opportunity to steal money from thieves, and said the FBI should thank him, even going so far as to say the agency should offer him a job, the affidavit states.

‘His Soul Was...with the Jihadists’

Elshinawy said that through social media, he connected with a childhood friend who had been jailed for terrorism-related offenses in Egypt and fled to Syria, the report said. The friend was his link to an ISIS operative, the complaint alleged.

A search of Elshinawy’s computer and online interactions revealed that he asked his friend to relay that he had pledged allegiance to ISIS on Feb. 17. He “stated that his soul was over there with the jihadists and that every time he saw the news, he smiled,” the affidavit said.

He allegedly made several references to martyrdom and in response to the unrest in Baltimore in April, told his brother, who lives overseas, that it was “great” and “let them burn the police, all together they are infidels,” according to the affidavit.

In June, federal investigators became aware of a $1,000 transfer coming to the U.S. from Egypt, possibly intended for destructive purposes, the affidavit said.

When investigators interviewed Elshinawy in July, he told them the money was from his mother, but when showed the receipt, which did not have her name on it, he said that it was to buy an iPhone for a friend, officials reported.

Upon being informed that lying to federal investigators could result in imprisonment, he told a different story, and said it was from his ISIS connections, according to the affidavit.

“According to the allegations in the complaint, Mohamed Elshinawy received money he believed was provided by ISIL in order to conduct an attack on U.S. soil,” Assistant Attorney General John Carlin said in a statement.

“When confronted by the FBI, he lied in order to conceal his support for ISIL and the steps he took to provide material support to the deadly foreign terrorist organization,” Carlin said. “He will now be held accountable for these crimes. The National Security Division’s highest priority is counterterrorism, and we will continue to pursue and disrupt those who seek to provide material support to ISIL.”

Taking Steps to Conceal Communications

After being questioned by the FBI in July, Elshinawy allegedly took steps to conceal his communication with ISIS supporters, including purchasing pay-as-you-go phones; creating multiple email aliases to communicate with ISIS operatives, with some accounts accessed by people overseas; disassociating on Facebook with contacts who showed support for ISIS; telling his brother that he was being monitored; and employing a hot spot in addition to his home’s internet provider to try to make his online activity anonymous.

The FBI raided his Honda Accord and his Edgewood townhouse in October and found evidence of the hot spot; burner phones with recent, ongoing communications with ISIS operatives; and documents showing wire transfers, funds “whose purpose and use have yet to be identified,” according to the affidavit. Also recovered were homemade bomb-making materials, weapons parts and weapons, the affidavit states.

“This case demonstrates how terrorists exploit modern technology to inculcate sympathizers and build hidden networks, but federal agents and prosecutors are working tirelessly and using every available lawful tool to disrupt their evil schemes,” U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein said in a statement. “The affidavit alleges that Mr. Elshinawy initially told the FBI that he was defrauding the terrorists, but further investigation showed that Mr. Elshinawy was supporting the terrorists and misleading the FBI.”

Elshinawy was charged on Dec. 11 and appeared in U.S. District Court in Baltimore on Monday.

Providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization carries a maximum sentence of 15 years; obstructing agency proceedings has a maximum sentence of eight years; and making material false statements has a maximum sentence of eight years.