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Mesa Hamas supporter guilty on federal count
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A 54-year-old Mesa man is facing up to eight years in federal prison for lying to the FBI during an investigation into an organization he raised money for that supported the terrorist organization Hamas.
Akram Musa Abdallah, who was involved in fundraising activities for the Texas-based Holy Land Foundation, which supported Hamas, pleaded guilty Wednesday to making a false statement to a government agency in U.S. District Court, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Abdallah had been charged with one count of false statements to the FBI on or between Jan. 24 and Jan. 27, 2007, when he lied to special agents from the FBI when they questioned him about his involvement with the Holy Land Foundation.
During the interviews, Abdallah told FBI agents he was not involved in fundraising activities for the Holy Land Foundation, which was based in Richardson, Texas.
According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Holy Land Foundation was the largest Islamic charity in the United States. During a 2008 trial of the charity leaders, it was dubbed the "largest terrorism financing prosecution in American history."
Hamas is a Palestinian terrorist group committed to the destruction of Israel.
Between 1994 to 1997, Abdallah was involved in numerous fundraising activities, including collecting donations, organizing, facilitating and coordinating fundraising events on behalf of the foundation in the Phoenix area, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
At the time of the interviews, Abdallah knew the Holy Land Foundation was a specially designated terrorist organization, and knew that the foundation's officers were pending trial for crimes including providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
On Dec. 4, 2001, the Holy Land Foundation was designated by President George W. Bush as a specially designated global terrorist organization, and its operations were shut down and its assets were frozen.
Abdallah will be sentenced on Aug. 17.
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