FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. Photo: Getty Images
WAKEFIELD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Federal prosecutors say a young Wakefield man has been arrested for attempting to donate money to ISIS. Mateo Ventura lives at home with his father and was arrested on Thursday morning.
According to a sworn affidavit from the FBI, the teenager believed he was talking to an ISIS handler, who was actually an undercover FBI agent. The agent said two began speaking online in August 2021.
Federal investigators produced alleged transcripts from their conversations, where Ventura appears to show interest in immigrating to ISIS-controlled territory or committing terror attacks. He is accused of buying gift cards for the terror group both as a minor and after he turned 18, between August 2021 and May 2023. Prosecutors say the intent was to give the gift cards to ISIS for resale on the dark web, then to have the group use that money for things like weapons.
The teenager is accused of buying more than three dozen gift cards for the "ISIS" agent from places like Amazon, the game platform Steam, and Google's Play Store. The total value of the cards was just under $1,700. About $700 of those cards allegedly came from after Ventura had turned 18.
Ventura is facing up to a decade in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted.
He is set for a first appearance in Worcester federal court on Thursday afternoon.
Follow WBZ NewsRadio: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iHeartmedia App | TikTok