A Long Beach man accused of financially supporting ISIS and constructing a homemade bomb inside his home has pleaded guilty to federal terrorism-related charges, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Mark Lorenzo Villanueva, 29, admitted to attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and to being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. Villanueva has remained in federal custody since his arrest in August 2025.
According to court records, Villanueva began communicating in February 2025 through a social media messaging platform with an individual who claimed to be an ISIS fighter in Syria. Prosecutors say the person provided instructions on how to send money overseas, and Villanueva ultimately transferred more than $1,600 in a dozen payments, believing the money would be used to purchase ammunition, weapons and other supplies for ISIS operations.
Authorities also say Villanueva discussed possibly carrying out attacks for the group inside the United States.
The FBI raided a Long Beach man’s home and found this alleged homemade bomb. July 2025. (FBI)
During a search of his Long Beach home in August 2025, agents with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force recovered what prosecutors described as a manufactured bomb packed with ball bearings and other metal objects, including nails, screws and nuts. Officials say Villanueva knew the device qualified as a firearm and destructive device under federal law and that it was not registered as required.
Prosecutors say Villanueva was barred from possessing firearms at the time because of a felony stalking conviction in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2017.
U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang has scheduled Villanueva’s sentencing for June 17. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison for attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and up to 15 years for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
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