The complaint, filed by an FBI agent investigating the case, said Washburn had raised funds for a man in Gaza, identified by the initials H.H., starting in November 2024.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n The man told Washburn in February 2025 that he was a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and had attacked IDF troops, but she continued transferring him funds until April, the investigator said.<\/p>\n Washburn said in a February message to H.H., \u201cIf I lived in Gaza, I would fight alongside the resistance.\u201d<\/p>\n \t H.H. told her he was a member of PIJ\u2019s military wing, the Al Quds Brigades, and that he had joined the October 7, 2023, terrorist invasion of Israel. Washburn thanked him for partaking in the attack and praised his bravery.<\/p>\n The alleged terrorist added that he had taken IDF equipment from Israel\u2019s Erez Crossing \u201cafter attacking and killing them,\u201d and sent her a video of himself holding an anti-tank rocket launcher with Hebrew writing on the side.<\/p>\n \u201cOh yes, good job,\u201d Washburn said. \u201cI wish every day were October 7.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hate the Jews very much,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She also told him, \u201cI wish Israel would disappear,\u201d \u201cEvery inch of Palestine must be returned,\u201d and, \u201cOnly one state: Palestine.\u201d<\/p>\n H.H. also sent her photos of himself brandishing pistols and assault rifles and the pair discussed \u201cmissions\u201d he had been carrying out in northern Gaza, an apparent euphemism for terror operations.<\/p>\n \t Washburn said she was \u201cproud\u201d to have earned the terrorist\u2019s trust, and he told her, \u201cCatherine, you really were fighting alongside me, my love.\u201d<\/p>\n After H.H. said he had seen a deadly ambush against Israeli troops, Washburn said, \u201cI feel excited every time I see news of the killing of an occupation soldier.\u201d<\/p>\n In other messages, she asked him to \u201capprove\u201d a shirt she had designed<\/a> showing terror group logos. She sold the shirts as part of her fundraising, the complaint said. Washburn also offered to send the terrorist topographical maps that he could use to target Israelis.<\/p>\n Some of the conversations took place in Arabic, and the messages appeared to use codewords, such as substituting \u201cwork\u201d for \u201ccombat,\u201d and using green heart emojis to refer to Hamas and black hearts for PIJ.<\/p>\n After she found out about his terrorist affiliation, Washburn posted an image of the alleged terrorist on Facebook, seeking donations to \u201chelp him support his family of 9.\u201d She also sent a link to the donation page around on WhatsApp, the complaint said.<\/p>\n The donations were raised through the Australia-based platform Chuffed, which says it is a fundraising platform for \u201cthe world\u2019s social justice movements.\u201d Chuffed did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n \t Washburn opened a bank account for the donations, which received 1,302 contributions. Washburn used the funds to buy cryptocurrency on Coinbase and transferred the funds to a crypto wallet belonging to H.H., the complaint said.<\/p>\n Between October 2025 and April 2026, Washburn made 80 cryptocurrency transfers to H.H. amounting to $30,116.<\/p>\n She joked about being imprisoned, saying, \u201cBased on my passed [sic.] fundraising and posting Im [sic.] gonna get put away for a few life times,\u201d followed by a laughing emoji. The message indicated she knew the funds were for PIJ and were therefore illegal, the investigator said.<\/p>\n The pair\u2019s discussions of ammunition, weapons and H.H.\u2019s \u201cmissions\u201d also indicated her intent to support terrorist activities, the complaint said.<\/p>\n \u201cYour assistance to us here in Gaza is fighting in the path of Allah,\u201d H.H. told her, to which she said, \u201cAllah willing. This battle is a sacred battle.\u201d<\/p>\n She also said she had been in touch with other terrorists from Hamas.<\/p>\n Funding PIJ is illegal in the US because the group is a US-designated foreign terrorist organization.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t clear how Washburn had first connected with the alleged terrorist, although she told him that she had previously seen videos on his Instagram account, which has 319,000 followers. His Facebook page has 565,000 followers.<\/p>\n On social media, H.H. has shared fundraisers purportedly for his family, published videos about hardships in Gaza such as food shortages, and posted in support of the activist flotillas meant to break Israel\u2019s blockade. His social media does not give any indication that he is a combatant.<\/p>\n The alleged terrorist told Washburn that he used social media to \u201cportray myself as a peaceful individual, rather than a resistance fighter,\u201d and that he had deleted images of himself invading Israel to evade being caught at checkpoints.<\/p>\n \t Washburn\u2019s Instagram account links to 10 fundraisers that she said were meant to help Palestinian families in Gaza.<\/p>\n \u201cDonating directly to families in Gaza saves lives,\u201d her account\u2019s biography says.<\/p>\n Washburn\u2019s Facebook account identified her as a former stay-at-home mother. She had raised funds for causes such as dog shelters before the start of the Gaza war.<\/p>\n She first posted about Gaza in the weeks after the October 2023 attack, followed up with posts sharing PIJ and Hezbollah videos, and had participated in anti-Israel street protests in Rochester.<\/p>\n At least one other activist, an Irish protester who joined a Gaza flotilla and has more than 200,000 followers on social media, shared H.H.\u2019s fundraiser. He also appeared on the account of a Gaza influencer with 1.3 million followers.<\/p>\n Washburn was charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated terror group and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.<\/p>\n \t The allegations against Washburn mirrored another case<\/a> filed by federal authorities in California last month in which the suspect allegedly raised funds, purportedly for humanitarian purposes, but instead directed the money to Hamas or to his own personal expenses.<\/p>\n The schemes appeared similar to the Holy Land Foundation, a group prosecuted in the US in the 2000s for soliciting charitable donations that were diverted to Hamas. The so-called Holy Land Five, who were imprisoned, remain popular figures in the anti-Zionist movement.<\/p>\n Another case<\/a> announced in a New York court in May, against an alleged Iranian operative, also illustrated how terror groups have used cryptocurrency to facilitate terrorism in the US, Canada and Europe.<\/p>\n US federal authorities have also charged anti-Zionist activists with terror-related offenses in Michigan<\/a> and California<\/a>\u00a0in the past year.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Untitled-2.jpg\")
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\n\t\tImages that alleged terrorist H.H., showing himself with weapons, which were sent to suspect Catherine Washburn. (Western District of New York Court)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Untitled-3.jpg\")
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\n\t\tImages that alleged terrorist H.H., showing himself with weapons, which were sent to suspect Catherine Washburn. (Western District of New York Court)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26079245173211-e1774438631579.jpg\")
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\n\t\tIllustrative: Armed members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad greet people gathering for Eid al-Fitr prayers in Gaza City, March 20, 2026. (AP\/Abdel Kareem Hana)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/33XK3W7-highres-1.jpg\")
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\n\t\tBodies lie on a main road near Kibbutz Gevim on October 7, 2023 following an attack by Hamas terrorists. (Oren ZIV \/ AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP25030297994482-e1738225345678.jpg\")
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\n\t\tFighters from the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror groups before the handover of hostages to the Red Cross in the south Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, Jan. 30, 2025.(AP Photo\/Abdel Kareem Hana)<\/p>\n