TRENTON, N.J. — A Somerset County man was sentenced to 64 months in prison on Monday for concealing his attempts to provide material support to Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization, authorities said.
Jonathan Xie, 25, of Basking Ridge, pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal charge of concealing his attempts to support Hamas. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court. Xie had been in custody for 64 months, which was counted as time served.
“Jonathan Xie not only admitted sending money that he hoped would be used by the terrorist organization Hamas to fund violent acts against civilians in Israel, he professed his desire to travel to Gaza to join them,” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said in a statement.
According to court documents, Xie sent $100 to a person he believed to be part of Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades in December 2018. He later posted online that he had made the donation despite knowing it was illegal. Xie also made threats on social media, including a statement that he intended to attack a pro-Israel march.
Xie’s sentence includes 20 years of supervised release, with the first six months on home detention with location monitoring. The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Newark Joint Terrorism Task Force.
The case highlights the growing threat of young people being radicalized online, according to FBI officials.
