Catherine Beth Washburn, a 37-year-old New York woman, has been charged with providing material support to ‘Palestinian’ Islamic Jihad in Gaza and funding terror attacks against Israel with tens of thousands of dollars. According to the indictment, Washburn faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York, Washburn led an anti-Israel, pro-Gaza organization shortly after the October 7 massacre. Investigators also found she corresponded with a ‘Palestinian’ Islamic Jihad operative in Gaza, expressed support for attacks against Israel, and wrote: “I wish every day was October 7th.”
In another message, Washburn wrote that she “felt excited every time I see a report of an occupation soldier being killed.” One prosecutor stated in court that “this defendant, driven by hatred she herself describes toward Israel and the Jewish people, made extensive efforts to provide financial support to terrorist organizations.”
According to the indictment, Washburn made approximately 80 cryptocurrency transfers totaling over $30,000 to an account used by the Islamic Jihad terrorist. Investigators also found a message in which she joked about her actions and the punishment she’d face if caught: “Based on my past fundraising and posts I’m going to be imprisoned for several life sentences,” she wrote, adding a laughing emoji.
Colt Markovsky, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, declared following the case that anyone supporting terrorist organizations in the United States will be prosecuted. “The defendant, as alleged in the criminal complaint, transferred funds to a foreign terrorist organization engaged in violent operations,” he added. “The FBI is committed to cutting off the funding sources of terrorist organizations and will continue to work in close cooperation with our partners at the Department of Justice to ensure that anyone engaged in terrorism or assisting such organizations is held fully accountable within our justice system.”