Pakistani-born US woman pleads guilty to bitcoin fraud to help IS

[Indus Pakistan]

Getting back to the topic at hand, what was the final sentence or is that still in process?

If your not the same person as Solomon, you must be spending too much time with him because you often 'sound' like him.

masters

Of what?

 

[VCheng]

On topic, I think the sentencing phase will look at the rest of her life and supporting statements from friends and family for the judge to consider. Up to 20 years is a longtime to spend incarcerated.

This type of incidents dent Pakistan's image globally.

Not really. Pakistan's image is far more influenced by what happens there rather than half-way across the world.

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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...se-bitcoin-to-aid-islamic-state-idUSKBN1E83DI


Prosecutors say Long Island woman tried to use bitcoin to aid Islamic State
3 MIN READ

(Reuters) - A suburban New York hospital technician accused of using bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to launder money meant for the militant group Islamic State was arrested on charges of money laundering in support of a foreign terrorist organization and bank fraud, prosecutors said Thursday.

Federal prosecutors in New York’s Suffolk County claimed in court papers that Zoobia Shahnaz, 27, used fraudulent credit cards and loans to accumulate $85,000, which she attempted to transfer to the radical group Islamic State before attempting to go to Syria to join it.

Prosecutors said that after traveling to Jordan to work with the Syrian American Medical Society, Shahnaz returned to the United States and applied for six credit cards, which she used to buy bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

The resident of the hamlet of Brentwood in Islip on Long Island appeared before a federal judge late on Thursday and was ordered detained, prosecutors said.

Shahnaz’ lawyer, Steve Zissou, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the case.

After borrowing about $85,000 with fraudulently obtained credit cards and loans and withdrawing another $22,000 from bank accounts in her own name, Shahnaz sent funds to recipients in Pakistan, China and Turkey, prosecutors said.

Some of that money came in the form of $63,000 in bitcoin and other crypto-currencies purchased with the credit cards, prosecutors said.

Arraignment and detention documents released on Thursday showed that Shahnaz, a U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, was arrested on Wednesday.

Prosecutors said that in July Shahnaz obtained a Pakistani passport and booked a flight to Pakistan with a layover in Istanbul with the intention of going to Syria. She was stopped by law enforcement investigators at John F. Kennedy airport and questioned about her trip and the financial transactions, prosecutors said.

She had $9,500 in cash with her, just under the limit of $10,000 that a person can take out of the country without declaring it to immigration and customs officials, they said.

Subsequent searches of Shahnaz’ electronic devices showed numerous searches for Islamic State-related material, including travel checklists.

She faces three charges of money laundering, including money laundering in support of a foreign terrorist organization, and is also charged with bank fraud. She faces up to 20 years in prison on each of the money laundering charges and up to 30 years for the bank fraud charge.

Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Cynthia Osterman

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

 

[Nilgiri]

Pakistanis always care more about Arabs then their own people, probably explains the situation of our people so well.

We wuz arabs @OsmanAli98

 

[MultaniGuy]

Pakistanis always care more about Arabs then their own people, probably explains the situation of our people so well.

Actually Pakistanis do not give a two hoots for Arabs. Pakistanis care about their own kind first before worrying about others.

 

[GHALIB]

A Pakistani-born American woman has acknowledged her role in defrauding numerous financial institutions in a bitcoin scheme to help the militant Islamic State (IS) group.

Prosecutors say Zoobia Shahnaz, a naturalised US citizen living on Long Island, pleaded guilty in federal court in Central Islip on Monday to providing material support to a foreign terrorist organisation.

The 27-year-old was charged with laundering bitcoin and wiring money to the IS group. After quitting her job, she was stopped at Kennedy Airport last year attempting to fly to Pakistan.

Shahnaz's lawyer has said she was trying to help Syrian refugees.

She faces up to 20 years in prison.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1447972/p...o1fJjU9Vl7tNX3ZLuzgpjd0AOgT7BNeBlzc7pEaI0q0FI

How sad .
Why she brought ruin on herself.

 

[VCheng]

How sad .
Why she brought ruin on herself.

It is her choice to lead her life as she wishes.

 

[GHALIB]

It is her choice to lead her life as she wishes.

But why ?
She was leading a good life in america, given chance half of india pakistan banglades people will opt for American citizenship even if worse life than her .

 

[VCheng]

But why ?
She was leading a good life in america, given chance half of india pakistan banglades people will opt for American citizenship even if worse life than her .

It is not for anyone else to make the choices for her that she made, for whatever reasons best known to her. As a US citizen, it is her right. May be her statement in court at sentencing will shed some light on this.

 

[American Pakistani]

What a b1tch. Rot in jail and then h3ll. Maybe she wanted to be a $3x slave of some Arab.

 

[Yankee-stani]

Actually Pakistanis do not give a two hoots for Arabs. Pakistanis care about their own kind first before worrying about others.

Ah take a look at all the diaspora who care more about "muh Syria" "muh Uighurs" "muh Rohingya" over Kashmir I am not saying all are like that but a good chunk are like that its sad those people would ditch Pakistan under the bus for some wahhabi doctrine BS from some Arabs, screw the Arabs tbh

 

[BATMAN]

Why did you not fcukin fly to Syria you b*tch????

Every other house hold of Pakistan sent young men to Syria.
They cross Pakistan border with Iran, Iraq visa but go directly on civil war, where they kill babies labeled as Sunni children.

 

[Yankee-stani]

Pakistanis who ditched Pakistani culture in the west might as well call themselves Arabs lol @Indus Pakistan

 

[Indus Pakistan]

Actually Pakistanis do not give a two hoots for Arabs. Pakistanis care about their own kind first before worrying about others.

You are very. very mistaken my friend. Pakistani natationalism is very weak. Plastic countries that were made 40 years ago like UAE have stronger nationalism. Majority of Pakistan's are religo-nationalists. That is they are invested in Islam and Muslim ummah. Syria, Rohingya, Palestine takes the lead anytime for Pakistani's when actually it has zero to do with the state of Pakistan. In Yorkshire a Syrian boy was attacked by bullies. I reckon we are going to have a riot by tomorrow. Who by? I bet 99% Pakistan's who are bent in pain about the attack but not peep about thousands of rapes and killing in Kashmir.

 

[Yankee-stani]

You are very. very mistaken my friend. Pakistani natationalism is very weak. Plastic countries that were made 40 years ago like UAE have stronger nationalism. Majority of Pakistan's are religo-nationalists. That is they are invested in Islam and Muslim ummah. Syria, Rohingya, Palestine takes the lead anytime for Pakistani's when actually it has zero to do with the state of Pakistan. In Yorkshire a Syrian boy was attacked by bullies. I reckon we are going to have a riot by tomorrow. Who by? I bet 99% Pakistan's who are bent in pain about the attack but not peep about thousands of rapes and killing in Kashmir.

Same shit in the US a lot of Pakistanis act like this and it ticks me off when they call me nationalistic I mean look at the Albanians,the Turks,Bosnians,Arabs and the Central Asians here they are nationalistic asf and those countries merley got indepedence from the Red Commies only like 30 some years ago yet Pakistanis are like Ummah chummah types

You are very. very mistaken my friend. Pakistani natationalism is very weak. Plastic countries that were made 40 years ago like UAE have stronger nationalism. Majority of Pakistan's are religo-nationalists. That is they are invested in Islam and Muslim ummah. Syria, Rohingya,

The other day In the city I was walking by the Chinese Consulate and I see those *** wipe ETIM and "muh Uighur" types protesting a couple were from the Pakistani diaspora man they get played easily by the western press over anything Muslim here be it Syria,or whatever

 

[Indus Pakistan]

Same shit in the US a lot of Pakistanis act like this and it ticks me off when they call me nationalistic I mean look at the Albanians,the Turks,Bosnians,Arabs and the Central Asians here they are nationalistic asf and those countries merley got indepedence from the Red Commies only like 30 some years ago yet Pakistanis are like Ummah chummah types



The other day In the city I was walking by the Chinese Consulate and I see those *** wipe ETIM and "muh Uighur" types protesting a couple were from the Pakistani diaspora man they get played easily by the western press over anything Muslim here be it Syria,or whatever

It actually is not their fault. They are victims of failed narrative by the Pakistani state which failed to build a coherant, nationalism of a geographic based state as opposed to building a loyalty to diffuse ummah. The result can be seen today.

I will open a thread on this and tag you for your contribution.