Somerset County Man Receives 5+ Year Sentence for Concealing Material Support to Hamas

Jonathan Xie, of Basking Ridge, sentenced after admitting to attempts to provide material support to the designated foreign terrorist organization.

A 25-year-old Somerset County man, Jonathan Xie, was sentenced today to time served – totaling 64 months – for concealing his attempts to provide material support to Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization. U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger, alongside key officials from the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI, announced the sentencing, which took place in Trenton federal court before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp.

Xie, who pleaded guilty to the charges via videoconference, admitted to attempting to conceal his support for Hamas, specifically the Al-Qassam Brigades, a militant wing of the organization responsible for numerous violent attacks, including suicide bombings. According to court documents, Xie knew that Hamas was designated as a terrorist organization and acknowledged that his support could potentially be used for committing or aiding violent acts.

“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. Brandishing a gun and holding a Hamas flag, he also posted that he was going to shoot everybody at a pro-Israel march and ruminated how one could go on a rampage by ramming pro-Israel demonstrators with a car. This supporter of Hamas learned the true cost of supporting terrorists,” said U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.

The investigation revealed that in December 2018, Xie sent $100 via Moneygram to an individual in Gaza, whom he believed was affiliated with the Al-Qassam Brigades. Xie also boasted about the donation on social media, posting on Instagram, “Just donated $100 to Hamas. Pretty sure it was illegal but I don’t give a damn.”

In April 2019, Xie appeared on an Instagram Live video wearing a black ski mask, where he expressed his opposition to Zionism and the neo-liberal establishment. During the live session, he indicated a desire to join Hamas if possible and showed a handgun while stating his intent to harm individuals at a pro-Israel demonstration. He went on to make further threatening statements about attacking pro-Israel demonstrators using firearms or vehicles.

Later that month, Xie sent a link to an Al-Qassam Brigades website to an undercover FBI agent, describing it as a "Hamas" website. He demonstrated how donations could be sent to the group using Bitcoin, highlighting the perceived anonymity of the transactions. He believed this feature was one of the reasons why Hamas had adopted Bitcoin as a method of funding.

In addition to the 64-month incarceration, Judge Shipp imposed a 20-year supervised release, including six months of home detention with electronic location monitoring.

“Xie is an unfortunate example of an emerging and extremely dangerous threat the FBI Newark Joint Terrorism Task Force is seeing with much more frequency,” Newark FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson I. Delgado said. “The average age of the international and domestic terrorism subjects we investigate is under 21 years old, and they're being radicalized in only a few months. Xie was a teenager when he decided to send money in support of a terrorism organization and then threaten to carry out a plan to kill pro-Israeli people. We need this case to serve as a warning to parents and guardians - pay attention to what your teenagers are doing online.”

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the U.S. Department of Defense's Army Counterintelligence. The U.S. Secret Service also provided assistance throughout the investigation.

This sentencing marks a significant outcome for authorities as they continue to address and mitigate threats of terrorism and ensure that individuals attempting to support terrorist organizations are brought to justice.