Syria
NYC woman jailed for funnelling funds to Syria with Bitcon
A seemingly ordinary New Yorker has been exposed as a clandestine financial lifeline for a notorious Syrian terrorist group.
Victoria Jacobs, 44, who also used the alias Bakhrom Talipov, was sentenced to 18 years in prison by a Manhattan jury. Her crimes? Orchestrating a sophisticated cryptocurrency laundering scheme to funnel illicit funds to a brutal terrorist organization.
Jacobs wasn’t your typical terror suspect. Prosecutors painted a picture of a deeply embedded operative, not lurking in the shadows, but operating from the comfort of her Manhattan apartment.
The District Attorney’s office described her as “fully entrenched in online terrorist networks,” actively “raising and laundering tens of thousands of dollars” for Syrian extremist groups.
“Operating under the radar in our city, she empowered these groups to exploit our financial system to fuel their violent agenda,” declared District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The unassuming facade crumbled under the weight of evidence. Jacobs was convicted of multiple felonies, including providing material support for terrorism, conspiracy, money laundering and weapons possession.
Prosecutors allege Jacobs directly transferred over $6,000 to a known terrorist group, “Malhama Tactical.”
But her reach extended further. She masterminded a $12,000 laundering operation, collecting funds from international supporters via cryptocurrency and traditional money transfer services like Western Union and MoneyGram.
These funds were then funnelled into Bitcoin wallets controlled by Malhama Tactical.
Prosecutors presented evidence of her supplying a digital copy of a restricted U.S. Army manual on improvised munitions to an online forum linked to the terrorist organization.
This chilling detail suggests she may have directly aided in bomb-making capabilities. Additionally, Jacobs reportedly purchased Google Play gift cards for the organization, further bolstering their operational resources.
Most disturbingly, online forum messages revealed Jacobs openly identifying herself as a “brother” operating “within enemy territory.”
She solicited prayers for “strength, guidance and wisdom” to carry out unspecified “missions.”