18 Years In Prison for NYC Woman Behind Bitcoin Terrorism Financing in Syria

cryptonews.com:

Victoria Jacobs, aka Bakhrom Talipov, was sentenced to 18 years in prison by a New York State court jury after being found guilty of funding Syrian terrorism through Bitcoin.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office said Jacobs was “fully immersed in online terrorist ecosystems,” as per their press release . She played a critical role in “raising and laundering thousands of dollars” for Syrian terrorist groups. District Attorney Alvin Bragg commented:

“From the safety of her Manhattan apartment, she enabled these groups to access our city’s financial markets in order to help further their mission.”

On February 1st, 2024, Jacobs was convicted by a New York State Supreme Court jury. She was found guilty on all counts, including Soliciting or Providing Support for an Act of Terrorism, Money Laundering, Criminal Possession of a Weapon, and more. 

NEW: Today we announced the sentencing of Victoria Jacobs to 18 years in state prison for using cryptocurrency to provide financial support to violent terrorist groups operating in Syria. Learn more here: https://t.co/8mz4JpDOsu

— Alvin Bragg (@ManhattanDA) April 30, 2024

The sentencing was the culmination of a year-and-a-half-long investigation by the NYPD, Intelligence Bureau and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office’s Counter Terrorism Unit. 

From September 2018 to June 2019, Jacobs provided material support to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, a Syria-based terrorist organization. 

She contributed more than $6,000 to the terrorist training group “Malhama Tactical,” which fought with and provided special tactical and military training to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham. 

Over $12,000 was also laundered on behalf of Malhama Tactical using cryptocurrency, Western Union and MoneyGram wire