Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment on Thursday charging a Gaza-based Hamas operative and arresting three U.S. co-conspirators in an international fundraising scheme. The network allegedly funneled more than $1.7 million from international donors—including over $626,000 from the United States—under the false pretense of providing humanitarian aid.
The Department of Justice announced the charges against Saleem Alzaq, a 45-year-old Gaza resident whom prosecutors identify as a longtime Hamas member and battalion deputy in the military wing. Investigators say Alzaq operated the fundraising campaigns between January 2020 and December 2025, soliciting donations for food, winter necessities, and orphans in Gaza while secretly routing the money to the militant group. Alzaq has been a Hamas member since at least 2017, according to prosecutors, and has allegedly posted Hamas propaganda on social media, including posts celebrating the October 7, 2023, attack.
Federal Arrests in Louisiana and Florida Follow Multi-Year Investigation
Law enforcement agents arrested three U.S.-based co-conspirators last month. Brothers Abdel Adhami, 35, and Omar Adhami, 33, of Covington, Louisiana, along with Raed Yousef, 56, of Lutz, Florida, were taken into custody before the federal indictment was unsealed following their initial court appearances. The Louisiana brothers own retail beauty stores in Slidell and Hammond, specifically 4 Her Beauty Supply in Hammond and J-Lo Supply in Slidell, according to Louisiana Secretary of State records.
An indictment was brought against the Adhami brothers by a federal grand jury in New York on felony counts that include conspiring to commit money laundering, conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, wire fraud conspiracy, and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. According to their criminal complaints in Louisiana, Abdel Adhami faces specific charges of material support to a foreign terrorist organization, money laundering, and wire fraud, whereas Omar Adhami is accused of wire fraud and material support offenses.
Undercover Operation Exposes Social Media Propaganda and Coded Language
The financial network relied heavily on social media platforms including Snapchat, Instagram, and Telegram. Court documents show that Abdel Adhami used various Snapchat accounts to disseminate Hamas propaganda and direct followers to Telegram pages promoting the militant group and Palestinian Islamic Jihad under the guise of charitable giving. Complaint records indicate that between November 4, 2023, and June 2025, Abdel Adhami transferred approximately $35,000 to one PayPal account and $46,600 to a second one, while Omar Adhami contributed roughly $3,000 and once asked to fund the slaughter of a sheep or goat for poor and needy individuals in Gaza.
The investigation gained momentum in November 2025 when an undercover New York Police Department detective posing as a Hamas supporter contacted Alzaq on Snapchat. According to court records, Alzaq instructed donors to avoid writing phrases like “Free Palestine” or long live Hamas
on PayPal contributions to prevent payment accounts from being shut down.
Donald Lane, a former Secret Service agent, noted in an interview that any check in the case would have revealed the brothers were pro-Hamas. An attorney for the brothers did not immediately return a call seeking comment, and the defendants were detained pending a detention hearing without entering a plea.
“This is the message I wanted to deliver to the person who donated the bread. Some of them received the bread, thanks be to God.”
Saleem Alzaq, quoted in federal court papers
Treasury Sanctions and International Coordination Target Global Assets
The U.S. Treasury Department issued additional sanctions on October 2 targeting the same financial architecture, which utilized money services businesses and cryptocurrency wallets to transfer funds to the Hamas Al-Qassam Brigades.
U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald for the Southern District of New York stated that law enforcement partners will root out and prosecute those who finance Hamas regardless of location. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch credited intelligence analysts with uncovering the multi-jurisdictional network, noting that the investigation exposed more than $2 million in total funds funneled to the organization through deceptive charitable fronts.
Commissioner Tisch stated that the NYPD’s counterterrorism work knows no borders and thanked joint task forces and international field offices, including the Paris Legal Attaché’s Office and French authorities, for their work in the case.