Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A Wakefield, Massachusetts man has been sentenced in federal court for concealing the source of material support intended for ISIS. Mateo Ventura, 21, received a sentence of 50 months in prison followed by seven years of supervised release. U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper delivered the sentence in Boston.
Ventura pleaded guilty in October 2025 to one count of concealment of financing terrorism. He was initially charged by complaint in June 2023 and indicted by a federal grand jury four months later.
According to prosecutors, Ventura provided multiple gift cards to an individual he believed supported ISIS. The plan was for the cards to be sold on the dark web at slightly less than their face value, with profits directed toward supporting ISIS activities. Prosecutors stated that Ventura said he wanted the proceeds to go to ISIS “for war on kuffar,” referring to disbelievers, and believed that the funds would be used for ammunition and explosives.
Authorities also reported that Ventura expressed his desire to fight alongside ISIS overseas and had purchased plane tickets with the intention of traveling to the Middle East to join the group. Between January and May 2023, his donations totaled $705.
“United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Assistant Attorney John A. Eisenberg for the Justice Department’s National Security Division; and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today.” The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy H. Kistner from the National Security Unit with assistance from Trial Attorney Michael Dittoe of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
