Overview
- FBI agents arrested 28-year-old Mark Lorenzo Villanueva on August 1 in Long Beach after recovering what appeared to be an explosive device from his bedroom.
- A federal complaint alleges Villanueva sent 12 Western Union payments totaling $1,615 over five months to intermediaries who transferred the funds to self-identified ISIS fighters.
- Prosecutors say the permanent resident from the Philippines communicated via social media with two purported ISIS members, pledging allegiance and offering to fight for the group.
- He is charged with a felony count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
- The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force continues its investigation into potential additional contacts and financing channels linked to Villanueva’s activities.