A 37-year-old woman from quiet suburban Irondequoit is now accused of turning her living room politics into hard cash for jihad, sending more than $30,000 in crypto while gushing that she wished “every day were October 7.”
Story Snapshot
- Federal prosecutors say Catherine Beth Washburn sent over $30,000 in cryptocurrency to a self-described Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighter in Gaza.
- Recovered messages show her celebrating the October 7 Hamas massacre and expressing open hatred of Jews and Israel.
- The Justice Department charged her with attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist group, part of a wider push against crypto-funded terror.
- Key facts rely on digital forensics and the fighter’s own claims, raising questions about proof, intent, and how far speech and “activism” can go before it becomes a crime.
From Rochester Suburb To Alleged Terror Financier
Federal officials say this story starts not in Gaza but in a modest town outside Rochester, New York. According to the Justice Department, Catherine Beth Washburn, age 37, lived in Irondequoit and led a radical group called the Direct Action Movement for Palestinian Liberation. Prosecutors say this was not a peaceful protest club. They describe it as an extremist movement formed after the October 7, 2023 attacks, focused on “direct action” against Israel and its supporters.
Investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Joint Terrorism Task Force say they followed her online footprint and then moved to seize her devices. In those devices, they claim they found messages, photos, and a funding trail that turned passionate rhetoric about “resistance” into something much more serious. The case has now landed in federal court, backed by the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
Crypto Transfers And A Self-Proclaimed Fighter In Gaza
The government’s core allegation is simple and chilling: Washburn used cryptocurrency to send money to a man in Gaza who told her he was a fighter with Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Financial records cited in the complaint show roughly 80 separate transfers of the stablecoin known as United States Dollar Coin, adding up to about $30,116. Each transfer, investigators say, moved funds from her wallet into an account used by this self-identified fighter.
Here is where modern technology meets old-school terror. Cryptocurrency lets money cross borders fast, often without bank paperwork or human oversight. Federal officials have already seized hundreds of such accounts linked to Hamas, al-Qaeda, and the Islamic State group, calling it the largest-ever crypto seizure in a terrorism case. To them, Washburn’s alleged transfers fit that pattern perfectly. She did not just talk about “resistance”; she allegedly wired it funds, one digital token at a time.
Messages Of Hate And Praise For October 7
The money trail might be enough to scare any jury, but the messages prosecutors say they recovered are what make this case visceral. In chats with the man in Gaza, Washburn allegedly said she “hates Jews very much” and wished Israel “would disappear.” She is accused of writing, “I wish every day were October 7,” referring to the day Hamas terrorists massacred civilians across southern Israel. Prosecutors say she added that she felt “excited every time” she saw news of an occupation soldier being killed.
For many Americans, those lines cross more than a legal line; they offend basic moral sense. American conservative values center on the idea that human life, including Israeli lives, deserves protection from ideologies that excuse murder. When someone in upstate New York cheers a massacre and then sends money to a claimed fighter for a terror group the United States has formally labeled a Foreign Terrorist Organization, it looks less like “activism” and more like aiding evil.
Images, Leadership Claims, And What Is Still Unproven
The Justice Department press release notes an image that “appears to show” Washburn with hand grenades in front of a Hamas flag. That wording is careful. The government suggests the photo shows her posing with symbols of violent jihad, but still uses the phrase “appears,” which hints that context or origin may be debated. Prosecutors also say she described herself as a leader of the Direct Action Movement for Palestinian Liberation, pushing its radical agenda after October 7.
Upstate #NewYork Woman Arrested, Charged with Attempting to Provide Material Support to Designated Terrorist Group.
– Catherine Beth Washburn (37) of Irondequoit, NY, was arrested June 30, 2026, and charged with attempting to provide material support to the Palestine Islamic… pic.twitter.com/camIBHR7Ir— Adrian Shtuni (@Shtuni) July 1, 2026
Yet, for all the strong language, some pieces of the case rest on thin ice. The man in Gaza is someone who “identified as” a fighter and “claimed to have engaged” in attacks. So far, there is no public proof that he really serves in Palestinian Islamic Jihad or that her money directly paid for bullets or bombs. The complaint itself carries the standard warning: these are accusations, and she is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Where Free Speech Ends And Material Support Begins
Many readers will ask the same question: if this is all online talk and crypto, where does free speech stop and crime begin? American law draws a clear line around designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations. When you provide “material support” to such a group, even indirectly, you step into felony territory. Money counts as material support. So can weapons, training, or certain kinds of services. And you cannot escape that by calling it “solidarity” or “resistance.”
This case shows why that line matters. Washburn’s alleged hatred of Jews, praise for October 7, and excitement at soldiers being killed are vile, but ugly speech on its own is still protected. Once that speech is paired with money moved to someone claiming to fight for a United States-listed terror group, the government argues it is no longer just a rant. It becomes actionable support for violent actors abroad. That is where national security, and basic common sense, say: enough.
Sources:
thegatewaypundit.com, foxnews.com, x.com, justice.gov, facebook.com
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