(NJ Herald) A 55-year-old Hopatcong woman was sentenced to two years and 10 months in federal prison after admitting she concealed financial funding and guidance she provided to terrorist organizations in Syria that were fighting to topple President Bashar Assad, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Maria Bell — a U.S. Army veteran — pleaded guilty to the charge during a hearing in June, having admitted she used encrypted apps throughout 2018 to communicate with members of Jabhat Fath al-Sham, also known as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, both of which have been designated terrorist organizations by the U.S. State Department, and provided $3,150 to the groups’ allies in Turkey and Syria, according to court records.
