Donors thought they were feeding starving people in Gaza. Prosecutors say $1.7 million of it went to Hamas. Two Louisiana brothers now face federal terrorism charges after an undercover NYPD officer traced the alleged fundraising network straight to their door.
Abdel Adhami and Omar Adhami were arrested in September. Both face material support and wire fraud charges. Abdel also faces money laundering. The FBI says he pushed $81,272 through two PayPal accounts and another $2,000 via Western Union. The man they were allegedly sending it to, Saleem Alzaq, is now facing his own federal indictment in New York.
Alzaq's campaign asked for help buying food and winter necessities for Palestinians. Touching stuff. More than $1.7 million came in, including at least $626,000 from donors in the United States. The brothers' transfers were a slice of that. Prosecutors say none of it was going where donors thought.
Questioning Gaza fundraising made you the problem. This case is a useful reminder of what that scrutiny was actually about.
The private messages told a different story. Abdel allegedly sent Omar instructions in a WhatsApp message to discuss money intended for fighters. He wanted his brother to change the vocabulary. "Bread" would do. Naming anyone apparently wouldn't.
“Don’t mention anything by its name on WhatsApp, and use the word ‘bread’ instead.”
“Bread” came up in the alleged discussions of Hamas funding. So did “the Green,” prosecutors say. Alzaq allegedly told an undercover officer he could get money to the group, but documenting delivery proved difficult: Its members avoided using identification. Send the money, but don’t expect much of a receipt.
An undercover NYPD employee contacted Alzaq in November 2025. Alzaq allegedly referred the supposed donor to Abdel, who offered to process a donation through his store’s credit card system as though the donor were buying something. He would then transfer the money. Abdel allegedly followed that proposal with this reassurance, recorded in the affidavit.
“But do not worry. Everything is legal, God willing.”
The supposed donor was a cop. Abdel now faces three federal charges.
Alzaq's indictment also mentions October 7, 2023. Prosecutors allege he started an appeal for injured Gazans that very day and posted propaganda celebrating Hamas’s attack. By the following October, he allegedly had specific instructions for PayPal donors: Leave out references to Hamas and “Free Palestine.” He wanted to avoid account closures.
The Louisiana brothers aren't alone. In July, British authorities arrested Mohammad Yousef Hasna, a charity director based in Turkey. The Justice Department accused him of running money and supplies to Hamas leaders through what looked like humanitarian work. Same model, different continent. It keeps appearing in these prosecutions because it keeps working.
Consider what Abdel allegedly offered the undercover officer: Charge a donation as a store purchase, then send the money along. That's the whole scheme in miniature. Donors were told they were feeding people. The money went to Hamas. And the people collecting it went to considerable lengths to make sure nobody could tell the difference.