American extremist admits bankrolling ISIS terrorists, plotting US violence with homemade bomb: feds

A Southern California antheral who funneled wealth to ISIS fighters and stockpiled a homemade weaponry pleaded blameworthy to national coercion charges Tuesday, according to the Justice Department.

Mark Lorenzo Villanueva, 29, pleaded blameworthy to 1 number of attempting to supply worldly enactment to a overseas violent enactment and 1 number of being a felon successful possession of a gun. He has remained successful national custody since his apprehension successful August 2025.

According to his plea agreement, Villanueva began communicating successful February 2025 connected societal media with an idiosyncratic who claimed to beryllium an ISIS combatant surviving successful Syria and provided instructions connected however to nonstop wealth overseas.

Federal prosecutors accidental Villanueva sent much than $1,600 implicit respective months with the knowing the funds would beryllium utilized to acquisition weapons, ammunition and different supplies to enactment ISIS operations. He besides discussed carrying retired operations for ISIS wrong the United States.

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Mark Lorenzo VillanuevA successful a booking photo. Federal prosecutors said Villanueva of Long Beach pleaded blameworthy to attempting to supply worldly enactment to a overseas violent organization. (@USAttyEssayli)

"Mr. Villanueva is alleged to person financially supported and pledged his allegiance to a panic radical that targets the United States and our interests astir the world," Acting FBI Los Angeles Assistant Director Patrick Grandy said successful a erstwhile statement, crediting the Joint Terrorism Task Force with preventing further enactment for ISIS.

Court records amusement Villanueva communicated with 2 individuals who self-identified arsenic ISIS fighters, repeatedly expressing his tendency to combat for the violent radical himself.

"It’s an grant to combat and dice for our faith. It’s the champion mode to spell to heaven," Villanueva allegedly wrote. "Someday soon, I’ll beryllium joining."

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Mark Lorenzo Villanueva admitted attempting to supply worldly enactment to ISIS. (FBI Los Angeles)

Villanueva besides told 1 of the ISIS contacts that helium possessed a weaponry and knives. When FBI agents searched his Long Beach location successful August 2025, they recovered a homemade explosive packed with shot bearings, nails, screws and different metallic fragments from his bedroom.

Prosecutors said Villanueva knew the instrumentality qualified arsenic a firearm and destructive instrumentality nether national instrumentality and that it was not registered. At the time, helium was legally prohibited from possessing guns owed to a anterior felony stalking condemnation successful Los Angeles Superior Court successful 2017.

Western Union records amusement Villanueva sent 12 payments totaling $1,615 to overseas intermediaries implicit a five-month period.

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The FBI arrested Mark Lorenzo Villanueva for attempting to supply worldly enactment to ISIS. (FBI Los Angeles)

Villanueva faces up to 20 years successful national situation for attempting to supply worldly enactment to a violent enactment and up to 15 years for the weapon charge. U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang scheduled his sentencing for June 17.

"Supporting a violent group, whether astatine location oregon abroad, is simply a superior hazard to our nationalist security," acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said. "We volition aggressively hunt down and prosecute anyone who provides enactment oregon comfortableness to our enemies."

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The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated the case.

Fox News' Matt Finn and Landon Mion contributed to this report. 

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send communicative tips to [email protected].