SDNY COURTHOUSE, July 21 – Reda Mazen Rida
Sabassi, the founder of a San Diego nonprofit called Ikram
– The Arab Charity Foundation, appeared in Manhattan
federal court on Wednesday afternoon on charges including
providing material support to Hamas. Inner City Press was
there, the only media in the courtroom, and live tweeted.
It emerged that the Federal
Defenders have been representing Sabassi for years. He has
been under investigation since March 2024. Initially, he
filed a complaint when money he said he meant to send to
Gaza did not go through. But that is not why the FBI went
to his house in San Diego.
His Federal Defender said he has only left
the US since to a car shop in Tijuana, Mexico. But the
judge put weight on that his wife is not a US citizen and
that both of her parents are in Morocco.
A visa was sought to move her to the US, but it was
denied during the investigation.
After a break, U.S. District Court
for the Southern District of New York Magistrate Judge
Valerie Figueredo ordered detention.
On July 21, Judge Gregory H. Woods held a
conference: "The Government does not currently anticipate
filing any superseding indictments. The defense proposed
setting a control date for a status conference, which the
Government did not object to. The next status conference
is scheduled for October 23, 2026 at 10:00 AM. Detention
continued."
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The case is USA v. Sabassi, 1:26-cr-290 (Woods / Figueredo)
