Long Beach Man Agrees To Plead Guilty To Sending Cash To ISIS

LONG BEACH, CA — A Long Beach man has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges alleging he sent payments to ISIS and possessed a homemade bomb inside his home, according to court papers obtained Tuesday.

Mark Villanueva, 29, will enter his plea on Jan. 26 in downtown Los Angeles to one count of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm — namely the homemade bomb, his plea agreement states.

If his plea is accepted, Villanueva, a lawful permanent resident from the Philippines, would face up to 35 years imprisonment, prosecutors said.

According to papers filed in L.A. federal court, Villanueva communicated via social media with two people who described themselves as fighters with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. In the messages, Villanueva discussed his desire to support the terrorist organization, and offered to send money to the ISIS fighters to support their activities, prosecutors contend.

According to the Justice Department, Villanueva told one of the self- identified ISIS fighters that he wanted to fight for ISIS himself, stating, "It's an honor to fight and die for our faith. It's the best way to go to heaven. ... Someday soon, I'll be joining."

He allegedly told the other individual that he possessed a bomb and knives. According to prosecutors, during Villanueva's arrest on Aug. 1, 2025, the FBI recovered what appeared to be an improvised explosive device from his bedroom.

Villanueva was previously convicted in state court for stalking in September 2017, court papers show.
In a February 2025 message with one of the self-described ISIS fighters, Villanueva offered to send the individual money, and asked whether the money would "cover your equipment and your weapons," the DOJ alleged.

Villanueva apparently discussed sending the money through an intermediary. According to Western Union records, Villanueva then sent a dozen payments totaling $1,615 during a five-month period to two intermediaries who accessed the money overseas, prosecutors said.

"Supporting a terrorist group, whether at home or abroad, is a serious risk to our national security," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement at the time of arrest. "We will aggressively hunt down and prosecute anyone who provides support or comfort to our enemies."

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