Russian National Charged with Attempting to Provide Material Support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a single-count indictment on February 18, 2021 against Murat Kurashev, 34, of Sacramento, charging him with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, United States Attorney McGregor Scott announced. 

According to court documents, Kurashev attempted to provide financial support to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. 

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and its other law enforcement partners. Assistant United States Attorney Heiko P. Coppola and Dmitriy Slavin, a Trial Attorney in the Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section, are prosecuting the case.

Kurashev was arrested by FBI agents and is currently in custody awaiting his first appearance.

If convicted, Kurashev faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.