Catherine Beth Washburn, a 37-year-old resident of Irondequoit, New York, near Rochester, has been charged with attempting to provide material support to Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or PIJ, which the U.S. government has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. If found guilty, she could face as many as 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
According to the Justice Department, Washburn led the Direct Action Movement for Palestinian Liberation, known as DAMPL, a radical group that emerged after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel.
Federal prosecutors said in the complaint that DAMPL does not embrace peaceful demonstrations, instead promoting what it calls “direct action,” including property damage and sabotage targeting organizations or businesses it links to Israel.
Catherine Beth Washburn pictured with two hand grenades in front of Hamas flag. (DOJ)
Investigators with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force recovered communications in which Washburn allegedly exchanged messages with someone who claimed to be an active PIJ fighter in Gaza. In those messages, authorities say, she wrote that she hated Jewish people “very much” and wanted Israel to “disappear.”
“I wish every day were October 7th,” Washburn is accused of writing in one exchange. “If I lived in Gaza, I would fight alongside the resistance.”
In another alleged message, prosecutors said Washburn wrote that she felt “excited every time I see news of the killing of an occupation soldier.”
Pro-Palestinian protesters participate in a rally in Times Square in New York City, Oct. 13, 2023. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images, File)
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U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo said Washburn went to “great lengths” to finance violence, driven by “her self-described hate of Israel and Jewish people.”
Financial records show she sent roughly 80 cryptocurrency transfers totaling more than $30,000 to an account used by the PIJ fighter.
In a November 2025 message, she allegedly joked about the illicit activities, writing, “Based on my passed [sic] fundraising and posting Im [sic] gonna get put away for a few life times,” accompanied by a laughing emoji.
Catherine Beth Washburn is accused of texting with a terrorist and transferring funds. (Fox News, File)
FBI Counterterrorism Division Acting Assistant Director Coult Markovsky said anyone who provides assistance to violent organizations will be held responsible.
“This individual, as alleged in the criminal complaint, provided money to a foreign terrorist organization engaged in acts of violence,” Markovsky said. “The FBI is committed to cutting off funding to terrorist groups and will continue to work side-by-side with our Justice Department partners to make sure anyone who engages in terrorism or provides assistance to such organizations is held fully accountable in our justice system.”
