Richmond, Texas’s Abdulrahman Mohammed Hafedh Alqaysi faces up to $250K fine

Who is Abdulrahman Mohammed Hafedh Alqaysi?

Originally from Iraq, Abdulrahman Mohammed Hafedh Alqaysi, 28, is a legal permanent resident of Richmond, Texas, United States. He is a former refugee.

Alqaysi and his cousin Mohammed Amer Faisal “Moe” Al Qaysi, 28, are friends with Hami Jamshid aka Jamshid Ahmadzai, 34, a naturalized U.S. citizen. The three resided not only in Richmond but also in Houston, Texas and Sugar Land, Fort Bend County, Texas. 

Abdulrahman and Ahmadzai allegedly procured citizenship or naturalization unlawfully. While in Texas, the two and Moe supported the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), which the United Nations designated as a terrorist organization.

From around January 1, 2015 to March 10, 2017, Abdulrahman, Moe and Ahmadzai conspired together to devise a scheme to defraud and to obtain money and property by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises. In relation to the scheme, Abdulrahman also committed aggravated identity theft.

A computer expert, Abdulrahman provided his expertise to develop and post logos for the Kalachnikov team, an ISIS media arm, from 2015 to 2020. During this period, he sent the group’s members stolen credit card information, identity documents that were fraudulently created and hacking videos and instructions.

On June 16, 2022, Abdulrahman, Moe and Ahmadzai were taken into custody. They were each charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

In addition, Abdulrahman charged with three counts of making a false statement in a naturalization application. On March 7, 2025, he appeared in court before U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Abdulrahman admitted to providing material support and resources to the ISIS. His guilty plea was accepted by Bennett.

On June 5, 2025, Abdulrahman will be sentenced. He faces up to a $250,000 fine and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.