Long Beach man pleads guilty to sending cash to ISIS, possessing explosive

LOS ANGELES (CNS) — A Long Beach man pleaded guilty Tuesday to sending payments to ISIS and possessing a homemade bomb inside his home.

Mark Villanueva, 29, entered a plea 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.

Sentencing was scheduled for June 17, at which time Villanueva, a lawful permanent resident from the Philippines, could face up to 35 years imprisonment, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Papers filed in L.A. federal court state that 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 support its activities.

According to the DOJ, 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 told the other individual that he possessed a bomb and knives. During Villanueva’s arrest on Aug. 1, 2025, the FBI recovered an improvised explosive device from his bedroom, prosecutors said.

Villanueva was previously convicted in state court for stalking, 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 said.

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

“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 Villanueva’s arrest. “We will aggressively hunt down and prosecute anyone who provides support or comfort to our enemies.”