MANILA – A Filipino national and permanent U.S. resident pleaded guilty to federal charges for sending money to suspected ISIS members and illegally possessing a homemade bomb, U.S. authorities said.

Mark Lorenzo Villanueva, 29, a green card holder from Long Beach, California, admitted 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, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

Villanueva has been in federal custody since August 2025. Court documents show he began communicating in February 2025 with someone claiming to be an ISIS fighter in Syria via social media, who instructed him on sending money to Syria. Villanueva sent over $1,600 in more than a dozen payments, knowing the funds would be used to buy ammunition, weapons, and other supplies for ISIS operations. He also discussed conducting operations for ISIS in the United States.

During a search of Villanueva’s home in August 2025, authorities discovered a homemade bomb containing ball bearings, nails, screws, and nuts. The device was not federally registered, and Villanueva knew it was considered a firearm and destructive device under U.S. law.

U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang scheduled Villanueva’s sentencing for June 17. He faces up to 20 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization and up to 15 years for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles has been monitoring Villanueva’s case, the Department of Foreign Affairs said last year when his arrest was confirmed.