Long Beach man pleads guilty to backing ISIS, homemade bomb charges

A Long Beach man accused of financially supporting ISIS and constructing a homemade bomb inside his home has pleaded guilty to federal terrorism-related charges, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

Mark Lorenzo Villanueva, 29, admitted to attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and to being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. Villanueva has remained in federal custody since his arrest in August 2025.

According to court records, Villanueva began communicating in February 2025 through a social media messaging platform with an individual who claimed to be an ISIS fighter in Syria. Prosecutors say the person provided instructions on how to send money overseas, and Villanueva ultimately transferred more than $1,600 in a dozen payments, believing the money would be used to purchase ammunition, weapons and other supplies for ISIS operations.

Read more: KTLA