Father of Wakefield teen charged in alleged terrorist financing scheme calls son ‘a loyal American’

Paul Ventura was about to leave his Wakefield home Thursday morning when the FBI showed up looking for his 18-year-old son Mateo.

Hours later, the dad opened up to reporters for more than 20 minutes outside the federal courthouse in Worcester about how he believes the feds are entrapping his son, whom he repeatedly called a “loyal American.”

Mateo Ventura was arraigned Thursday afternoon on charges that he allegedly provided support to terrorism in the form of a string of gift cards to a supposed ISIS agent for resale on the dark web, according to federal authorities.

Paul Ventura said it was all a shock.

“He is a soft-hearted kid. He wants to help people,” Paul Ventura said of Mateo. “He’s not afraid to tell me anything. If he did something wrong, he would’ve said ‘Dad, I did something wrong.’ If he did it, he did it unintentionally.”

Mateo Ventura was charged with one count of concealing terrorist financing by the US. Attorney’s office in Boston.

Ventura provided  “multiple gift cards to an individual he believed was an ISIS supporter,” but in reality, he was communicating with an undercover FBI agent, according to federal documents.

The feds say Ventura provided a total of  $1,670 in gift cards to the agent: $965 as a juvenile and $705 after his 18th birthday, according to court documents. The gift cards ranged from Google Play cards to Gamestop, Amazon and Dick’s Sporting Goods, charging documents state.

Paul Ventura said he’s unsure where his son “got the money,” but explained “I give him a card for when I’m not home because I’m a single dad. He has a card that he (uses) for food and stuff. He’s home all the time.”

The father continued, “So, it’s almost like I think they put something in front of him and sucked him in. He is not a terrorist. He is a loyal American, 100%.”

Mateo was born premature and has developmental challenges, Paul Ventura said. He claimed his son was bullied throughout his childhood, and school officials never addressed the family’s concerns.

Mateo is fascinated by history, Paul Ventura said, adding he doesn’t know what religion his son practices.

“Everything with him is history; all of the wars, all of the things going on, everything. It’s just history, history, history.”