Hasan Piker Subpoenaed By U.S. Treasury Over March Cuba Aid Trip
Hasan Piker, one of Twitch's biggest political streamers, has been served with a subpoena by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The subpoena relates to his participation in a humanitarian aid trip to Cuba in March 2026, and he is one of roughly 40 Americans now under federal investigation for their involvement in similar trips to the embargoed island. On stream Sunday, Piker acknowledged the situation directly: "It's not great."
The March Cuba Trip That Triggered the Investigation
In March 2026, Piker joined CodePink's "Nuestra América Convoy," an international caravan that traveled to Havana from March 18 to 24. The convoy included 650 delegates from 33 countries and 120 organizations, among them CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin, Irish musicians Kneecap, and various activists and journalists. The stated purpose was to deliver humanitarian supplies, including medical aid to pediatric hospitals, and to provide on-the-ground reporting from inside Cuba during the U.S. oil blockade.
Taking medical supplies to pediatric hospitals in Cuba is now a crime? Saving the lives of babies is a crime? This administration is beyond grotesque. https://t.co/xsvQGEYzb8
— Medea Benjamin (@medeabenjamin) May 24, 2026
Benjamin, also subpoenaed, responded on social media: "Taking medical supplies to pediatric hospitals in Cuba is now a crime? Saving the lives of babies is a crime? This administration is beyond grotesque."
What The U.S. Treasury OFAC Is Investigating
The Office of Foreign Assets Control administers and enforces U.S. economic sanctions programs, including the longstanding Cuba embargo. The investigation centers on whether the convoy participants violated sanctions law through the financing of travel, coordination of logistics, or delivery of goods to Cuba, including any contact with Cuban government entities or personnel. A subpoena from OFAC is an administrative action, not a criminal indictment, but it compels the recipient to provide records and information to investigators.
Piker said before the trip that he had cleared it with OFAC in advance, although the streamer has not shown any proof of such communication publicly. Whether that prior contact provides legal protection is something his lawyers will have to work through. The scope of the probe is broad: according to Fox News, around 40 Americans are being examined over aid convoys and flotillas to Cuba over the course of 2026, with more subpoenas expected.
The Wider Political Context Behind the Crackdown
The subpoenas don't arrive in isolation. The Trump administration reinstated a full oil blockade on Cuba in February 2026, cutting the island off from energy supplies. In the week leading up to Piker's subpoena becoming public, the U.S. also indicted 94-year-old former Cuban president Raúl Castro, and the Department of Justice signaled it would begin investigating nonprofits sympathetic to Cuba. The Piker and Benjamin subpoenas are part of that wider campaign.
Hasan Piker Responds To Federal Subpoena
Piker is one of Twitch's most-watched political streamers, with a following built on live commentary of news events, political debates, all while playing video games (for the most part). He started his Twitch channel in 2018, primarily to talk about politics but also to play video games like Fortnite with his friends.
The scrutiny on Piker has been intensifying from both political directions as he covers Cuba, Iran, and Palestine on stream. Being subpoenaed by a federal agency is the most significant escalation yet, but the streamer is not a stranger to controversy.
Copyright The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 3:43 PM.