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| Terror Networks |
| 12 Iraqi Ex-Pats Indicted On Iraq Money Laundering Charges |
| 2002-12-19 |
SEATTLE - A federal grand jury in Seattle has indicted 12 people in an alleged international money-laundering scheme to funnel more than $12 million to Iraq. The indictment, handed up Wednesday and unsealed Thursday, alleges that between April 2000 and January 2002, a ring of agents throughout the United States collected money domestically and sent it to a company called Alshafei Family Connect in suburban Edmonds. Edmonds is a sleepy suburb of seattle, unique only in that it is a terminous of a ferry route, train stop and has a oil storage facility. Six people named in the indictment have been arrested, the government said. The company's owner, Hussein Alshafei, has acknowledged in unrelated court papers that he sent money from Iraqi refugees in the United States to their friends and relatives in the Middle East, including Iraq. But federal authorities claim those transfers broke the U.S. embargo of Iraq. They say some of the $12.1 million apparently didn't go to poverty-stricken relatives, but to foreign banks and companies before winding up with Al-Nour Trading, an Iraqi entity they know little about. According to the indictment, the money was collected by Alshafei Family Connect's agents in Dallas; Phoenix; Nashville, Tenn.; St. Louis; and Roanoke, Va. What is it that all these cities have in common? they are all transportation and communication hubs! coincidence?, notice they arent based in out of the way places like ely nevada, bakersfield california, star idaho, comstock texas, pigsnuckle arkansas and so on...Those agents, all arrested Thursday, are accused of forwarding the money to Alshafei, who sent it to Iraq via England, India, Canada, Brazil, Taiwan, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. What? Nigeria didnt make the cut? The U.S. Customs Service investigation was handled by a task force designed to root out financial backers of terrorism, but authorities said they have found no links to terrorism thus far. Were expecting more results after "jughead" spends a week in gen-pop. However, Leigh H. Winchell, special agent in charge of the Customs office in Seattle, added: "It is not humanitarian aid." He declined to say what investigators believe the money was used for. Two guesses and first one doesnt count. The indictment includes one count of conspiracy to launder money and 34 counts of money laundering, the latter supported by a list of 34 transactions from Seattle-area banks to companies in London and other cities totaling just over $1 million. That $1 million eventually reached Al-Nour Trading, run by a man whose last name is Fakher Faker?is someone putting us on?and whose alias is Abu Haider, prosecutors say. It isn't clear how the rest of the $12 million allegedly got to Iraq. The indictment charges people in London, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq, in addition to the six people arrested in the United States. Each count carries up to 20 years in prison. Federal officials said they would try to have those living abroad arrested and extradited to the United States. The United States has extradition treaties with Jordan and the United Kingdom, but not with the UAE. As for those suspects living in Iraq, "I believe Saddam Hussein is preoccupied," Winchell said. Alshafei, an Iraqi refugee who protested Saddam Hussein's rule, prompted the investigation himself. Customs officials began looking into him in January 2002 shortly after he filed a civil lawsuit against Bank of America, saying it had improperly closed his account. Bank of America officials said they closed the account because of concerns over a series of money transfers overseas in amounts just under $10,000 - the threshold that requires banks to report the transaction to the federal government. Well, what this says is that the old limit of transfers below 10,00 and no one will notice is pretty much over. (mrs soprano, watch your wallet) But Alshafei said the bank was practicing racial-profiling after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and he sued in King County Superior Court. In that lawsuit, Alshafei openly acknowledged transferring funds to Iraq through Jordan to evade the embargo, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Ok, so the guys not only a possible enemy agent, he's a complete moron as well. Look like weve got the "A" team working here. When deciding which transactions to charge him with, prosecutors considered the amount and the apparent purpose. "These transactions where the funds went to corporate entities seemed inconsistent with what Mr. Alshafei was saying publicly about his intentions," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis J. Diskin. "We have not chosen to charge him for each of the $500 or $1,000 transactions." Customs agents executed search warrants at Alshafei's business and home in January, seizing 71 boxes of documents and five computers. No arrests were made at the time. Also, in late February, customs agents served 29 federal search warrants on people in 14 states who were suspected of conspiring with the company. Diskin said Thursday authorities believe Alshafei continued to operate illegally even after the search warrants were served. Alshafei was taken into custody Thursday and was due to appear before a U.S. magistrate in Seattle later in the day. In addition to Alshafei, Fakher and Alshafei Family Connect, the indictment names: Ali Mohammud Ali Abbas of Jordan; Haider Amer Fakher of Iraq; Hashim Mohsin Almosawi of Everett, Wash.; Abdulilah Hamid Daoud of London; Ahmed Fayadh Kathe of Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Salam Said Alkhursan of Dallas; Khalid Amen of St. Louis; Ali Noor Alsutani of Nashville, Tenn.; Ali Almarhoun of Phoenix; and Malik Almaliki of Roanoke, Va. This is the third such organization in the seattle area that has been shut down siince 9/11. I have to say however that this guy is the dumbest one I've seen in a long time. |
| Posted by:Frank Martin |
| #1 Notice that it's Customs doing all this. Got tired of waiting for the FBI. All of these cases, nationwide, illustrate how much money is sent out of the country. And illustrative of how many people avoid and evade the regulations on reporting money transfers. We're seeing a lot of Mid East cases, but if they keep digging, we'll see Columbia, Peru, etc., as the drug money shows up. |
| Posted by: Chuck 2002-12-20 09:58:24 |