DOJ: Lebanese designated as "financer of Hezbollah" sentenced to prison

WASHINGTON, Aug 9 (KUNA) -- The operator of a network of businesses in Lebanon and Africa whom the Department of the Treasury designated as "a financier of Hezbollah," was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to forfeit USD 50 million for a money laundering scheme involving the evasion of US sanctions, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday.
The DOJ said that Kassim Tajideen, 63, had previously pleaded guilty "to one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments in furtherance of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)." Tajideen was designated in 2009 by the Department of Treasury as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist based on his tens of millions of dollars of financial support of Hezbollah." The designation prohibited him from "being involved in, or benefiting from, transactions involving US persons or companies without a license from the Department of the Treasury." "This investigation and others are part of the Department of Justice's Hezbollah Financing and Narcoterrorism Team (HFNT)," the statement noted.
The HFNT was formed in 2018 "to ensure an aggressive and coordinated approach to prosecutions and investigations, including Project Cassandra cases, targeting the individuals and networks supporting Hezbollah." Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski of the Criminal Division said in this regard, "His sentencing and the USD 50 million forfeiture in this case are just the latest public examples of the Department of Justice's ongoing efforts to disrupt and dismantle Hezbollah and its support networks." (end) si.gta