In a significant legal development, a 60-year-old Lebanese national, Mohammad Ibrahim Bazzi, has admitted to conspiring in illegal activities related to a global terrorist organization. Bazzi’s actions involved attempts to conduct unlawful financial transactions with individuals based in the U.S., despite being under strict international sanctions.
Bazzi’s Background and Terrorist Financing
Bazzi was formally classified as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Treasury Department in May 2018. This classification is a grave concern. It means that Bazzi has been identified as someone who provided money, resources, and services to a group called Hizballah, which has been involved in many terrorist attacks over the years. Hizballah, founded in the 1980s, has been responsible for targeting American military personnel, government workers, and even civilians in different parts of the world.
Bazzi has reportedly been one of Hizballah’s key financial supporters. He is said to have funneled millions of dollars to the group from his businesses in several countries, including Belgium, Lebanon, Iraq, and parts of West Africa. Because of his involvement with Hizballah, U.S. law enforcement placed strict bans on any American citizens or companies from engaging in business with Bazzi or handling any of his assets in the United States. This was all part of a broader effort to cut off any resources that could be used to support terrorism.
The Conspiracy to Break the Law
Despite these bans, Bazzi, along with his co-defendant Talal Chahine, tried to find a way to get around these sanctions. Chahine, who is still on the run in Lebanon, worked with Bazzi to illegally transfer money out of the U.S. through a complicated real estate scheme. The plan centered around an individual based in the U.S. (known as “U.S. Person” in court documents). Bazzi and Chahine pressured this individual to sell their interests in some real estate located in Michigan. They wanted to secretly move the money from the sale—hundreds of thousands of dollars—out of the U.S. and into Lebanon without anyone noticing or getting the required approval from U.S. authorities, which is a violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
According to court records, Bazzi and Chahine came up with several ideas to try and hide their involvement in the scheme. They discussed using fake business transactions and third-party entities to disguise the fact that Bazzi was behind the whole operation. Here are some of the methods they considered:
- Fake restaurant purchase: Bazzi and Chahine suggested pretending to buy restaurant equipment from a manufacturer in China. The idea was to make it look like the money was being used for a legitimate business deal instead of being sent to Lebanon.
- Fictitious real estate deal: Another plan was to have someone in Lebanon pretend to sell property to cover up the movement of the funds.
- False loans: They even talked about making the transactions appear as if they were family loans being passed between Chahine’s relatives in Kuwait.
- Restaurant franchise agreement: They also thought about using a made-up agreement to bring a Lebanese restaurant chain to the U.S. as another way to cover the transfer of the money.
Arrest, Extradition, and Legal Consequences
In February 2023, Romanian law enforcement authorities arrested Bazzi. After being apprehended, he was extradited to the U.S., where he now faces the consequences of his actions. The U.S. authorities have expressed gratitude to the Romanian government for their assistance in making the arrest and bringing Bazzi to justice.
A sentencing hearing will soon be scheduled to determine the full extent of Bazzi’s punishment. Under the law, he faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years for his crimes. In addition to his time behind bars, Bazzi has agreed to forfeit approximately $830,000, which was involved in the illegal transaction. After serving his sentence, he is expected to be removed from the United States.
This case has been handled by a team of prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York, in cooperation with multiple U.S. agencies. The effort to bring Bazzi to justice is part of a broader operation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). This program is designed to dismantle major criminal organizations that pose a threat to the U.S. by using a collaborative approach between prosecutors and intelligence agencies.
This case highlights the challenges faced by international law enforcement in tackling financial crimes that fuel terrorist organizations and criminal networks.
