Court Case

USA v. Tajideen, Kassim

March 2017 (Updated June 20, 2020)
, United States
Hizballah

[DDC] Kassim Tajideen of Beirut, Lebanon, was arrested and charged with evading U.S. sanctions imposed on him because of his financial support of Hizballah. He pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy in furtherance of violations of U.S. sanctions. According to the statement of facts signed by Tajideen in conjunction with his plea, Tajideen conspired with at least five other people to conduct over $50 million in transactions with U.S. businesses that violated the sanctions. On Aug. 8, 2019, Tajideen was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to forfeit $50 million for involvement in money laundering scheme involving the evasion of U.S. sanctions. On May 28, 2020, Federal District Court Judge Reggie granted Tajideen's emergency request for compassionate release, which said his age and "serious health conditions" leave him particularly vulnerable as the coronavirus spread through the U.S. prison system.

Related Topics: Prosecutions, Terror Financing

Case Updates

2020-06-20 | US: Imprisoned Hezbollah financier granted early release

The United States will release convicted Hezbollah financier Kassim Tajideen three years into his five-year sentence due to his poor health and risks of COVID-19 infection from prison, according to court documents. On May 28 Washington Federal District Court Judge Reggie Walton granted Tajideen's emergency request for compassionate release, which said his age and "serious health conditions" leave him particularly vulnerable as the coronavirus spread through the US prison system. The decision could see Tajideen, 64, return back to Lebanon as early as July. "At this time, a charter flight to Lebanon has been scheduled for July 2020 and Mr Tajideen is on the manifest," immigration authorities said in a court filing. The ruling has sparked speculation that Tajideen's release was part of a prisoner exchange after Beirut freed American-Lebanese citizen Amer al-Fakhoury, a naturalized US citizen and former member of a pro-Israel militia said to have presided over torture of thousands of detainees while he was a prison warden. Tajideen's lawyer, William Taylor, rejected these allegations.

2019-08-08 | Lebanese Businessman Tied to Hizballah is Sentenced to Prison for Money Laundering Scheme Involving The Evasion of U.S. Sanctions

The operator of a network of businesses in Lebanon and Africa whom the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated as a financier of Hizballah, the Lebanon-based terrorist group, was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to forfeit $50 million. Kassim Tajideen had previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments in furtherance of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). In 2009, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Tajideen as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist based on his tens of millions of dollars of financial support of Hizballah. The designation prohibited Tajideen from being involved in, or benefiting from, transactions involving U.S. persons or companies without a license from the Department of the Treasury.

Case Documents