Hezbollah $$$ Laundering Probe Focuses On Tulsa Car Dealership

FBI and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration launches an investigation into a multi-million dollar money laundering scheme which starts in Oklahoma and involves Oklahoman's helping terrorists.

The scheme begins at Ace Auto Leasing, which was used as a cover for Terrorists, drugs and other illegal activity. That has allegedly funneled $483 million through terrorist-controlled channels to Hezbollah and other Terrorists groups since January 2007.

Ace Auto Leasing, 5717 E. 11th St., is one of about 30 U.S. car buyers along with several other entities accused of facilitating the arrangement, according to a civil lawsuit filed Thursday in the U.S. Southern District of New York.

The red flag for the deal? Authorities say Ace Auto in Tulsa received more than $20 million in wire transfers from Hezbollah members or Hezbollah-controlled entities to purchase and ship used cars.

Records maintained by the Oklahoma Tax Commission indicate Mohamad K. Soukieh is the only officer associated with the corporation Ace Auto Leasing Inc. of Tulsa.

Tulsa County assessor records indicate property utilized as a used car lot in the 5700 block of East 11th Street was purchased by Mohamad K and Daad Soukieh in 2002. Adjacent property and land was purchased in 2005 and 2007.

Hezbollah is a Lebanon-based terrorist organization responsible for some of the most deadly anti-U.S. attacks dating to 1983. The group was formed in 1982 after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. It has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, a Specially Designated Terrorist and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.

Fifty-six terrorists groups all over the world are looking for new sources of funding. One of the ways they can find it is through drug sourcing activities.

In all, 30 domestic companies are being investigated.

A joint terrorism task force is looking for more than $480 million dollars from Lebanese institutions.

The money laundering scheme alleged is a complicated system involving car buyers and drug dealers with the Lebanese Canadian Bank acting at the center of the operation. Used car and other consumer good sales were used to hide the proceeds of illegal drug sales, all profiting Hezbollah and its efforts, the lawsuit alleges.

"The businesses of these car buyers typically have little or no property or assets other than bank accounts that are used to receive wires from overseas to buy cars, and to purchase used cars at auction," the lawsuit states.

"The car buyers typically do not have offices, car lots, or an inventory of used cars other than cars that are in transit to the ports. Some of the car buyers purchase cars for their own account, but others simply retain a fee of a few hundred dollars for each car that they buy."

A significant portion of the cash from car sales was allegedly transported to Lebanon by a Hezbollah-controlled system of money couriers, cash smugglers and currency brokers, according to the lawsuit.

A transportation company in Michigan is accused of frequently shipping cars to West Africa and other entities. Cash was then sent on to the Beirut airport, where Hezbollah security guarded and guided its passage to its final destination, the lawsuit alleges.

"The intricate scheme laid out in today's complaint reveals the deviously creative ways that terrorist organizations are funding themselves and moving their money, and it puts into stark relief the nexus between narcotics trafficking and terrorism," Bharara stated in a press release Friday. "Today, we are putting a stranglehold on a major source of that funding by disrupting a vast and far-flung network that spanned three continents."

In addition, the same infrastructure was used to hide and move money from drug sales from West Africa back to Lebanon, the lawsuit claims.

The system involved getting cocaine from Colombia through Africa to European markets. Proceeds were mixed with the used car profits and sent to the Lebanese Canadian Bank through exchange houses, the lawsuit alleges.

The Lebanese Canadian Bank also sent money through U.S. accounts to pay Asian suppliers of consumer goods, which were shipped to dealers in South America to pay off cocaine suppliers, the lawsuit alleges.

"DEA and its partners have exposed the Lebanese Canadian Bank as a major money laundering source for Hezbollah," stated DEA administrator Michele M. Leonhart in a press release Friday.

"The connection between drug traffickers and terror networks is evident. By attacking the financial networks of those who wish to harm innocent Americans, DEA is strengthening national security and making our citizens safer."


For more Background see:

Holy Land Retrial Ends in Sweeping Guilty Verdicts

Terror in Oklahoma

We Don't CAIR Conference

CAIR claims that their organization is
about building bridges and defending
the civil rights of Muslims, but let’s
examine the facts?

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The Truth Behind The Council on Islamic-American Relations

Summary Information Sheet on CAIR

US Attorney Gordon D. Kromberg was quoted in legal proceedings, “From its founding by Muslim Brotherhood leaders, CAIR conspired with other affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood to support terrorists.” (US v. Sabri Benkahla)

US Attorney James T. Jacks was quoted to say, “CAIR has been identified by the government as a participant in an ongoing and ultimately unlawful conspiracy to support a designated terrorist organization—a conspiracy from with CAIR never withdrew.” (USA v. HLF)

In 2007, CAIR was named an un-indicted co-conspirator in a terrorism case in which leaders of the Texas based "Holy Land Foundation" were convicted of funneling money to Hamas in the largest terror financing case in US history.

“The feds say the Holy Land Foundation was a bogus North Texas Muslim "charity" that had actually served since 1989 as Hamas's largest clandestine source of funding in the United States--collecting "over $57 million" in donations between 1992 and 2001.” – Weekly Standard, 2/13/06

“CAIR has been advised of the reasons behind our suspension of formal partnership. These reasons include the fact that CAIR was named an unindicted co-conspirator in United States v. Holy Land Foundation and CAIR’s failure to answer our questions about a connection between their executives and Hamas. Until these questions are answered, the FBI does not consider CAIR an appropriate partner for formal liaison activities.” An unindicted co-conspirator is a person or entity that is alleged in an indictment to have engaged in conspiracy, but who is not charged in the same indictment.” - FBI, March, 2010

Terror in Oklahoma

Coming on the back of the terrorism conviction of the 'Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development', One has ask what other Terrorism links are in OKC ?

Holy Land Retrial Ends in Sweeping Guilty Verdicts

It took 15 years and two trials, but the government has won a terrorism conviction against what had been the nations largest Muslim charity and five of its leaders for funneling millions of dollars to the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

A federal jury in Dallas found 'Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development' and its officials guilty of funneling more than $$12 million to the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

"It involves a conspiriacy that spanned a 13-year period of an effort," U.S. Attorney Richard Roper said. "A sophisticated effort to support the terrorist organization Hamas."

"This is a real victory for all of us in the sense that the funding for terrorism is essential for its continuation and we have done many things to weaken their operational capacity," Deputy Director MIPT David Cid said.

The convictions carry sentences up to 15 or 20 years on each count.

Ghassan Elashi, Holy Lands former chairman, and Shukri Abu-Baker, Holy Lands chief executive, were convicted of a combined 69 counts, including supporting a specially designated terrorist, money laundering and tax fraud.

Mufid Abdulqader and Abdulrahman Odeh were convicted of three counts of conspiracy.

Mohammed El-Mezain was convicted of one count of conspiracy to support a terrorist organization.