The plea, entered before United States District Judge Dora L. Irizarry, marks a critical step in the U.S. government’s efforts to clamp down on terrorism financing networks. Bazzi, who also agreed to forfeit nearly $830,000 linked to the illegal transactions, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and will be expelled from the United States upon completion of his sentence.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, stated on Friday, “Today, Specially Designated Global Terrorist Mohammad Bazzi accepted responsibility for his role in conspiring to secretly move hundreds of thousands of dollars from the United States to Lebanon in violation of sanctions placed on him for assisting the terrorist group Hezbollah.” He emphasized that the outcome demonstrates the United States’ commitment to enforcing sanctions aimed at curtailing terrorism financing.
Bazzi’s connection to Hezbollah dates back several decades. Meanwhile, Bazzi who is also holder of a Gambian passport was one of Yahya Jammmeh’s closest business partners, with both hijacking various lucrative sectors of the Gambian economy.
During Jammeh’s rule, Bazzi established a strong foothold in The Gambia, operating multiple businesses, including in the petroleum and telecommunications sectors.
He was alleged to have provided significant financial support to Jammeh’s regime, which was marked by widespread human rights abuses and corruption. His influence was so pervasive that he was often described as Jammeh’s financial gatekeeper, facilitating transactions that helped sustain the autocrat’s grip on power.
Bazzi’s financial dealings with the former Gambian dictator drew national scrutiny in the Gambia with the Janneh Commission of Inquiry into the financial dealings of Yahya Jammeh, eventually leading to more international attention with U.S. sanctions against him in 2018. Bazzi’s ties to the former Gambian dictator attest to his extensive network and influence.
In May 2018, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist for his involvement in providing financial, material, and technological support to Hezbollah.
According to the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Bazzi has funneled millions of dollars to the organization through his business activities in Belgium, Lebanon, Iraq, and West Africa. This designation blocked Bazzi’s interests in any U.S. property and prohibited U.S. persons from conducting business with him.
The charges against Bazzi also involved his co-defendant, Talal Chahine, who remains at large in Lebanon. Together, they conspired to induce an individual in the United States to liquidate real estate assets in Michigan and secretly transfer the proceeds to Lebanon without the necessary OFAC licenses. To conceal the illicit transfer, Bazzi and Chahine proposed several fraudulent methods, including fictitious purchases of restaurant equipment from China and fake intra-family loans.
Bazzi’s arrest in Romania in February 2023, followed by his extradition to the United States, was the result of a coordinated effort by U.S. and Romanian authorities. The case was prosecuted as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, which targets high-level criminal organizations that pose a threat to the United States.
DEA New Jersey Field Division Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz highlighted the collaborative effort between domestic and international law enforcement agencies in bringing Bazzi to justice. “The guilty plea from Mohammad Bazzi is a testament to the DEA’s commitment to disrupting and dismantling organizations and individuals who support terrorist activities financially,” she stated.
Bazzi’s guilty plea and impending sentencing underscore the global reach and impact of U.S. sanctions enforcement. His case serves as a reminder of the far-reaching consequences for those who attempt to circumvent these measures and support terrorist organizations. (Source Gambia Journal)
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