Major Democrat, Clinton Donor Indicted for Fraud, Violating Iran Sanctions theepochtimes.com/major-democrat… via @epochtimes
3 executives connected to a defense contractor were charged for allegedly defrauding the U.S. military and for breaking U.S. sanctions on Iran. One of them was a significant contributor to the Democratic party, former State Secretary @HillaryClinton and @BillClinton.
One of the defendants, former Anham chief executive Abdul Huda Farouki, is a prominent Dem donor. He and his wife gave the party and its candidates over $320K since the 90’s, including over $13K to the Clinton campaigns. Farouki was also a member of the Clinton Global Initiative
The other defendants are Farouki’s brother Mazen, who headed a logistics company closely tied to Anham, and Salah Maarouf, who ran a company that procured goods and services for Anham.
Fake Construction
The massive supply contract required the contractor to have large warehouses to store food in Afghanistan. Anham claimed that the process of constructing such warehouses would be done well before the contract was to be awarded.
The massive supply contract required the contractor to have large warehouses to store food in Afghanistan. Anham claimed that the process of constructing such warehouses would be done well before the contract was to be awarded.
But that was a lie, according to the indictment (pdf). The construction had barely started months after the company submitted its bid. To get the contract, the company arranged equipment and machinery “to create the false appearance of an active construction site,”
Sanctions
As the company finally progressed with the construction, it shipped major components of the warehouses through Iran in violation of sanctions placed on Iran by the Obama administration.
As the company finally progressed with the construction, it shipped major components of the warehouses through Iran in violation of sanctions placed on Iran by the Obama administration.
When the violation was reported in 2013 by The Wall Street Journal, Farouki lied to the Defense Department, saying Anham’s senior leadership didn’t know about the plan to ship through Iran.
The defendants, in fact, “routinely discussed in internal communications the transshipment of warehouse components through Iran, for the purpose of saving time and decreasing the need to expend costs for the project prior to the awarding of the … contract,” the indictment reads.
Trucks Through Iran
In 2012, Anham also received at least $423 million in a Defense Department contract for trucking services in Afghanistan.
In 2012, Anham also received at least $423 million in a Defense Department contract for trucking services in Afghanistan.
Similarly to the warehouse components, the company shipped trucks through Iran, “rather than ship trucks to Afghanistan using legal but relatively expensive routes,” the Justice Department stated in a Nov. 29 release.
The defendants were each charged with two counts of major fraud, one count of conspiracy to violate the restrictions on doing business with Iran, four counts of substantive violations of those restrictions, and one count of conspiracy to commit international money laundering.
