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New Indictment Returned Against Islamic Charity and Former Congressman

By Howard Friedman

The U.S. Department of Justice announced yesterday that a federal grand jury in Missouri has returned a superseding indictment adding eight new counts to the 33 previous ones in proceedings against a now-defunct Islamic charity. The Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA) and several of its former officers were originally charged with illegal transfer of funds to Iraq, theft of government funds and misuse of IARA's charitable status to raise funds for illegal purposes. Yesterday's indictment adds charges that IARA engaged in prohibited financial transactions for the benefit of an Afghan mujaheddin leader. It also charges former Michigan Congressman Mark Deli Siljander with money laundering, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice. It alleges that he received stolen US AID funds as compensation for his services in pressing for the removal of IARA from a U.S. Senate Finance Committee's list of non-profit organizations suspected of being involved in supporting international terrorism. Reuters yesterday reported on the new indictment.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on January 17, 2008 (boomark / email).