Syrian National Charged with Diverting $9 Million in U.S. funded Humanitarian Assistance to a Terrorist Organization Affiliated with Al Qaida

Press Release

WASHINGTON - Mahmoud Al Hafyan, 53, a Syrian national, has been charged in a 12-count indictment, unsealed today in U.S. District Court, alleging major fraud against the United States for illegally diverting more than $9 million in U.S.-funded humanitarian aid intended for Syrian civilians to armed combatant groups, including the Al-Nusrah Front (ANF), which is a designated foreign terrorist organization affiliated with al-Qaida in Iraq.

The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jason Donnelly of the U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Inspector General (USAID-OIG), and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani of the Washington Field Office Counterterrorism Division.

"This defendant not only defrauded the U.S. government, but he also gave the humanitarian aid he stole to a foreign terrorist organization," said U.S. Attorney Graves. "While this foreign terrorist organization fought with the cruel al-Assad regime, the people who were supposed to receive the aid suffered. This office has a history of pursuing criminals around the globe, no matter how many years it takes, and will do all it can to ensure that Mahmoud Al Hafyan is held accountable for these crimes."

"USAID OIG works tirelessly to ensure that US-funded humanitarian assistance does not fall into the hands of terrorist organizations," said Donnelly of USAID-OIG. "We will continue to work with the Department of Justice and law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who compromise USAID programs for vulnerable populations around the world."

"The FBI's number one priority is to fight terrorism, including identifying and investigating individuals who are enabling terrorist activities through financial support," said Virmani of the FBI Washington Field Office Counterterrorism Division. "Al Hafyan diverted millions of dollars in USAID funding to support the terrorist organization Al-Nusrah Front, as well as to line his own pockets. Not only was Al Hafyan supporting violent terrorists, but he was stealing money from the U.S. government that was meant for humanitarian efforts. This public indictment is the culmination of years of work, and I want to thank our partners, specifically USAID OIG, for their work with this investigation."

According to the indictment, Al Hafyan, aka Abu Abdo Al-Homsi, was the head of a non-governmental organization (NGO-1) in the NGO's regional office in Syria. Al Hafyan managed 160 NGO-1 employees.

Syria has been involved in a civil war since 2011 that resulted in a humanitarian crisis. Through USAID, the U.S. Government spent more than $12 billion until 2020 to aid Syrian civilians affected by the war. USAID-funded humanitarian assistance programs are administered by United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations. The funding in this case was intended for food and medical supplies.

USAID awarded $122 million to NGO-1 between January 2015 through November 2018. That money was intended for food kits for conflict-affected Syrian refugees. Along with at least two co-conspirators, Al Hafyan directed food kits valued at millions of dollars to commanders leading ANF. ANF's primary objective was the overthrow of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al Assad. ANF was notorious for the atrocities it committed and publicly took responsibility for conducting mass executions of civilians, suicide bombings, and kidnappings.

Al Hafyan sold the kits on the black market to the ANF commanders for his personal benefit. Al Hafyan and his coconspirators falsified beneficiary logs and inflated the number of food kits received by war-affected families in the Syrian villages of Bweiti, Lof, Mazratt-Shoukh, and Salamin to fraudulently make it appear that NGO-1 was dispersing the kits according to NGO-1's guidelines.

The case represents one of the most significant diversions of USAID-funded humanitarian aid that USAID-OIG has investigated.

The case was investigated by USAID-OIG and the FBI's Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen Seifert, Alexandra Hughes, and Jack Korba of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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Updated November 19, 2024