Ghassan Elashi
Encyclopedia
Ghassan Elashi was a founder of the charitable group Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development
and the Texas
branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
, and a vice president of the Richardson, Texas
, internet company InfoCom Corporation
. In a second trial that concluded in November, 2008 (the first had ended in a mistrial), Elashi was convicted of terrorism financing crimes related to financial dealings with the Palestinian
group Hamas
. Elashi is appealing the verdict. He and his co-defendants contend that the Holy Land Foundation funded legitimate humanitarian aid in Palestine rather than Hamas.
In 2002, Elashi was indicted, along with Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook, a senior member of Hamas, for directing funds toward the group, which the U.S. Department of State has designated a terrorist organization.
InfoCom shared personnel, office space, and board members with the Holy Land Foundation, and both received investments from Hamas leader Marzook.
Elashi was arrested in December 2002 and charged with conspiracy
, money laundering
, and dealing in the property of a designated terrorist. The government later allowed the case against Elashi and his codefendants to be split into two cases. In 2004, Elashi and two of his brothers were convicted for illegally shipping computer shipments to Syria
and Libya
, which were U.S. State Department
-designated state sponsors of terrorism. On October 13, 2006, Elashi was sentenced to seven years in prison. The second cased ended in a mistrial in 2007, but Elashi and his codefendants were convicted after a retrial, in November 2008. In 2009, Elashi was sentenced to 65 years in prison on federal charges of funneling 12 million dollars to Hamas.
Elashi was originally housed at Federal Correctional Institution, Seagoville
, because there was a requirement stating that the convicted men in the affair must stay around the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
area so the men could aid their lawyers with their appeals. On April 20, 2010, U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis ended the requirement, facilitating the move of the convicted men to more secure facilities, where their mail is monitored and their telephone calls are limited and monitored. In addition the men would be required to speak English when talking with outsiders. Elashi was moved to a more secure prison in Illinois. Elashi, Federal Bureau of Prisons
#29687-177, is currently incarcerated at United States Penitentiary, Marion
.
The U.S. non-governmental organization Charity & Security Network has charged that the convictions of Elashi and the other Holy Land Foundation defendants send a "chilling message" to U.S. NGOs, in part because they will now be uncertain how to determine which local charities they can safely have financial dealings with. One indication of that uncertainty, the group states, is that the Islamic charitable committees that Holy Land was convicted of working with have "never been placed on the U.S. government's list of organizations supporting terrorism."
Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development
The Holy Land Foundation was the largest Islamic charity in the United States. Headquartered in Richardson, Texas, it was originally known as Occupied Land Fund....
and the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
Council on American-Islamic Relations
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is America's largest Muslim civil liberties advocacy organization that deals with civil advocacy and promotes human rights...
, and a vice president of the Richardson, Texas
Richardson, Texas
Richardson is a city in Dallas and Collin Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 99,223. In 2011 the population was estimated to be 107,684. Richardson is an affluent inner suburb of Dallas and home of the Telecom Corridor with a high...
, internet company InfoCom Corporation
InfoCom Corporation
InfoCom Corporation was a Web hosting service company founded by five brothers in 1992. It was initially based in Dallas, Texas, and before its dissolution it was based in Richardson, Texas....
. In a second trial that concluded in November, 2008 (the first had ended in a mistrial), Elashi was convicted of terrorism financing crimes related to financial dealings with the Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
group Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
. Elashi is appealing the verdict. He and his co-defendants contend that the Holy Land Foundation funded legitimate humanitarian aid in Palestine rather than Hamas.
In 2002, Elashi was indicted, along with Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook, a senior member of Hamas, for directing funds toward the group, which the U.S. Department of State has designated a terrorist organization.
InfoCom shared personnel, office space, and board members with the Holy Land Foundation, and both received investments from Hamas leader Marzook.
Elashi was arrested in December 2002 and charged with conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
, money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
, and dealing in the property of a designated terrorist. The government later allowed the case against Elashi and his codefendants to be split into two cases. In 2004, Elashi and two of his brothers were convicted for illegally shipping computer shipments to Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, which were U.S. State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
-designated state sponsors of terrorism. On October 13, 2006, Elashi was sentenced to seven years in prison. The second cased ended in a mistrial in 2007, but Elashi and his codefendants were convicted after a retrial, in November 2008. In 2009, Elashi was sentenced to 65 years in prison on federal charges of funneling 12 million dollars to Hamas.
Elashi was originally housed at Federal Correctional Institution, Seagoville
Federal Correctional Institution, Seagoville
The Federal Correctional Institution, Seagoville , a federal prison in Seagoville, Texas, United States. It is on U.S. Highway 175 southeast of Downtown Dallas. The complex contains a low security prison as well as a minimum security prison or camp...
, because there was a requirement stating that the convicted men in the affair must stay around the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. The area is divided into two metropolitan divisions: Dallas–Plano–Irving and Fort Worth–Arlington. Residents of the area...
area so the men could aid their lawyers with their appeals. On April 20, 2010, U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis ended the requirement, facilitating the move of the convicted men to more secure facilities, where their mail is monitored and their telephone calls are limited and monitored. In addition the men would be required to speak English when talking with outsiders. Elashi was moved to a more secure prison in Illinois. Elashi, Federal Bureau of Prisons
Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons is a federal law enforcement agency subdivision of the United States Department of Justice and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. The system also handles prisoners who committed acts considered felonies under the District of Columbia's...
#29687-177, is currently incarcerated at United States Penitentiary, Marion
United States Penitentiary, Marion
The United States Penitentiary is a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility located in Southern Precinct, unincorporated Williamson County, Illinois. The facility is located south of Marion, from St. Louis, and from Chicago. It was built in 1963 to replace the Alcatraz prison in San Francisco, which...
.
The U.S. non-governmental organization Charity & Security Network has charged that the convictions of Elashi and the other Holy Land Foundation defendants send a "chilling message" to U.S. NGOs, in part because they will now be uncertain how to determine which local charities they can safely have financial dealings with. One indication of that uncertainty, the group states, is that the Islamic charitable committees that Holy Land was convicted of working with have "never been placed on the U.S. government's list of organizations supporting terrorism."