by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE, Feb 2 – For operating an informal money transmitting system known as a hawala, Mohanad Al-Zubaidi was arrested and detained on money laundering charges on February 1, 2024. Inner City Press was there.
Al-Zubaidi was brought before U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger.
The prosecutor emphasized that his father is in Iraq and that a co-defendant, who he didn't name, has a plane ticket to Turkey.
The just unsealed indictment names also Shaker Saleh Mohammed Hauter and Abdulkader Noori Hamza, neither in detention as of February 1 at 6 pm.
Judge Lehrburger cited these foreign ties, and that his children are not yet school age, as factor leading him to detain Al-Zubaidi.
On February 2, the man stopped at JFK was presented and detained. Inner City Press was again the only media there so live tweeted, thread
OK - now money laundering defendant who was slated to fly out of JFK to Turkey yesterday - Shaker Saleh Mohammed Hauter -
All rise! Judge: When was he arrested? AUSA: 11 pm last night. Judge: Counsel, are you retained? Counsel: Yes.
AUSA: We're seeking detention. They moved $65 million to Yemen, Syria and the UAE. This law was amended in the Patriot Act
AUSA: We have photos of him with an industrial money counter and bags of cash. He could flee. He was arrested at JFK last night with $10,000 cash. He traveled to Qatar three times
AUSA: The defendant Shaker Saleh Mohammed Hauter is from Yemen, his daughter in law is there. Defense: He was going to a dentist in Turkey for dental implants. His son owns a halal market in The Bronx and he live at [address said; we're not reporting]
AUSA: The dental implants may be a front.. The son is involved in moving cash. Defendant: I went via Qatar. Judge takes a break Thread will continue I
Judge is back. All rise! Judge: There is a serious risk of flight. I am going to detain the defendant.
The case is US v. Al-Zubaidi, et al, 24-cr-51 (Castel / Lehrburger)
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