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A Vienna resident pleaded guilty in a money laundering scheme tied to a Hizballah-owned television station. (Shutterstock)
VIENNA, VA A Vienna resident who is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Lebanon pleaded guilty Monday in a money laundering scheme tied to the terrorist group Hizballah.
Prosecutors say Racha Farhat, 44, laundered money as part of a decade-long scheme to ship electronics equipment to a Hizballah-owned television station in Lebanon. She and her husband also pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit tax fraud by concealing income from her employment in Virginia.
The money laundering began in 2010 and continued until her February 2021 arrest, according to court documents. Farhat received money from a co-conspirator in Lebanon and used the money to buy electronics equipment in the U.S. She shipped items purchased by herself and other co-conspirators primarily to Lebanon. The co-conspirator in Lebanon provided $175,000 worth of goods to Al Manar TV, a televisio
Alexandria, VA A dual Lebanese and U.S. citizen who resides in Vienna, Virginia pleaded guilty today to participating in a conspiracy to launder money as part of a decade-long scheme to ship electronics equipment to a Hizballah-owned television station in Lebanon. In addition, the defendant and her husband pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit tax fraud by concealing income from her employment in Virginia. For over a decade, Racha Farhat participated in a conspiracy to purchase electronics equipment using the proceeds of illegal activity, which benefited a Lebanese television station owned by Hizballah, said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Working with our law enforcement partners, we will bring to justice those who use the U.S. financial system to further the interests of prohibited entities that engage in unlawful activities abroad.