Potomac mosque among Muslim property seized by feds
By: Freeman Klopott
Examiner Staff Writer
November 13, 2009
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| (AP) |
Federal authorities want to seize a Potomac mosque and two Prince William County properties owned by a nonprofit Muslim organization they say funnels cash to a bank that helps fund Iran's nuclear program.
According to court documents filed Thursday, authorities want to take control of a 36-story New York City office tower, four mosques, including the one in Potomac, and two properties in Prince William County owned by the Alavi Foundation. Prosecutors say the foundation is a front for the Iranian government-owned Bank Melli.
The United States, the European Union and Australia have leveled sanctions against companies affiliated with Melli because of its role in supplying cash for Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, a U.S. Treasury Department press release said in March.
"The Alavi Foundation has effectively been a front for the government of Iran," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement Thursday as he linked Alavi to Melli. "For two decades, the Alavi Foundation's affairs have been directed by various Iranian officials, including Iranian ambassadors to the United Nations, in violation of a series of American laws."
Alavi owns the property on which the Islamic Education Center in Potomac sits, according to the center's Web site. When it was first established in 1981, the center was owned and run by Alavi, but it established itself as a separate nonprofit education institution in 1998, the Web site said. Calls to the Islamic Education Center were not immediately returned.
The complaint filed in New York City's federal court also demanded Alavi turn over 4204 and 4300 Aldie Road in Catharpin, Va., which have a combined value of more than $2 million, Prince William County property records said. The property is owned by Alavi in the name of the foundation's accountant Hanieh Safakamal, tax records show.
A woman who answered the phone at 4204 Aldie Road quickly hung up when asked about the Islamic organization. Property records indicate 4300 Aldie Road is vacant.
In December, Alavi's president, Farshi Jahedi, was charged with obstruction of justice after he allegedly destroyed documents sought by a grand-jury subpoena. He has pleaded not guilty.
Examiner Staff Writer William Flook contributed to this report.
