U.S. prosecutors on Tuesday charged an alleged financier of Lebanon's Hezbollah with evading U.S. sanctions imposed on him by exporting hundreds of millions of dollars worth of diamonds and artwork.
The U.S. Treasury Department in 2019 sanctioned Nazem Ahmad for allegedly providing material support to Lebanon's Hezbollah, which Washington considers a terrorist organization. The move was intended to cut off access for Ahmad and 11 businesses associated with him to the U.S. financial system.
But federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said Ahmad worked with three family members and five other associates to continue dealing in diamonds and artwork, while concealing Ahmad's involvement. One of the alleged co-conspirators, Sundar Nagarajan, was arrested on Tuesday in England.