U.S. moves to seize property housing an Islamic center
Federal authorities moved today to seize a Northern California property housing an Islamic center, alleging that the foundation that owns the land has engaged in illegal financial activities with the Iranian government.
Preet Bharara, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, filed a civil complaint seeking forfeiture of property owned by the Alavi Foundation in Carmichael, near Sacramento, and in four other states.
The Carmichael property is home to the nonprofit Qoba Foundation, which says on its website that it is an Islamic organization "caring for spiritual needs of the community with a range of religious programs."
It also performs Islamic marriages and burial services, and provides certification of conversion to Islam as well as family counseling for the Islamic community of greater Sacramento, the website says.
The Qoba Foundation is not named in the complaint.
The U.S. attorney also is seeking forfeiture of the Alavi Foundation's interest in a 36-story office tower at 650 Fifth Ave. in midtown Manhattan.
The filing in New York federal court "alleges that the Alavi Foundation has been providing numerous services to the Iranian government and transferring funds from 650 Fifth Avenue Company to Bank Melli, a bank wholly owned and controlled by the government of Iran," the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
The filing also seeks forfeiture of the foundation’s holdings in Maryland, Texas and Virginia.
The properties can be seized under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, according to federal prosecutors, as property involved in and the proceeds of money-laundering offenses.
-- Patrick McGreevy in Sacramento
EDITOR'S PICKS:
seizing mosques violates 1st amendment not that the constitution means a whole lot. By claiming a link does not give the criminal justice system a claim to seize mosques and churches.
This is just a pretext to establish legal precedants allowing for seizure of independant churches.
Posted by: rh | November 12, 2009 at 04:34 PM
They will get in bad with Hussein Obama, raised a Muslim.
Posted by: Korean vet | November 12, 2009 at 04:56 PM
rh, please. Save the 1st Amendment crap. I suppose you agree with Moody's that it's their 1st Amendment right to defraud investors all over the world by giving junk securities AAA ratings? And they're not "seizing" mosques in the paranoid sense the media is implying. No one's tearing down these mosques or forbidding Muslims from worshiping there. All they're doing is attempting to stop revenues from being funneled to Iran. They'll find new private owners soon enough.
Posted by: cmon | November 12, 2009 at 07:56 PM
Please take it and give it to the homeless!
Posted by: dogrob1 | November 14, 2009 at 01:24 PM