IARA sentenced in federal court for transferring nearly $1.4 million to Iraq
An agency that was formerly headquartered in Columbia, Mo., was sentenced in federal court Thursday for transferring nearly $1.4 million to Iraq in violation of federal sanctions.
Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA) has been dissolved, and has divested itself of all its funds and property. IARA’s assets, which consisted of 14 bank accounts and an interest in a piece of real estate in Boone County, Mo., were transferred to Heifer International, Inc., an unrelated charity. A total of $818,894 was given to Heifer International to further the goal of providing relief to farmers and drought victims in east Africa.
The real estate has not yet been sold. Articles of Dissolution were filed with the Missouri Secretary of State on April 5, 2017, terminating IARA as a registered corporation with the state of Missouri. No new corporation will be formed to carry on the IARA’s former activities.
The IARA closed in October 2004 following a raid by federal agents. The raid came after the Treasury Department as a specially designated global terrorist organization.
Mark Siljander, a former U.S. Representative and deputy United Nations ambassador from Michigan, was also indicted for helping the IARA by trying to get the organization removed from government lists of charities suspected of funding terrorism. Siljander was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison.
