Mark Siljander Addressing a Meeting of Muslim and Christians.
© Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc. photos
January 20, 2012
Ex-Congressman and Oak Park and River Forest High School Graduate, Mark Siljander is Sentenced to Federal Prison for his lying to the FBI and acting as an unregistered lobbyist for a sponsor of international terrorism.
report and commentary by Ed Vincent
Mark Deli Siljander graduated from Oak Park and River Forest High School in 1969 and was about to have the ride of his life. He grew up in a Christian Science home, though not a strict one, and had a sense of humor and pranks that were legendary. He and his brother bought an older limousine and used to take turns driving each other around on dates and events, sometimes Mark was the chauffeur and sometimes his brother Bill was the chauffeur.
No one is sure when Mark became a born again Christian, but there were times that he spoke in tongues, or was that just mumbling with smiles added? Was he playing his supporters and campaign workers who helped him get elected in Michigan?
His cadre of right wing religious drones were plentiful in the lower areas of Michigan, where being conservative smelled like apple pie. When he was defeated in his re-election efforts in Congress he turned to consulting work using his Washington D.C. contacts and friends. He also worked for a Christian radio station, was he still running around on piers as a youth with fake blood capsules in his mouth and feigning injury for laughs?
I have no idea, people are capable of a great number of things, but one thing they have some difficulty doing is making big changes in their lives.
The charges against Mark were very serious, and no one knowing him thought they could be true, but money and influence were involved and that did give pause for thought. For the government it gave more than a pause, it gave indictments. Mark's reported work for a U.S. based Islamic relief organization that allegedly gave funds to a prominent Afghan warlord, named Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.
Hekmatyar had been a friend of the United States when he fought against the Soviet Union, but that is history now. Siljander was had a great deal of good luck in his life and after being charged with laundering stolen money from the United States, conspiracy and obstruction of justice, by a federal grand jury in hearing testimony in Kansas City, Missouri he is walking away with little damage.
In 2004 Mark Siljander was hired by the Islamic American Relief Agency based in Columbia, Missouri. The money, some of which was reported to have been paid to Siljander is alleged to have been stolen by the Islamic American Relief Agency from the U.S. Agency for International Development. That money was suppose to be used for relief work in Africa, the kind of relief that can and does save people's lives.
Mark Siljander could have been sentenced to 15 years in prison without parole and a fine of up to $500,000 if he been convicted on all of the original charges. There was a plea deal arranged that had Siljander pleading on July 7, 2010, to obstruction of justice and acting as an unregistered foreign agent. That meant that he acknowledged that failed to register with the other some 18,000 lobbyists in Washington D.C., that as a government consultant he should have been more than aware of. The fine for not registering is by itself some $50,000 in fines. He had also avoided the label of aiding terrorists on his CV. The money that he did get from Islamic American Relief Agency was not used as earlier stated for work on his book (A Deadly Misunderstanding, by Siljander.)
Siljander was paid $50,000 to influence Congress to restore the Islamic American Relief Agencies eligibility to receive government funds, that were going to terrorists--though no connection was drawn directly to Siljander.
U.S. District Judge Nanette K. Laughrey on Wednesday, January 11th, sentenced former United States Rep. Mark Siljander, R-Mich., to a year and a day in prison without parole.
I did something wrong," Siljander said. "I mistreated the system I believe in. I mistreated my family and friends. I should have known better. I failed too many people, including myself and my family. I ask for your mercy."
Federal Judge Laughrey said, "I came in this morning with the thought that I would sentence you to a longer time in jail." She apparently took sympathy from the testimony of Siljander's family and used that to sentence a more lenient verdict.
Federal Judge Laughrey added, "This is not a case about somebody aiding a terrorist."
It has also been learned that Siljander will spend some of his time in less restricted jail setting and perhaps even some time in a halfway house type environment before being discharged.
This is not a proud time for anyone but somethings should be learned from all this. Money can do good and can do evil depending on where it goes. If you look at the much of the trouble existing in today's current government and the financial woes that are weighing on many citizens, take a look at the money spent by lobbyists and where it goes. Our biggest troubles are coming from the top spenders on the list below.
Spending by Registered Lobbyist in Washington D.C.
The top sectors and their total spending between 1998 and 2010 were:
Client Amount Spent Percentage of Total
1 Finance, Insurance & Real Estate $4,274,060,331 14.53%
2 Health $4,222,427,808 14.53%
3 Misc Business $4,149,842,571 14.11%
4 Communications/Electronics $3,497,881,399 11.89%
5 Energy & Natural Resources $3,104,104,518 10.55%
6 Transportation $2,245,118,222 7.63%
7 Other $2,207,772,363 7.50%
8 Ideological/Single-Issue $1,477,294,241 5.02%
9 Agribusiness $1,280,824,983 4.12%
10 Defense $1,216,469,173 4.13%
11 Construction $480,363,108 1.63%
12 Labor $427,355,408 1.45%
13 Lawyers & Lobbyists themselves $336,170,306 1.14%
Total $28,919,684,431 98.23%
Ex-Congressman and Oak Park and River Forest High School Graduate, Mark Siljander is Sentenced to Federal Prison for his lying to the FBI and acting as an unregistered lobbyist for a sponsor of international terrorism.
report and commentary by Ed Vincent
Mark Deli Siljander graduated from Oak Park and River Forest High School in 1969 and was about to have the ride of his life. He grew up in a Christian Science home, though not a strict one, and had a sense of humor and pranks that were legendary. He and his brother bought an older limousine and used to take turns driving each other around on dates and events, sometimes Mark was the chauffeur and sometimes his brother Bill was the chauffeur.
No one is sure when Mark became a born again Christian, but there were times that he spoke in tongues, or was that just mumbling with smiles added? Was he playing his supporters and campaign workers who helped him get elected in Michigan?
His cadre of right wing religious drones were plentiful in the lower areas of Michigan, where being conservative smelled like apple pie. When he was defeated in his re-election efforts in Congress he turned to consulting work using his Washington D.C. contacts and friends. He also worked for a Christian radio station, was he still running around on piers as a youth with fake blood capsules in his mouth and feigning injury for laughs?
I have no idea, people are capable of a great number of things, but one thing they have some difficulty doing is making big changes in their lives.
The charges against Mark were very serious, and no one knowing him thought they could be true, but money and influence were involved and that did give pause for thought. For the government it gave more than a pause, it gave indictments. Mark's reported work for a U.S. based Islamic relief organization that allegedly gave funds to a prominent Afghan warlord, named Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.
Hekmatyar had been a friend of the United States when he fought against the Soviet Union, but that is history now. Siljander was had a great deal of good luck in his life and after being charged with laundering stolen money from the United States, conspiracy and obstruction of justice, by a federal grand jury in hearing testimony in Kansas City, Missouri he is walking away with little damage.
In 2004 Mark Siljander was hired by the Islamic American Relief Agency based in Columbia, Missouri. The money, some of which was reported to have been paid to Siljander is alleged to have been stolen by the Islamic American Relief Agency from the U.S. Agency for International Development. That money was suppose to be used for relief work in Africa, the kind of relief that can and does save people's lives.
Mark Siljander could have been sentenced to 15 years in prison without parole and a fine of up to $500,000 if he been convicted on all of the original charges. There was a plea deal arranged that had Siljander pleading on July 7, 2010, to obstruction of justice and acting as an unregistered foreign agent. That meant that he acknowledged that failed to register with the other some 18,000 lobbyists in Washington D.C., that as a government consultant he should have been more than aware of. The fine for not registering is by itself some $50,000 in fines. He had also avoided the label of aiding terrorists on his CV. The money that he did get from Islamic American Relief Agency was not used as earlier stated for work on his book (A Deadly Misunderstanding, by Siljander.)
Siljander was paid $50,000 to influence Congress to restore the Islamic American Relief Agencies eligibility to receive government funds, that were going to terrorists--though no connection was drawn directly to Siljander.
U.S. District Judge Nanette K. Laughrey on Wednesday, January 11th, sentenced former United States Rep. Mark Siljander, R-Mich., to a year and a day in prison without parole.
I did something wrong," Siljander said. "I mistreated the system I believe in. I mistreated my family and friends. I should have known better. I failed too many people, including myself and my family. I ask for your mercy."
Federal Judge Laughrey said, "I came in this morning with the thought that I would sentence you to a longer time in jail." She apparently took sympathy from the testimony of Siljander's family and used that to sentence a more lenient verdict.
Federal Judge Laughrey added, "This is not a case about somebody aiding a terrorist."
It has also been learned that Siljander will spend some of his time in less restricted jail setting and perhaps even some time in a halfway house type environment before being discharged.
This is not a proud time for anyone but somethings should be learned from all this. Money can do good and can do evil depending on where it goes. If you look at the much of the trouble existing in today's current government and the financial woes that are weighing on many citizens, take a look at the money spent by lobbyists and where it goes. Our biggest troubles are coming from the top spenders on the list below.
Spending by Registered Lobbyist in Washington D.C.
The top sectors and their total spending between 1998 and 2010 were:
Client Amount Spent Percentage of Total
1 Finance, Insurance & Real Estate $4,274,060,331 14.53%
2 Health $4,222,427,808 14.53%
3 Misc Business $4,149,842,571 14.11%
4 Communications/Electronics $3,497,881,399 11.89%
5 Energy & Natural Resources $3,104,104,518 10.55%
6 Transportation $2,245,118,222 7.63%
7 Other $2,207,772,363 7.50%
8 Ideological/Single-Issue $1,477,294,241 5.02%
9 Agribusiness $1,280,824,983 4.12%
10 Defense $1,216,469,173 4.13%
11 Construction $480,363,108 1.63%
12 Labor $427,355,408 1.45%
13 Lawyers & Lobbyists themselves $336,170,306 1.14%
Total $28,919,684,431 98.23%
Muslim clerics and speakers along with Mark Siljander at Chicago area Meeting in 2009.
© Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc. photos
Press Release
Former Congressman Sentenced for Obstructing Justice, Acting as Unregistered Foreign Agent IARA Officials Also Sentenced for Transferring More Than $1 Million to Iraq U.S. Attorney’s Office
Former Congressman Sentenced for Obstructing Justice, Acting as Unregistered Foreign Agent IARA Officials Also Sentenced for Transferring More Than $1 Million to Iraq U.S. Attorney’s Office
January 11, 2012
KANSAS CITY, MO—Beth Phillips, United
States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a
former congressman was sentenced in federal court today for obstruction
of justice and for acting as an unregistered foreign agent, related to
his work for an Islamic charity with ties to international terrorism.
Several officials and employees of that charity, the now-defunct
Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA) formerly headquartered in
Columbia, Mo., were also sentenced in federal court today.
“A Missouri charity secretly funneled more than a million dollars to Iraq in violation of United States economic sanctions,” Phillips said. “IARA then hired a former congressman to lobby the government on its behalf after it was listed as a specially designated global terrorist organization due to the support its international offices provided to Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda, and the Taliban. They tried to cover up a $75,000 payment by lying to federal agents and prosecutors, but today they are being held accountable for their actions.”
“A Missouri charity secretly funneled more than a million dollars to Iraq in violation of United States economic sanctions,” Phillips said. “IARA then hired a former congressman to lobby the government on its behalf after it was listed as a specially designated global terrorist organization due to the support its international offices provided to Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda, and the Taliban. They tried to cover up a $75,000 payment by lying to federal agents and prosecutors, but today they are being held accountable for their actions.”
Mark Deli Siljander, 60, of Great Falls,
Va., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Nanette K. Laughrey to one
year and one day in federal prison without parole. Siljander was a
member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan and was a
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations General Assembly. Siljander
operated a Washington, D.C. consulting business called Global
Strategies, Inc.
Several officials and employees of IARA were also sentenced in federal court today. IARA served as the U.S. office of an international organization headquartered in Khartoum, Sudan. IARA was closed in October 2004, after being identified by the U.S. Treasury Department as a specially designated global terrorist organization.
IARA Executive Director Mubarak Hamed, 55, of Columbia, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Sudan, was sentenced to four years and 10 months in federal prison without parole. IARA fundraiser Abdel Azim El-Siddig, 55, of Chicago, Ill., was sentenced to two years of probation.
IARA board member Ali Mohamed Bagegni, 57, a native of Libya who is a naturalized U.S. citizen and former resident of Columbia, and IARA fundraiser Ahmad Mustafa, 59, of Columbia, a citizen of Iraq and a lawful permanent resident alien, were each sentenced to six months of probation. Federal prosecutors asked the court to give Bagegni and Mustafa credit for their substantial assistance to the government in the investigation and prosecution of the case.
Several officials and employees of IARA were also sentenced in federal court today. IARA served as the U.S. office of an international organization headquartered in Khartoum, Sudan. IARA was closed in October 2004, after being identified by the U.S. Treasury Department as a specially designated global terrorist organization.
IARA Executive Director Mubarak Hamed, 55, of Columbia, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Sudan, was sentenced to four years and 10 months in federal prison without parole. IARA fundraiser Abdel Azim El-Siddig, 55, of Chicago, Ill., was sentenced to two years of probation.
IARA board member Ali Mohamed Bagegni, 57, a native of Libya who is a naturalized U.S. citizen and former resident of Columbia, and IARA fundraiser Ahmad Mustafa, 59, of Columbia, a citizen of Iraq and a lawful permanent resident alien, were each sentenced to six months of probation. Federal prosecutors asked the court to give Bagegni and Mustafa credit for their substantial assistance to the government in the investigation and prosecution of the case.
Special Agent in Charge Brian Truchon of
the FBI stated, “The sentencing of these individuals signifies the
FBI’s long-term commitment to prevent the compromise of national
security caused by misappropriation of government funds and charitable
donations and their use for illegal purposes and in violation of
federal economic sanctions.”
“I wish to acknowledge the outstanding work of the investigators and prosecutors involved with this case,” said Michael G. Carroll, the Acting Inspector General for USAID. “We remain committed to hold individuals accountable who violate U.S. laws by supporting international terrorist organizations. I sincerely hope that this will serve as a clear warning. We will continue to bring forth all of the necessary resources of the U.S. government to identify and prosecute violators with terrorist affiliations.”
“IRS CI plays a significant role in the government’s counter-terrorism efforts,” said Stephen Boyd, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation. “Our primary focus is to attack the financial infrastructure of terrorism, its organized criminal activities, and those engaged in fundraising activities to support terrorism, especially if tax exempt organizations are being used. We are pleased with the successful resolution of this investigation due to the cooperative efforts of our law enforcement partners.”
“I wish to acknowledge the outstanding work of the investigators and prosecutors involved with this case,” said Michael G. Carroll, the Acting Inspector General for USAID. “We remain committed to hold individuals accountable who violate U.S. laws by supporting international terrorist organizations. I sincerely hope that this will serve as a clear warning. We will continue to bring forth all of the necessary resources of the U.S. government to identify and prosecute violators with terrorist affiliations.”
“IRS CI plays a significant role in the government’s counter-terrorism efforts,” said Stephen Boyd, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation. “Our primary focus is to attack the financial infrastructure of terrorism, its organized criminal activities, and those engaged in fundraising activities to support terrorism, especially if tax exempt organizations are being used. We are pleased with the successful resolution of this investigation due to the cooperative efforts of our law enforcement partners.”
Hamed pleaded guilty on June 25, 2010, to
conspiring to illegally transfer more than $1 million to Iraq in
violation of federal sanctions, and to obstructing the administration
of the laws governing tax‑exempt charities.
Hamed used IARA to solicit charitable contributions throughout the United States, taking in between $1 million and $3 million in contributions annually from 1991 to 2003, and then illegally transferred funds to Iraq with the assistance of a Jordanian identified by the U.S. Treasury Department as a specially designated global terrorist. Hamed also impaired and impeded the administration of the Internal Revenue laws by misusing IARA’s tax‑exempt status, providing false information to the IRS, and lying to federal agents.
Hamed and El‑Siddig hired Siljander in 2004 to lobby for IARA’s removal from a U.S. Senate Finance Committee list of charities suspected of funding international terrorism, and its reinstatement as an approved government contractor. IARA lost its status as an approved government contractor in 1999, when the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) terminated grants for two relief projects in Mali, Africa. USAID informed the organization that the grants were not in the national security interest of the United States.
Siljander, Hamed and El‑Siddig agreed with each other to conceal Siljander’s efforts on IARA’s behalf. In order to do so, Siljander instructed Hamed and El‑Siddig to transfer $75,000 of IARA’s funds to him by funneling them through nonprofit entities. El-Siddig carried at least three checks issued to Siljander’s charities from Chicago to Washington, D.C., and gave them to Siljander.
Hamed used IARA to solicit charitable contributions throughout the United States, taking in between $1 million and $3 million in contributions annually from 1991 to 2003, and then illegally transferred funds to Iraq with the assistance of a Jordanian identified by the U.S. Treasury Department as a specially designated global terrorist. Hamed also impaired and impeded the administration of the Internal Revenue laws by misusing IARA’s tax‑exempt status, providing false information to the IRS, and lying to federal agents.
Hamed and El‑Siddig hired Siljander in 2004 to lobby for IARA’s removal from a U.S. Senate Finance Committee list of charities suspected of funding international terrorism, and its reinstatement as an approved government contractor. IARA lost its status as an approved government contractor in 1999, when the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) terminated grants for two relief projects in Mali, Africa. USAID informed the organization that the grants were not in the national security interest of the United States.
Siljander, Hamed and El‑Siddig agreed with each other to conceal Siljander’s efforts on IARA’s behalf. In order to do so, Siljander instructed Hamed and El‑Siddig to transfer $75,000 of IARA’s funds to him by funneling them through nonprofit entities. El-Siddig carried at least three checks issued to Siljander’s charities from Chicago to Washington, D.C., and gave them to Siljander.
In exchange for the payments, during the
summer of 2004, Siljander acted as an agent for IARA by contacting
persons at the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, USAID, the Department of
Justice, and the Department of the Army, in an effort to have IARA
removed from the USAID list of debarred entities, and to remove IARA
from the Senate Finance Committee’s list of charities suspected of
funding terrorism. Federal law requires anyone who serves as an agent
of a foreign entity, including an organization, to register with the
U.S. Attorney General.I did something wrong," Siljander said. "I mistreated the
system I believe in. I mistreated my family and friends. I should have
known better. I failed too many people, including myself and my family.
I ask for your mercy."
Federal Judge Laughrey said, "I came in this morning with the thought that I would sentence you to a longer time in jail." She apparently took sympathy from the testimony of Siljander's family and used that to sentence a more lenient verdict.
Federal Judge Laughrey added, "This is not a case about somebody aiding a terrorist."
Siljander admitted that in two separate interviews he repeatedly lied to FBI agents and prosecutors acting on behalf of a federal grand jury. Siljander obstructed justice by falsely denying that he was hired to advocate for IARA, and by falsely claiming that the payments from IARA were charitable donations intended to assist him in writing a book about bridging the gap between Islam and Christianity.
Siljander pleaded guilty on July 7, 2010, to obstruction of justice and acting as an unregistered foreign agent.
El-Siddig pleaded guilty on July 7, 2010, to conspiring to hire Siljander to lobby for IARA’s removal from a Senate Finance Committee list of charities suspected of having terrorist ties, while concealing this advocacy and not registering with the proper authorities.
Mustafa was a fundraiser for IARA from 1996 until it was closed in 2004, but at the time he worked for the organization he was unaware it had no permission to send funds to Iraq. Mustafa pleaded guilty on Dec. 17, 2009, to illegally transferring funds to a family member in Iraq in violation of federal sanctions.
Federal Judge Laughrey said, "I came in this morning with the thought that I would sentence you to a longer time in jail." She apparently took sympathy from the testimony of Siljander's family and used that to sentence a more lenient verdict.
Federal Judge Laughrey added, "This is not a case about somebody aiding a terrorist."
Siljander admitted that in two separate interviews he repeatedly lied to FBI agents and prosecutors acting on behalf of a federal grand jury. Siljander obstructed justice by falsely denying that he was hired to advocate for IARA, and by falsely claiming that the payments from IARA were charitable donations intended to assist him in writing a book about bridging the gap between Islam and Christianity.
Siljander pleaded guilty on July 7, 2010, to obstruction of justice and acting as an unregistered foreign agent.
El-Siddig pleaded guilty on July 7, 2010, to conspiring to hire Siljander to lobby for IARA’s removal from a Senate Finance Committee list of charities suspected of having terrorist ties, while concealing this advocacy and not registering with the proper authorities.
Mustafa was a fundraiser for IARA from 1996 until it was closed in 2004, but at the time he worked for the organization he was unaware it had no permission to send funds to Iraq. Mustafa pleaded guilty on Dec. 17, 2009, to illegally transferring funds to a family member in Iraq in violation of federal sanctions.
Bagegni pleaded guilty on April 6, 2010, to
his role in the conspiracy to illegally transfer funds to Iraq in
violation of federal sanctions.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony P. Gonzalez, Steven M. Mohlhenrich, Dan Stewart and Brian Casey from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri, and Trial Attorney Paul G. Casey from the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. The case was investigated by the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation and U.S. Agency for International Development, Office of the Inspector General.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony P. Gonzalez, Steven M. Mohlhenrich, Dan Stewart and Brian Casey from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri, and Trial Attorney Paul G. Casey from the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. The case was investigated by the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation and U.S. Agency for International Development, Office of the Inspector General.
I did something wrong," Siljander said. "I mistreated the system I believe in. I mistreated my family and friends. I should have known better. I failed too many people, including myself and my family. I ask for your mercy."
Federal Judge Laughrey said, "I came in this morning with the thought that I would sentence you to a longer time in jail." She apparently took sympathy from the testimony of Siljander's family and used that to sentence a more lenient verdict.
Federal Judge Laughrey added, "This is not a case about somebody aiding a terrorist."
Threat Of Islam In The West
.
Mark Siljander before Federal Charges issued.
© Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc. photos
The book, A Deadly Misunderstanding, is one of many published by writers who believe there are ways to politically or philosophically mix cultures and religions that are so far apart on their beliefs that is almost a farce.
''Islam or Islamism?'': Robert Spencer at the Vienna Forum, May 8, 2010
Videos from Siljander on his Book, A Deadly Misunderstanding
ګلبدین حکمتیار
The government's lobbying requirements explained.
Past Stories
Oak Park and River Forest High School Graduate is Being Charged with Aiding Al Qaida Terrorists
by Ed Vincent
Spending by Registered Lobbyist in Washington D.C.
The top sectors and their total spending between 1998 and 2010 were:
Client Amount Spent Percentage of Total
1 Finance, Insurance & Real Estate $4,274,060,331 14.53%
2 Health $4,222,427,808 14.53%
3 Misc Business $4,149,842,571 14.11%
4 Communications/Electronics $3,497,881,399 11.89%
5 Energy & Natural Resources $3,104,104,518 10.55%
6 Transportation $2,245,118,222 7.63%
7 Other $2,207,772,363 7.50%
8 Ideological/Single-Issue $1,477,294,241 5.02%
9 Agribusiness $1,280,824,983 4.12%
10 Defense $1,216,469,173 4.13%
11 Construction $480,363,108 1.63%
12 Labor $427,355,408 1.45%
13 Lawyers & Lobbyists themselves $336,170,306 1.14%
Total $28,919,684,431 98.23%
© Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
published by Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.