The U.S. federal court has ordered the deportation of Lebanese businessman Mohammed Ibrahim Bazzi following his conviction for conspiring with Talal Chahine, founder of the La Shish restaurant chain, to illegally transfer millions of dollars.

Bazzi, 60, was sentenced to time served — approximately two years since his arrest in Romania in February 2023 — after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges six months prior. He was arrested by Romanian authorities and subsequently extradited to the United States. He was accused of attempting to transfer more than $820,000 from the United States to Chahine in Lebanon, circumventing U.S. Treasury sanctions designed to prevent dealings with designated “terrorists.” In May 2018, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Bazzi as a “specially designated global terrorist ” for providing millions of dollars to Hezbollah through his business activities in Belgium, Lebanon, Iraq and West Africa.

Chahine, who fled to Lebanon around 2005 amid federal investigations and financial troubles, was found to have secretly held a $7 million stake in the Michigan-based La Shish restaurants he founded in 1988. He was indicted on charges of tax evasion and money laundering, with allegations of embezzling more than $20 million from the restaurant chain and evading $6.9 million in taxes between 2001 and 2005. Following his designation, Bazzi allegedly conspired with Talal Chahine to coerce a U.S.-based individual to liquidate real estate assets in Michigan and covertly transfer proceeds exceeding $820,000 to Lebanon, circumventing U.S. sanctions.

Bazzi, holding both Lebanese and Belgian citizenships, was designated by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2018 as a “financier of Hezbollah”, a group the U.S. classifies as a “terrorist organization.” The U.S. government had offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest, citing his involvement in funding Hezbollah through business operations in countries including Belgium, Lebanon, Iraq and nations in West Africa.

During his incarceration, Bazzi contested his designation as a “terrorist financier”, denying involvement in funding Hezbollah. His defense highlighted his efforts to assist fellow inmates and engage in self-improvement courses during his detention. In September 2024, Bazzi pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to sanctions evasion and agreed to forfeit approximately $830,000 linked to the illegal transactions.

Despite facing a potential 20-year federal prison sentence, prosecutors recommended a 46-month term, while his attorney advocated for his release, citing the two years already served and the likelihood of extended detention pending deportation proceedings. During sentencing in March, Bazzi was credited for time served and is expected to be deported from the U.S.

The case underscores the U.S. government’s ongoing efforts to disrupt financial networks supporting designated terrorist organizations and enforce sanctions aimed at curbing illicit financial activities.