A Lebanese-Belgian dual citizen, accused by the US of financing Hezbollah, is expected to plead guilty in a case involving sanctions evasion and money laundering conspiracies, Reuters reported on Thursday.
US federal prosecutors in Brooklyn revealed in a court filing that Mohammad Bazzi, 60, has informed them through his lawyers that he intends to change his plea.
Bazzi last year pleaded not guilty to three felony charges, including attempting to conduct transactions with a sanctioned terrorist group.
In 2018, the US Treasury Department sanctioned Bazzi over his alleged ties to Hezbollah, which Washington considers a terrorist organization.
Prosecutors claim Bazzi secretly sold property he owned in Michigan and illegally transferred the proceeds overseas, defying those sanctions.
Bazzi was extradited from Romania to the US in April 2023, following his arrest two months earlier. Both the prosecution and Bazzi’s defense team have requested US District Judge Dora Irizarry to set a hearing later this month for Bazzi to formally change his plea.
The United States regularly sanctions Lebanese officials and entities linked to Hezbollah.