On October 6, the Fourteenth Court of Appeals of Houston, Texas issued an opinion in San Jacinto River Authority v. Gonzalez, et al., a case involving claims by 85 residents against the San Jacinto River Authority (“Authority”), the governmental entity
OFAC Issues General License Authorizing Earthquake Relief Efforts in Syria
On February 10, 2023, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued Syria General License (GL) 23 that authorizes until August 8, 2023 all transactions related to earthquake relief efforts in Syria that would otherwise be
Turkey, Syria, and Disaster Relief
By now, you’ve undoubtedly read about the earthquakes in Turkey that killed at least 5,100 people in Turkey and Syria and left an estimated 150,000 people without homes in Turkey alone. Governments, including several countries in the EU, the
Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Their Nonprofit Fundraisers
Click on the picture to read a CRS report on material supportJust this morning, there was a major earthquake in Syria — reportedly more than 1600 deaths and buildings collapsing all over the news. On top of that, there is
At the Movies: The Swimmers (2022)
It is the holiday season. Want to see an upbeat film about refugees from Syria? Hard to imagine? Well, here is a film that fits the bill.The Swimmers (2022). IMDb summarizes the film as follows: “From war-torn Syria to the
Paul Weiss Discusses DOJ’s First Terrorism Material-Support Charge Against a Corporation
On October 18, 2022, Deputy Attorney General (“DAG”) Lisa O. Monaco announced that Lafarge SA (“Lafarge”), a multi-national building materials manufacturer headquartered in Paris, France, and its Syrian subsidiary Lafarge Cement Syria (“LCS”) had pleaded guilty in the Eastern District
DOJ Continues to Prioritize National Security-Related Cases with First Corporate Terrorism Support Prosecution
On October 18, 2022, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a guilty plea by Lafarge, S.A., a French building materials company, and its Syria-based subsidiary, for providing material support to designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations. The case represents the first criminal
Issues To Consider From The Lafarge Enforcement Action
This previous post highlighted the DOJ’s recent $778 million enforcement action against Lafarge S.A. (a French company that was acquired in 2015 by Switzerland based Holcim) and Lafarge Cement Syria (LCS) charging the entities “with conspiring to provide material support
A French Company That Was Acquired By A Swiss Company Paid Foreign Terrorist Organizations In Connection With A Cement Plant In Syria And U.S. Collects $778 Million
That is a rather odd headline when you think about.
Regardless of the underlying conduct, is there actually a U.S. interest in such an enforcement action particularly since French law enforcement previously brought an enforcement action against the entities based
OFAC Issues Syria General License Authorizing Certain Activities in Non-Regime Held Areas of Northeast and Northwest Syria
On May 12, 2022, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued Syria General License (GL) 22, which authorizes certain transactions, including processing or transfer of funds on behalf of third-country entities, otherwise prohibited under