Prosecutors Seek Link between U.S. Businessman and Lebanon Arms Smuggling Plot

U.S. prosecutors have tried to link a prominent businessman in the State of Iowa to a scheme in which four defendants are charged with using his shipping company facilities to smuggle weapons to Lebanon.

Bill Aossey Jr. had been in contact with the suspects, one of whom is a close friend, and is shown on surveillance video briefly going into one of the containers after it was packed, prosecutors in Cedar Rapids argued Monday.

His attorney Haytham Faraj said that Aossey was unaware of the weapons and shouldn't face "guilt by association."

But U.S. District Judge Linda Reade said she was skeptical of Aossey's claim of ignorance, noting he was upset after learning the container had been seized.

Aossey was found guilty on Monday of falsifying documents as part of a scheme to export beef to Malaysia and Indonesia that didn't meet those countries' strict slaughter standards.

The federal jury in Cedar Rapids convicted him of 15 of 19 charges he faced, including conspiracy, making false statements on export certificates and wire fraud. He was acquitted of four counts of money laundering.

Aossey is the founder of the Midamar Corp., a Cedar Rapids-based company that is considered a pioneer in the sale of halal meat and food products. The 73-year-old is also a longtime leader in the city's relatively large Muslim community.

After the verdict, Reade ordered Aossey held in federal custody. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rich Murphy said Aossey could face a prison term of five or more years at his sentencing, which hasn't been scheduled.