US Victims of Terrorism Applaud Federal Investigators After Dirty Money Seized

Record $629 million fine for supporting terrorism will be used to help victims

Washington, DC – US victims of terrorism and Members of Congress applauded the U.S. Department of Justice-National Security Division, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for successfully resolving criminal sanctions and fraud charges against British company, British American Tobacco (BAT) and its Singapore subsidiary. As part of the resolution, BAT will pay a fine of $629 million. By congressional statute, those funds will go to the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund (USVSST Fund) and be used to compensate US victims of terrorism and their families.

“The US Justice Department sent another clear message to sponsors of terrorism and the companies profiting from them: We will find you, take the money that has been fueling attacks, and use it to support your victims,” said Edwin Oyoo, who survived the attack on the US Embassy in Nairobi in August 1998.

British American Tobacco worked with the North Korean government to develop a black market cigarette scheme that generated hundreds of millions of dollars for the North Korean regime as it was committing human rights violations at home and sponsoring terrorist attacks internationally. Under the bi-partisan legislation that created the USVSST Fund, 100% of criminal fines and penalties are directed to satisfy final federal court judgments for compensation held against designated foreign terror states.

“I’m pleased that businesses that violate sanctions against countries on the State Sponsor of Terror list are held accountable and congratulate the Department of Justice on their good work. I hope the Department will ensure these funds go to the USVSST Fund as intended, where it will help U.S. victims of international state-sponsored terrorism,” said Rep. Brad Wenstrup.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division announced that the BAT payment marks the largest ever North Korea sanctions penalty. US victims benefiting from this successful investigation include a family whose son was detained and died at the hands of North Korea, victims of the 9-11 attacks, the August 1998 US embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, the 1979 Iran hostages, and other terrorist attacks against the U.S. citizens and U.S. government employees.

By taking money from companies that supported state sponsors of terrorism and using it instead to support victims of terrorist attacks, the Justice Department delivered a big win for restorative justice,” said Caroline Oketch, who was at the US Embassy in Nairobi the day of the attack in August 1998 and volunteered in the hospital immediately after the attack and then to support families of deceased embassy employees.

Contact: Eric Sapp, esapp@eleisongroup.com