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United States District Court Eastern District of New York Case 1:19-cv-02096-DLI-SJB Document 1 Filed 04/10/19 Page 1 of 230 PageID #: 1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK -----------------------------------------------------------------------x RYAN BOWMAN and SANDRA BOWMAN, : : Plaintiffs, : : COMPLAINT -against- : JURY TRIAL DEMANDED : SOCIÉTÉ GÉNÉRALE DE BANQUE AU LIBAN SAL, : Case No. 19-cv-2096 FRANSABANK SAL, MIDDLE EAST AFRICA BANK : SAL, BLOM BANK SAL, BYBLOS BANK SAL, : BANK AUDI SAL, BANK OF BEIRUT SAL, : LEBANON AND GULF BANK SAL, BANQUE : LIBANO-FRANÇAISE SAL, BANK OF BEIRUT AND : THE ARAB COUNTRIES SAL, JAMMAL TRUST : BANK SAL, and JOHN DOES 1-50, : : Defendants. : -----------------------------------------------------------------------x Case 1:19-cv-02096-DLI-SJB Document 1 Filed 04/10/19 Page 2 of 230 PageID #: 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. NATURE OF THE ACTION .............................................................................................. 1 II. BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................. 2 III. JURISDICTION AND VENUE .......................................................................................... 7 IV. THE PARTIES ..................................................................................................................... 8 A. THE PLAINTIFFS ..................................................................................................... 8 B. THE DEFENDANTS .................................................................................................. 9 1. SOCIETE GENERALE DE BANQUE AU LIBAN SAL (“SGBL”) ............... 9 2. FRANSABANK SAL .......................................................................................... 13 3. MIDDLE EAST AFRICA BANK SAL (“MEAB”) ......................................... 16 4. BLOM BANK SAL (“BLOM”) ......................................................................... 18 5. BYBLOS BANK SAL (“BYBLOS”) ................................................................. 20 6. BANK AUDI SAL ............................................................................................... 21 7. BANK OF BEIRUT SAL ................................................................................... 23 8. LEBANON AND GULF BANK SAL (“LGB”) ............................................... 25 9. BANQUE LIBANO-FRANCAISE SAL (“BLF”) ............................................ 27 10. BANK OF BEIRUT AND THE ARAB COUNTRIES SAL (“BBAC”) ........ 28 11. JAMMAL TRUST BANK SAL ......................................................................... 30 V. FACTUAL BACKGROUND ............................................................................................ 32 A. ISLAMIC REVOLUTIONARY GUARD CORPS (IRGC) .................................. 32 B. HEZBOLLAH ........................................................................................................... 35 1. HEZBOLLAH’S INITIAL TERRORIST OPERATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE ............................................................... 35 2. HEZBOLLAH’S KEY LEADERS AND CURRENT ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE ...................................................................................................... 41 i Case 1:19-cv-02096-DLI-SJB Document 1 Filed 04/10/19 Page 3 of 230 PageID #: 3 a. HEZBOLLAH’S EMBRACE OF TERRORISM IS OPEN AND PUBLIC ......................................................................................................... 41 b. SHURA COUNCIL (MAJLIS AL-SHURA) .............................................. 42 c. PARLIAMENTARY COUNCIL ................................................................. 43 d. JIHAD COUNCIL ........................................................................................ 44 e. JIHAD COUNCIL’S EXTERNAL SECURITY ORGANIZATION ...... 49 f. HEZBOLLAH’S BUSINESS AFFAIRS COMPONENT (BAC) ............. 50 g. HEZBOLLAH’S “SOCIAL WELFARE” SECTOR – THE DA’WA .... 101 h. MEDIA / ENTERTAINMENT .................................................................. 124 i. AUTOMOTIVE SALES ............................................................................. 129 j. ARMS DEALING ....................................................................................... 130 k. TECHNOLOGY & COMMUNICATIONS ............................................. 132 l. NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING ................................................................. 132 m. PHARMACEUTICALS AND COUNTERFEITING MEDICATIONS ......................................................................................... 136 n. INTERNATIONAL TRADE ..................................................................... 137 C. THE IRGC DEPLOYS HEZBOLLAH SIGNATURE WEAPONS IN IRAQ ........................................................................................................................ 138 D. HEZBOLLAH’S INVOLVEMENT IN TERRORISM IN IRAQ ...................... 142 E. HEZBOLLAH’S AND THE IRGC’S AGENTS & PROXIES IN IRAQ .......... 159 1. THE BADR CORPS (a/k/a BADR ORGANIZATION) ............................... 159 2. ASA’IB AHL AL–HAQ (“AAH” OR THE “LEAGUE OF THE RIGHTEOUS”) ................................................................................................. 161 3. JAYSH AL MAHDI (“JAM” or the “MAHDI ARMY”) AND THE PROMISED DAY BRIGADES (“PDB”) ........................................................ 165 4. KATA’IB HEZBOLLAH (“KH”) ................................................................... 166 ii Case 1:19-cv-02096-DLI-SJB Document 1 Filed 04/10/19 Page 4 of 230 PageID #: 4 VI. DEFENDANTS ARE DEPENDENT ON UNITED STATES CORRESPONDENT BANK ACCOUNTS AND U.S. DOLLAR CLEARING, INCLUDING DOLLAR CLEARING FOR HEZBOLLAH .................................................................................. 172 VII. DEFENDANTS’ MATERIAL SUPPORT TO HEZBOLLAH ................................... 178 A. SOCIETE GENERALE DE BANQUE AU LIBAN, SAL .................................. 178 1. SGBL ACQUIRED LCB .................................................................................. 178 2. SGLB ACQUIRED LCB’S LIABILITIES ..................................................... 179 a. LCB KNOWINGLY PROVIDED MATERIAL SUPPORT TO HEZBOLLAH’S MARTYR FOUNDATION THROUGH ITS CORRESPONDENT BANK ACCOUNTS IN THE UNITED STATES ....................................................................................................... 180 b. LCB PROVIDED MATERIAL SUPPORT TO ABDALLAH SAFIEDDINE .............................................................................................. 181 c. LCB PROVIDED MATERIAL SUPPORT TO HEZBOLLAH’S OWN FINANCE UNIT ......................................................................................... 181 d. LCB MAINTAINED ACCOUNTS FOR VARIOUS HEZBOLLAH CONTROLLED ENTITIES ...................................................................... 183 e. LCB DISREGARDED ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING RULES FOR INDIVIDUALS AND ENTITIES ASSOCIATED WITH HEZBOLLAH ............................................................................................. 185 f. LCB PARTICIPATED IN A MAJOR MONEY LAUNDERING SCHEME WITH HEZBOLLAH IN THE UNITED STATES INVOLVING NARCOTICS, USED CARS, AND THE TRANSFER OF OVER $250 MILLION (U.S.) THROUGH LCB’S NEW YORK CORRESPONDENT BANK ACCOUNTS .............................................. 187 g. LCB’S GAMBIAN SUBSIDIARY, PRIME BANK, WAS CO-OWNED BY AN INDIVIDUAL DESIGNATED BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT FOR PROVIDING MATERIAL SUPPORT FOR HEZBOLLAH ....... 193 3. SGBL HAS AIDED AND ABETTED HEZBOLLAH .................................. 196 B. FRANSABANK SAL .............................................................................................. 197 C. BLOM BANK SAL ................................................................................................. 198 D. MIDDLE EAST AFRICA BANK SAL (“MEAB”) ............................................. 201 E. BYBLOS BANK SAL ............................................................................................. 202 iii Case 1:19-cv-02096-DLI-SJB Document 1 Filed 04/10/19 Page 5 of 230 PageID #: 5 F. BANK AUDI SAL ................................................................................................... 207 G. LEBANON AND GULF BANK ............................................................................ 210 H. BANQUE LIBANO-FRANCAISE SAL ............................................................... 215 I. BANK OF BEIRUT SAL ....................................................................................... 216 J. BANK OF BEIRUT AND THE ARAB COUNTRIES ........................................ 217 K. JAMAL TRUST BANK SAL ................................................................................. 218 CLAIMS FOR RELIEF ........................................................................................................... 219 FIRST CLAIM FOR RELIEF ................................................................................................. 219 SECOND CLAIM FOR RELIEF ............................................................................................ 220 THIRD CLAIM FOR RELIEF ............................................................................................... 222 FOURTH CLAIM FOR RELIEF ........................................................................................... 223 PRAYER FOR RELIEF ........................................................................................................... 224 iv Case 1:19-cv-02096-DLI-SJB Document 1 Filed 04/10/19 Page 6 of 230 PageID #: 6 Plaintiffs,
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