A Manchester resident is facing prison time in a case involving misdirected funds from an Islamic charity.
MANCHESTER, CT — A Manchester resident is facing prison time in a case involving misdirected funds from an Islamic charity.
John H. Durham, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut; and Brian C. Turner, special agent in charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said that that a jury in New Haven on Thursday found 61-year-old Manchester resident Fareed Ahmed Khan guilty of making a false statement during an interview with federal law enforcement.
A trial before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer began on Sept. 16 and the jury returned its verdict Thursday, they said.
According to the evidence presented during the trial, Khan was born in Pakistan and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in February 2003. Khan was a member of the Islamic Circle of North America and was responsible for collecting cash and check donations to ICNA for its various charitable events.
In 2014, the FBI learned that, over the course of approximately eight years, Khan received more than $200,000 in cash deposits into his bank account, case records show.
Investigators also learned that Khan was transacting with an individual in Pakistan who was arranging for third parties to deposit cash into Khan’s account to fund medical equipment purchases for the individual in Pakistan, according to case records.
Khan then collected the purchased medical equipment, repackaged the items, and shipped them to Pakistan, according to case records.
On June 26, 2015, the FBI interviewed Khan. During the interview, Khan made multiple false statements, including that he was not affiliated with ICNA, did not know anyone from ICNA, had never collected charitable donations for ICNA, and that the only packages he had ever sent to Pakistan were to his sister and brother and contained clothing, according to case records.
On Oct. 13, 2015, investigators conducted court-authorized search of Khan’s residence and seized numerous items related to Khan’s role in ICNA, accordinmg to prosecutors.
In addition, a search of Khan’s cellular phone revealed WhatsApp messages between Khan and his associate in Pakistan detailing Khan’s involvement in multiple shipments of medical equipment to Pakistan, records show.
At sentencing, Khan faces a maximum prison term of five years.
A sentencing date is not scheduled. Khan is released on a $50,000 bond.
