A Muslim banker was convicted today of lying to federal agents about business deals in the 1990s with a top official from the militant Hamas group.
A federal court jury in Alexandria deliberated less than four
hours before convicting 53-year-old Soliman Biheiri. He could get
up to five years in prison when he is sentenced October 29th.
Biheiri ran a now-defunct New Jersey-based Islamic bank called
B-M-I Incorporated. The jury found that Biheiri lied to federal
investigators about his business relationship with Mousa Abu
Marzook, a former northern Virginia resident who now leads the
political wing of Hamas.
Last year, Biheiri was convicted of immigration fraud and
sentenced to one year in prison as part of a broad investigation
into alleged terror financing operations in northern Virginia.

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)