Dearborn Man Pleads Guilty to Supporting Hezbollah Posted: March 7, 2005

Mahmoud Youssef Kourani, a Lebanese citizen living in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, has pleaded guilty to providing material support to Hezbollah.

On March 2, 2005, Kourani, 33, admitted hosting meetings at his home where donations for Hezbollah were solicited by a guest speaker from Lebanon.  Hezbollah is designated by the U.S. government as a foreign terrorist organization.

According to a Justice Department statement, the money solicited at Kourani’s home was intended to support Hezbollah’s “orphans of martyrs” program benefiting the families of Hezbollah terrorists killed during operations or by its enemies.   

Kourani was a “member, fighter, recruiter and fund-raiser for Hezbollah,” according to the indictment unsealed by a federal grand jury in Michigan in January 2004.

Kourani faces up to five years in prison under the plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.  Sentencing is scheduled for June 14.