Vienna Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Money Laundering

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Mark Kamil Mrad, 65, of Vienna, Virginia, pled guilty today to attempted money laundering for placing what he believed to be $100,000 inside a Jeep Grand Cherokee in 2010 and directing it to be shipped to Beirut, Lebanon. 

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and James McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by United States District Judge James C. Cacheris. 

Mrad faces a maximum penalty of 20 years of imprisonment when he is sentenced on October 19, 2012.  In addition, Mrad will pay a fine of $15,000 and forfeit $5,000 as part of the plea agreement.

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Mrad met multiple times between May 2008 and May 2010 with a confidential source who was working on behalf of the FBI.  During those meetings, Mrad discussed ways to illegally ship money to Lebanon.  Mrad believed the funds belonged to Hizballah, a designated foreign terrorist organization.  Mrad concealed what he believed to be $100,000 inside a Jeep Grand Cherokee and caused it to be smuggled outside the United States.   

This investigation was conducted by FBI’s Washington Field Office assisted by the U.S. Department of Commerce.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Walutes, Jr., is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.