US Charity Pleads Guilty to Filing False Export Information for Syria Shipments

New Hampshire-headquartered NuDay, also known as NuDay Syria, pleaded guilty to three counts of failure to file electronic export information, DOJ announced Sept. 8. From 2018 to 2021, the organization, founded as a nonprofit charity, completed over 100 shipments to Syria but falsely reported the goods would be delivered to Turkey and "artificially deflated" the value of the goods below the $2,500 EEI reporting threshold.

Once the goods reached Mersin, Turkey, another company would transship them into Syria, DOJ said. In one instance on May 5, 2019, NuDay falsely reported its shipment was intended for Turkey and valued it at less than $2,500 -- when it was "actually intended" for Syria and had a "true value" of $8.3 million, the agency said.

NuDay faces a maximum sentence of five years of probation and a $10,000 fine per count. Founder Nadia Alawa and her family "will have no further involvement with NuDay" as part of the plea, DOJ said.