MIAMI – A judge has granted bail to a Miami businessman accused of exporting video game consoles and cameras to a South American mall that authorities say is a financing conduit for the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.
The $1.5 million bail was set Monday for 56-year-old Khaled Safadi over the objections of prosecutors, who claimed he might flee the country. Safadi and two other men face charges of conspiracy, smuggling and violating a U.S. ban on doing business with the Galeria Page mall in Paraguay.
The ban is in place because of evidence that profits from the mall are funneled to Hezbollah, which the U.S. lists as a terrorist organization.
Safadi attorney Michael Tein says his client has no links to terrorism and is innocent of the charges.
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