NuDay Charity, Export Violations, New Hampshire 2023

NuDay, a/k/a NuDay Syria, a non-profit charity based in Windham, New Hampshire, was sentenced to five years of probation for export offenses, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announced. The charity was also ordered to pay a $25,000 fine.

The charges against NuDay include three counts of Failure to File Export Information, which the charity pleaded guilty to on September 8, 2023. The charity was accused of willfully violating U.S. export control laws when it sent over 100 shipments of humanitarian goods to Syria, a country subject to sanctions and export restrictions.

According to the investigation, NuDay falsely reported that the end destination of the shipments was Turkey and not Syria, and artificially deflated the value of the goods to be below the $2,500 reporting threshold. The charity’s President, Nadia Alawa, was aware of export restrictions but ignored them, according to her Facebook messages.

The charity’s actions had severe consequences. Between 2018 and 2021, NuDay made over 100 shipments to Syria, with the items being shipped to Mersin, Turkey, where another company would transship them into Syria. The total value of the goods was over $100 million, according to NuDay’s claims.

Despite the availability of a limited waiver of the restrictions allowing for the export and re-export of humanitarian items, NuDay chose to violate the law. The charity’s actions were a clear disregard for U.S. export control laws and had significant consequences for national security.

NuDay was founded in 2013 as a non-profit charity, and its President, Nadia Alawa, and several family members served as board members and employees. The charity claimed significant growth in in-kind donations, starting from approximately $231,000 in 2013 and reaching almost $71 million in 2019.

Nadia Alawa and her family members have ceased involvement with NuDay as a condition of the plea. The charity’s sentence serves as a warning to others that violating U.S. export control laws will result in criminal consequences.

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