HOUSTON, TX – In a landmark case, a federal jury has found Sameer Sami Rasheed Al Salman, 55, guilty of operating an unlicensed money transmitter from his Richmond residence.
Al Salman, an Iraqi citizen, was found guilty on one count of unlicensed money remitting following a two-day trial. The jury deliberated for less than one hour before reaching a verdict.
According to evidence presented during the trial, Al Salman’s money transmitting business transferred and wired millions of dollars from bank accounts in the United States to ones all over the world, including China, Indonesia, and India, since 2020.
Testimony revealed that Al Salman offered his services locally and performed informal hawala transactions, a method of transferring money without using the banking system. He conducted these transfers, which amounted to thousands of dollars, from his driveway and required individuals to show their identification. Many transfers originated from Iraq and some transfers were up to $40,000.
Authorities identified Al Salman’s illegal money transmitting operation after extensive surveillance and conducted a search of his residence. At that time, they discovered over $282,000 in cash stored within the house.
The defense attempted to convince the jury that Al Salman had lawful authority to operate a money transfer business in Iraq, but the jury did not believe those claims and found him guilty as charged.
‘Money flowed from Iraq through Houston thanks to Rasheed Al Salman’s illegal money transmitting business, a business he conducted from his home’s driveway and without a license,’ said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. ‘Hawala operators like Salman pose a real threat to banking systems because they undermine the oversight and regulation of significant money transfers – transfers that when unregulated, often end up in the coffers of international criminal organizations.’
U.S. District Judge Sim Lake presided over the trial and set sentencing for August 16. At that time, Al Salman faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather Winter and Steven Schammel are prosecuting the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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