U.S. Places Sanctions on Art Collector Said to Finance Hezbollah

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Elizabeth A. Harris

Treasury officials say that Nazem Said Ahmad, a diamond dealer shown here in his Beirut apartment, used his art collection as a tool to shelter money used to finance Hezbollah. U.S. Treasury Department

The Treasury Department announced sanctions Friday against a diamond dealer who the government said has used an art gallery in Beirut, Lebanon, and an extensive personal collection, sprinkled with names like Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, to shelter and launder money. American officials described the diamond dealer, Nazem Said Ahmad, who lives in Beirut, as one of the “top donors” to Hezbollah, a political movement based in Lebanon that is considered a terrorist group by the United States. The Trump Administration said that Mr. Ahmad, born into a wealthy family with a diamond business, was involved in “blood diamond” smuggling. [More]