Murder in Pakistan, wire fraud in US: why US agencies are investigating Tahir Javed, others

WASHINGTON: American Federal and State agencies are investigating two Pakistani American businessmen and their associates over suspected money-laundering, wire fraud and tax evasion for setting up dodgy company structures to launder the proceeds of purported black money, according to the investigators involved in the case. Federal investigating authorities in the US have confirmed that two companies namely: Riceland Investment Group LP (a Texas limited partnership) and Mecca Farms Group LLC (a Texas limited liability company) are being investigated for setting up complex and questionable structures to avoid paying taxes and launder the suspected black money for the benefit of the individuals running and controlling these companies. Riceland Investment Group was originally set up by Texas-based Syed Rashid Ali but the company entered into a dubious partnership in 2015 with Mecca Farms Group, owned by businessman and former Advisor to the Interim Prime Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Tahir Javed from Texas – making Tahir Javed full owner of Riceland Investment Group and giving him 51% control of Mecca farms. According to the US investigators, the matter may not be as simple as it seems on paper. Syed Rashid Ali, his brother Syed Shahid Ali and Muhammad Tahir Javed have a history of falling foul to American laws, involving fraud and embezzlement convictions that include a high-profile probe into the $35 million COVID-19 relief scheme scandal involving the US Justice Department. The quagmire intensifies as Muhammad Tahir Javed, who has also served as a Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf leader in the US has been linked with a brutal murder plot of a close relative in Pakistan too, an allegation that he denies. Javed’s professional career has been marred with controversy as he was removed as the Advisor to Interim Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar just days after his appointment, the notification being withdrawn due to a former conviction in the US he didn’t declare in Pakistan. In this particular case, according to the evidence gathered by the investigators, it was agreed that Tahir Javed (the ‘Investor’ and the convicted felon) would purchase 55% membership/ownership interest in Mecca Farms on a fully diluted basis with the ownership interest in Mecca Farms for $2,465,000.00. The purchase price to be paid at the closing of the contract was $500,000, stating: “and the balance will be paid as and when needed by Mecca Farms within five (5) days of the date on which Mecca Farms requests such amounts”. Investigators believe that this scheme was a hoax. According to the documents at the centre of the investigation, Muhammad Tahir Javed has claimed he has paid $200,000 of the total purchase price but evidence shows that the balance amount of $2,245,000 has not been paid. The federal investigators – who suspect that the scandal is linked with the cover up of the $35 million COVID-19 relief scheme scandal – say that Syed Rashid Ali has conspired with Tahir Javed in the cover up conspiracy. The takeover agreement made Muhammad Tahir Javed as the Chairman of the Board of Managers with a board of managers consisting of managers and members, mostly from Houston that include: Mohammad Shahid Javed; M. Israr Ahmad; Dr. Amir-ul Islam; Syed Rashid Ali; Sayed Hamed; Syed Shahid Ali; Shaista J Ali; Soraya Harris; Syed Shahid Ali; Naghman Shaikh; Hassouneh Maher Ezzuddin; Tahira Faiz Ahmed; Francisco Bernal; Danish Hussain/Fraz Hussain/Faiza Hussain; Mobin Khan; Faraz Hussain; Kalesha Skaik; Sujath Ali Syed; Keith Mohammad; Tarek Al-Kadri; and Khalida Siddiqui. The structure established for Mecca Farms raises suspicions and grounds for the investigation, American authorities believe. Syed Rashid Ali and Syed Shahid Ali are real brothers and are part of the scheme; as are real brothers Tahir Javed and Shahid Javed. In several financial deals, Shahid Ali and Shahid Javed, brother of Tahir Javed, have been partners and their past dealings are also under probe too, papers reveal. Investigators have confirmed that the latest probe is linked to the $35 million COVID-19 relief scheme corruption scandal of December 2021 in which a federal grand jury in Houston charged and sentenced several individuals for fraudulently obtaining and laundering millions of dollars in the forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. In total, 15 individuals across two states were charged in the conspiracy. According to court documents, Syed Shahid Ali (of Sugar Land, Texas) conspired with others to submit more than 80 false and fraudulent PPP loan applications by falsifying the number of employees and the average monthly payroll expenses of the applicant businesses.