United States v. El-Mezain, et al.

In this consolidated case, the court addressed the appeals of five individuals and one corporate defender convicted of conspiracy and substantive offenses for providing material aid and support to a designated terrorist organization. Defendants were charged with aiding Hamas by raising funds through the corporate entity Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, a Texas-based, pro-Palestinian charity that the Government charged was created for the sole purpose of acting as a financing arm for Hamas. Defendants raised a host of issues challenging both their convictions and their sentences, including numerous errors that they claimed deprived them of a fair trial. The court concluded from its review of the record, briefs, and oral argument, that defendants were fairly convicted. Therefore, the court affirmed the district court's judgments of conviction of the individual defendants and dismissed the appeal of the Holy Land Foundation.