Holy Land retrial ends in sweeping guilty verdicts

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"After 15 years and two trials, the government has finally brought down the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, once the largest Muslim charity in the U.S.

The charity and five of its former leaders were convicted Monday on some 108 charges of funneling millions of dollars to the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

"United States citizens have spoken in this case, and said with a resounding verdict of guilty that we will not tolerate those who choose to finance terrorism," U.S. Attorney Richard Roper said.

Holy Land became the government's signature victory in the tough-to-convict pursuit of terrorism financing cases. Lengthy prison sentences may await Holy Land's five convicted leaders, and some could be locked away for life.

Counting the collapse of last year's original Holy Land trial, the government has stumbled in terrorism-financing cases. Two other high-profile trials in Chicago and Florida ended without convictions on the major counts.

Holy Land has been suspected since the 1990s of bankrolling social programs run by Hamas, which the U.S. designated a terrorist organization in 1995. Prosecutors accused Holy Land of routing more than $12 million overseas to help Hamas spread its ideology and boost its ranks.

Before being taken into federal custody, the five men waved and flashed peace signs to sobbing family members. Their sentencing date has not been set."

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