A set of old federal court records has resurfaced, casting doubt on the political future of Michigan’s U.S. Senate race. The documents reveal that Fatten Elkomy, the biological mother of Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed, worked with a Missouri charity whose worldwide network was later designated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury as supporting alleged ties to Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda, Hamas and Taliban fighters.
The records, part of a 2010 criminal case against the Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA) and several associated defendants, show Elkomy’s name appears on multiple exhibits from the organization. One exhibit describes a December 1999 letter from Elkomy concerning an $8,801 transfer to Arab Bank in Amman, Jordan. Another lists a January 2001 letter from Elkomy to an IARA official.
A separate exhibit details an April 2000 letter from Elkomy involving a $58,995.60 sponsorship transfer, alongside child-sponsorship ledgers for Jordan and Iraq.
Federal prosecutors filed the exhibit list in May 2010 as part of the criminal case against IARA. The documents indicate that Elkomy was involved in the charity’s financial paperwork but characterize those transfers as support for orphans, refugees or sponsored children—not direct ties to terrorist groups.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury designated IARA’s worldwide network and five senior officials under Executive Order 13224 in October 2004. The department alleged that the organization maintained more than 40 offices globally and provided financial support to Osama bin Laden, commingled funds with organizations tied to him, and assisted Taliban fighters.
In 2016, IARA pleaded guilty to conspiracies involving sanctions violations, money laundering and obstruction of federal tax administration. The case centered on $1.375 million that IARA admitted it secretly funneled to Iraq while federal sanctions were in force.
It is important to note that Elkomy was never charged with terrorism-related activity, and the records reviewed do not accuse her of knowingly financing terrorists. Similarly, she was not among the five officials designated by the Treasury.
El-Sayed, who was raised in Michigan by his father and stepmother, attended Michigan public schools and earned degrees from the University of Michigan, Oxford and Columbia. His career has included work in public health and academia before he led Detroit’s health department and Wayne County’s health and human-services department.
The records are being reviewed as Michigan voters prepare for November’s election, when El-Sayed will face Republican Mike Rogers in the Senate race.