Military Families Press DOJ To Share $777 Million Lafarge ISIS Payout
Military families urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to distribute a $777 million forfeiture tied to French cement company Lafarge, pressing their claims in litigation in the Eastern District of New York.[1]
Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy, a Navy explosive-ordnance-disposal specialist gravely wounded in November 2017 while clearing a booby-trapped hospital in Raqqa, is among the plaintiffs seeking compensation.[1] Attorney Todd Toral of Jenner & Block represents about 25 of roughly 1,000 plaintiffs and said Lafarge's funding of ISIS is an "undisputed fact" because the company pleaded guilty in the United States in 2022.[1] The DOJ has held the $777 million forfeiture since October 2022 while families press for distribution through litigation in the Eastern District of New York.[1] A French court in April 2026 convicted Lafarge and eight former employees and sentenced the ex-CEO to six years, and Lafarge has appealed calling the conduct a "legacy matter." Fox News
Lafarge's 2022 guilty plea in the United States and the April 2026 French conviction are the legal underpinning plaintiffs' attorneys cite as the basis for pressing the DOJ to release the forfeited funds to victims.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- The Department of Justice has held the $777 million forfeiture since October 2022 while military families continue to press for distribution through litigation in the Eastern District of New York; plaintiffs are seeking compensation from those funds. the $777 million forfeiture
- Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy, a Navy EOD specialist gravely wounded in November 2017 while clearing an ISIS‑booby‑trapped hospital in Raqqa, and his family are among the plaintiffs seeking compensation from the Lafarge forfeiture. Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy
- Attorney Todd Toral of Jenner & Block, a U.S. Marine who represents about 25 of the nearly 1,000 plaintiffs, says Lafarge’s funding of ISIS is an “undisputed fact” because the company pleaded guilty in the United States in 2022. Attorney Todd Toral
- A French court in April 2026 convicted Lafarge and eight former employees, including the company’s ex‑CEO, and sentenced the former CEO to six years in prison; Lafarge has appealed and described the conduct as a “legacy matter” in violation of its code of conduct. a French court in April 2026
- The dispute over distribution of the forfeited funds is active in federal court as military families continue litigation in the Eastern District of New York to obtain compensation tied to Lafarge’s admitted payments to ISIS. Eastern District of New York
- The underlying legal record includes Lafarge’s 2022 guilty plea in the U.S. and the April 2026 French conviction, which plaintiffs’ attorneys cite as the basis for pressing DOJ to release the forfeited funds to victims. Lafarge
📰 Source Timeline (2)
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- The article profiles Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy, a Navy EOD specialist gravely wounded in November 2017 while clearing an ISIS‑booby‑trapped hospital in Raqqa, Syria, and notes that he and his family are among the plaintiffs seeking compensation from the Lafarge forfeiture.
- Attorney Todd Toral of Jenner & Block, a U.S. Marine representing about 25 of the nearly 1,000 plaintiffs, is quoted emphasizing that Lafarge's funding of ISIS is an 'undisputed fact' because the company pleaded guilty in the United States in 2022.
- The piece reiterates that a French court in April 2026 convicted Lafarge and eight former employees, including its ex‑CEO, of providing material support to ISIS and sentenced the former CEO to six years in prison, with Lafarge appealing and describing the conduct as a 'legacy matter' in flagrant violation of its code of conduct.
- The article underscores that DOJ has held the $777 million forfeiture since October 2022 while victim families continue to press for distribution through litigation in the Eastern District of New York.