Military Families Press DOJ To Share $777 Million Lafarge ISIS Payout
Military families are pressing the Department of Justice to distribute a $777 million forfeiture taken from French cement company Lafarge, saying the money should compensate victims of the company's payments to ISIS.[1]
Nearly 1,000 plaintiffs, most of them military families, are pursuing claims in the Eastern District of New York seeking compensation from the forfeiture.[1] The Justice Department collected the $777 million forfeiture from Lafarge in October 2022 and has kept the settlement funds since then.[1]
In April 2026, a French court convicted Lafarge and eight former employees, including the ex-CEO, of providing material support to ISIS and sentenced the ex-CEO to six years in prison.[1] Lafarge admitted paying more than $6.5 million to ISIS from 2013 to 2014 to keep its Syrian plant operating, a fact central to both the French criminal case and the U.S. settlement.[1]
Families say distributing the money would provide compensation and accountability for service members and relatives harmed by Lafarge's conduct.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- In October 2022 the U.S. Justice Department collected a $777 million forfeiture from Lafarge as part of a terrorism-related settlement.
- Nearly 1,000 plaintiffs, most of them military families, are pursuing claims in the Eastern District of New York seeking compensation from those funds.
- A French court in April 2026 convicted Lafarge and eight former employees, including the ex-CEO, of providing material support to ISIS and sentenced the former CEO to six years in prison.
- Lafarge admitted paying more than $6.5 million to ISIS from 2013–2014 to keep its Syrian cement plant operating, and DOJ has held the settlement funds since October 2022 without distributing them to victims.
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