Ground Zero Mosque Leader Sued For Diverting Funds

In 2010, New York City's Iman Feisal Abdul Rauf became well known-- until he was ousted in January 2011-- as the leader of a group that planned to build a mosque and Islamic center near "Ground Zero". (See prior posting.) Now, according to reports by the New York Daily News and Reuters yesterday, Rauf is being sued by a Westchester County couple who donated $167,000 to his Cordoba Initiative and the American Society for Muslim Advancement. The suit, filed in state court in New York, claims that Rauf used these funds, as well as $3 million from the Malaysian government for vacations and gifts for a woman with whom he shared a personal relationship, as well as for real estate, entertainment, and luxury sports car for himself and his wife. The suit also claims Rauf concealed his scheme by falsifying the charitable organizations' tax returns.