CLEVELAND — The FBI is searching for two former Northeast Ohio residents who have been charged with crimes and are believed to currently be in Lebanon.
According to a release, George Nakhle Ajaltouni, 47, formerly of North Olmsted and Jean Youssef Issa, 48, of Batroun, Lebanon have been charged for their roles in a scheme to smuggle and illegally ship firearms from Cleveland to Lebanon. Meanwhile, 51-year-old Nakhle “Mike” Nader, formerly of Cleveland, has been charged in a separate indictment with income tax evasion.
While their two alleged schemes are separate, it is believed that Ajaltouni and Nader are acquaintances and that the two men are currently residing near Batroun, Lebanon. Issa was recently arrested pursuant to a Red Notice issued by Interpol.
According to an indictment, Ajaltouni and Issa conspired together to smuggle hundreds of firearms from Cleveland to be resold in Lebanon from May 2011-September 2014. Ajaltouni is alleged to have purchased firearms from federal firearms dealers and private sellers throughout Northeast Ohio and elsewhere as a part of the conspiracy.
It is also alleged that Ajaltouni frequently attended gun shows and paid cash to purchase firearms from exhibitors and that he purchased used automobiles from other individuals, which were then used to store and conceal firearms inside the doors and body panels of the vehicles, in order to ship the weapons. Issa then traveled from Lebanon to Cleveland to assist Ajaltouni with concealing the firearms in the vehicles for transportation via ship, before the vehicles were then shipped to Lebanon, where the firearms were retrieved and resold, according to the indictment.
Ajaltouni has also been charged in a separate indictment with naturalization fraud after it is alleged he obtained naturalization and citizenship in 2009 that he was not entitled to nor eligible to receive.
As for Nader, the former Cleveland resident has been charged with four counts of income tax evasion related to various businesses he owned and operated in Cuyahoga County. He is accused of withholding information from his tax preparer regarding sources of additional income, debt forgiveness and using business monies to pay personal expenses while owning and operating three liquor stores from 2012-2015.
Anybody who has information on the current whereabouts of Ajaltouni and/or Nader, is asked to contact the FBI Tip Line at 1-800-225-5324. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
