Opinion ID: 4017397
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Initial Civil Forfeiture Complaint

Text: On December 17, 2008, the United States filed this civil action in the Southern District of New York seeking forfeiture of property owned by Assa and Bank Melli based on violations of the IEEPA, 50 U.S.C. § 1701 et seq., and 18 28 U.S.C. §§ 1956, 1957. Simultaneously, the Treasury Department added Assa to the Specially Designated Nationals (“SDN”) list based on its determination that Assa is a front company for Bank Melli.13 Although the initial complaint recounted the history of Alavi and 650 Fifth Ave. Co., it did not seek forfeiture of either entity’s property. That same day, however, District Judge Holwell entered a protective order prohibiting, inter alia, “[a]ll persons and entities having actual knowledge” of the order, which included Alavi and 650 Fifth Ave. Co., from “destroy[ing] any documents relating in any manner or part to the allegations in the Complaint, including but not limited to the books and records of the Fifth Avenue Company, the Pahlavi Foundation, the Mostazafan Foundation, the Alavi Foundation, Assa Corporation, Assa Company Ltd., and/or Bank Melli.” App’x 5185. In addition to the preservation requirements, the order required 650 Fifth Ave. Co.—but not Alavi—to make its “books and records” “available for inspection to the United States.” App’x 5186. 13 See Dep’t of Treasury, Press Release, Treasury Designates Bank Melli Front Company in New York City, http://www.treasury.gov/press‐center/press‐ releases/Pages/hp1330.aspx (last visited June 21, 2016) (explaining “scheme to use a front company set up by Bank Melli – a known proliferator [of weapons of mass destruction] – to funnel money from the United States to Iran” (internal quotation marks omitted)). In January 2016, the United States lifted nuclear‐related sanctions previously imposed on Iran and removed various entities subject to those sanctions from the SDN List, including Bank Melli and Assa. For a more comprehensive discussion of this action, see Kirschenbaum, 14‐1963 at 22–23, 66–67. 29