Congressman Sentenced for Acting as Foreign Agent

A former congressman from Michigan will spend a year and a day in federal priosn for obstructing justice and acting as an unregistered foreign agent.

Sixty-year old Mark Siljander of Great Falls, Virginia, was sentenced last week after he used his position in congress to lobby for the Islamic American Relief Agency.

The Western District Court of Missouri found that the former congressman lobbied after the Columbia based organization was hit with a specially designated terrorist organization tag, tying it to Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

The Islamic American Relief Agency funneled more than a million dollars to iraq in violation of sanctions during its history. Several IARA officials are also facing federal charges for funnelling the money.