Osameh Al Wahaidy is a Jordanian citizen from Jericho and a former part-time mathematics instructor at the State University of New York at Oswego. From 1994-2003 he was affiliated with Help the Needy (HTN) — an Islamic charity that was established in 1994 to solicit money “for the starving and oppressed people of Iraq.”

In February 2003, Al Wahaidy and HTN were charged with “conspiring to transfer funds to Iraq” from approximately 1994-2003 — in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and U.S. Treasury Department regulations.

In April 2005, Al Wahaidy pled guilty to the conspiracy charge. Four months later he was sentenced to two years’ probation and 100 hours of community service; he was also fined $5,000.