OVERSIGHT_COMMITTEE_MEMBER_ANALYSIS
|- total_earmarks $124.9M (46 earmarks)
|- home_state_funding 7.76% (LOWEST of any member analyzed)
|- california_funding 23.26% (3x more than her own state)
|- earmarks_to_southfield_siver $24.79M
|- earmarks_to_access_brother_employer $4M
|- payments_to_terror_adjacent_consultant $435K
|- house_censure YES (26th in history)
'- ethics_repayment_ordered $10,800
Congressional Corruption Investigation
This investigation documents publicly-available FEC filings, court records, congressional disclosures, and news reports. Rep. Tlaib is the only member of the House Oversight Committee with a formal House censure, confirmed ethics violations requiring financial repayment, and documented payments to consultants with ties to Treasury-designated organizations.
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Executive Summary
Rashida Harbi Tlaib (Democrat, MI-12 (Detroit, Dearborn, Southfield)) was first elected in 2019. She serves on the Oversight, Financial Services committees and is known as a "Squad" member, first Palestinian-American woman in Congress.
This investigation identified five corruption threads: earmarking $24.79 million to a city whose mayor ran a home equity theft scheme, directing $4 million to her brother's employer, paying $435,000 to a consultant with terror-adjacent connections, receiving donations from wealthy families filing false FEC disclosures, and being the only Oversight member with confirmed ethics violations.
The Five Corruption Threads
1. THE SIVER SCHEME ($24.79M)
Southfield Mayor Ken Siver ran home equity theft scheme
Courts called it "shocking to the conscience"
Tlaib earmarked millions to his city AFTER scandal exposed
2. THE ACCESS TRIANGLE ($4M)
Brother Rachid Elabed = Director of Business Operations at ACCESS
Tlaib earmarked $4M directly to ACCESS
ACCESS employees donated $14,743+ to Tlaib campaigns
3. TERROR-ADJACENT PAYMENTS ($435K)
Paid to Unbought Power LLC (Rasha Mubarak)
Mubarak: CAIR-Florida, AFGJ (Samidoun sponsor), USCPR
Severed ties 1 month before Treasury designation
4. FALSE FEC DISCLOSURES
HUSSEIN family: $23,750 claiming "NOT EMPLOYED"
- Dr. Maen Hussein is Medical Director at Florida Cancer Specialists
NAFAL family: $21,171 claiming "NOT EMPLOYED"
- CEO/VP of El Rancho Inc ($300M+ revenue)
5. CONFIRMED ETHICS VIOLATIONS
House Censure: November 7, 2023 (234-188 vote)
26th member in House history to be censured
$10,800 repayment ordered for personal use of campaign funds
Thread 1: The Siver Scheme - $24.79M to Officials Who Stole Homes
Southfield Mayor Ken Siver and city officials ran a scheme from 2010-2018 where they acquired 173 tax-foreclosed homes for approximately $500 each, then sold them at market value ($100K-$300K+), keeping all the equity. Former homeowners, predominantly elderly and Black, received nothing.
COURT RULING
"Shocking to the conscience"
Michigan Court of Appeals, 2019
COURT FINDING
"Elected officials were using their political status for private financial gain"
KEY FACTS
- - Detroit News exposed scheme: July 22, 2021
- - Tlaib's first Southfield earmark: 2024 (2+ years after exposure)
- - $5M "Hope Apartments" flows to Southfield Nonprofit Housing Corp where Siver is President
- - Tlaib appeared with Siver 3+ times after scandal (Memorial Day 2024, SEMCOG Aug 2025, Wellspring Oct 2025)
MONEY FLOW DIAGRAM
TLAIB EARMARK ($5M)
|
v
City of Southfield
|
v
Siver's Nonprofit (SNHC) ---> Siver (President)
The Irony: Tlaib campaigns on #BlackHomesMatter while funding the man who stole Black families' homes.
Thread 2: The ACCESS Triangle - $4M Earmark to Brother's Employer
Tlaib earmarked $4 million to ACCESS (Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services) in Dearborn. Her brother Rachid Elabed is the Director of Business Operations and Facilities at ACCESS, overseeing vendor relationships, procurement, and facilities.
TLAIB HISTORY
2004-2007: Worked at ACCESS
2006: Brother joins ACCESS
18+ years: Rachid still employed
ACCESS FEDERAL FUNDING
Federal grants: $47.7M (96 awards)
Sept 2024: $8M in Congressional Directives
| ACCESS Employee | Role | Donated |
|---|---|---|
| HARAJLI, LINA | COO | $4K |
| FAKHOURY, WISAM Q. | Director of Finance | $3K |
| FREIJ, MAHA M. | CEO | $3K |
| DAHER, NISSRINE HUSSEIN | Development Officer | $843 |
| FAWAZ ANOUTI, BRIGITTE | Director | $500 |
| Total ACCESS Donations | $18K | |
MONEY FLOW DIAGRAM
TLAIB EARMARK ($4M) -----> ACCESS -----> Rachid Elabed (Dir. of Business Ops)
^
|
$14,743 donations from ACCESS employees
Disclosure Gap: House rules only require disclosure of spouse's employment, not siblings. Tlaib has never publicly disclosed Rachid's role when requesting ACCESS earmarks.
Thread 3: Terror-Adjacent Payments - $435K to Consultant with CAIR/Samidoun Ties
From March 2020 to September 2024, Tlaib's campaign and leadership PAC paid $435,000+ to Unbought Power LLC, a consulting firm operated by Rasha Mubarak. Mubarak was also the Treasurer of Tlaib's leadership PAC. Tlaib's committees were Unbought Power's only federal clients.
PAYMENT SUMMARY
| 2020-2021 | $114K |
| 2021-2022 | $223K |
| 2023-2024 | $139K |
| Total | $476K |
SUSPICIOUS TIMING
Feb 2021: Israel designates Samidoun
Nov 2023: Germany bans Samidoun
May 2024: Mubarak arrested at Disney World
Sept 2024: Tlaib severs ties
Oct 15, 2024: US Treasury designates Samidoun
| Organization | Mubarak's Role | Terror Connection |
|---|---|---|
| CAIR-Florida | Regional Director (2015-2018) | Unindicted co-conspirator in Hamas financing trial |
| AFGJ | Listed as media contact | Fiscal sponsor of Samidoun - designated terrorist entity by US Treasury (Oct 2024) |
| USCPR | President of advocacy arm | Sponsors BDS National Committee |
Key Timing: Tlaib severed ties with Mubarak in September 2024, exactly one month before the US Treasury designated Samidoun as a "sham charity that serves as an international fundraiser for the PFLP terrorist organization."
Personal Relationship: Mubarak was a personal guest at Tlaib's 2019 swearing-in ceremony, alongside Linda Sarsour and CAIR National Director Nihad Awad.
Thread 4: False FEC Disclosures - Wealthy Donors Claiming "Unemployed"
Two wealthy donor families gave tens of thousands to Tlaib while falsely claiming "NOT EMPLOYED" on FEC filings.
| Family | Location | Claimed Status | Actual Status | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HUSSEIN | Leesburg, FL | NOT EMPLOYED | Medical Director, Florida Cancer Specialists; President of FLASCO | $24K |
| NAFAL | Frisco, TX | NOT EMPLOYED | CEO/VP of El Rancho Inc ($300M+ revenue grocery chain) | $21K |
HUSSEIN FAMILY (Feb 10, 2024)
- - Dr. Maen Hussein: $10,550 (Medical Director)
- - Zachariah Hussein: $6,600 - exact FEC max (student)
- - Zade Hussein: $6,600 - exact FEC max
- All three donated on the SAME DAY
NAFAL FAMILY (Frisco, TX)
- - Salah Nafal: CEO of El Rancho Inc
- - Khaled Nafal: VP of El Rancho + other businesses
- - El Rancho: $300M+ revenue, 29 stores
- $13,200 in refunds (over-contribution issues)
Evidence of Intent: Dr. Maen Hussein used BOTH accurate ("FCS/PHYSICIAN") AND false ("NOT EMPLOYED") on different donations, proving the false disclosure was a deliberate choice, not confusion.
Assessment: Classic bundling/straw donor patterns but unprovable without bank records.
Thread 5: Confirmed Ethics Violations
HOUSE CENSURE
234-188
November 7, 2023
22 Democrats voted FOR censure
26th member in House history to be censured
ETHICS REPAYMENT
$10,800
Ordered to repay
Personal use of campaign funds
ONLY Oversight member with ethics repayment
Rep. Tlaib is the only member of the House Oversight Committee with both a formal House censure AND confirmed ethics violations requiring financial repayment.
How Tlaib Compares to Other Oversight Committee Members
| Category | Garcia (D-CA) | Stansbury (D-NM) | Tlaib (D-MI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| House Censure | No | No | YES (26th in history) |
| Ethics Repayment | No | No | YES ($10,800) |
| Terror-Adjacent Payments | No | No | $435K |
| Family Conflict | No | No | $4M to brother's employer |
| Earmarks to Scandal Officials | Unknown | Unknown | $24.79M |
| Home State Funding | ~70% | ~65% | 7.76% |
Top Earmark Recipients - $124.9M Total
| Recipient | # Earmarks | Total Amount | % of Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Southfield(Siver) | 6 | $24.79M | 19.8% |
| Wayne County | 5 | $20.00M | 16% |
| City of Detroit | 8 | $26.20M | 21% |
| Dearborn School District | 2 | $9.00M | 7.2% |
| City of Dearborn | 2 | $8.00M | 6.4% |
Southfield (population 76,000) receives nearly $25M while Detroit (population 633,000) gets only $6.2M in direct earmarks.
Comprehensive Timeline
What Was NOT Found
- - No connection to Detroit corruption cases (Kilpatrick, Conyers, etc.)
- - No direct criminal fraud charges (Siver scheme was civil, not criminal)
- - No healthcare fraud network (unlike some other members investigated)
- - No direct evidence that Unbought Power funds reached terrorist organizations
- - California donors (MALAS, ALALUSI families) verified as legitimate philanthropists
Data Sources
- House Ethics Committee: Report 116-473 (ethics violation finding)
- Congress.gov: H.Res.845 (censure resolution)
- FEC Bulk Data: 27,333 contribution records
- Congressional Earmarks Database: 46 earmarks, $124.9M total
- Michigan Courts: Rafaeli v. Oakland County, Hall v. Meisner (Siver scheme)
- US Supreme Court: Tyler v. Hennepin County (home equity theft ruling)
- Detroit News: July 22, 2021 investigation of Southfield scheme
- US Treasury OFAC: Samidoun designation (October 15, 2024)
- Washington Examiner: Unbought Power reporting (May 2024)
- ACCESS 990 Filings: Employee compensation, federal grants
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