Jalal Nimer Asad’s liquor stores kept two sets of books. He structured more than $4 million in cash withdrawals and then spent 15 years in the West Bank as a federal fugitive. Jason Carr explains how the case was proved anyway, and why cash businesses should never manage their deposits around $10,000.
Show Notes:
In 2009, a federal grand jury indicted Jalal Nimer Asad and several co-defendants in two cases tied to convenience and liquor stores in Decatur and Peoria, Illinois. His co-defendants were resolved years ago. Asad stayed overseas for 15 years and returned in 2023 to stand trial.
In September 2025 a jury convicted him on every count. The evidence showed two sets of books used to underreport taxes, and more than $4 million in structured cash withdrawals, much of it taken overseas. In July 2026 he was sentenced to five years in prison, more than $1 million in restitution and a forfeiture judgment of more than $4 million.
Key Takeaways
- A second set of books is the textbook affirmative act that turns a tax problem into tax evasion.
- Structuring is a crime even when the money is legal. Splitting transactions to avoid a bank report is the offense.
- Businesses that receive more than $10,000 in cash generally must file Form 8300.
- Deposits are a cash business’s best evidence. Reported sales should match the register and the bank.
- Leaving the country doesn’t run out the clock. Time abroad or as a fugitive is excluded from the criminal tax limitations period.
- Fix problems before IRS contact, through amended returns, voluntary disclosure, payment plans and penalty relief, and involve a tax attorney early to protect privilege.
Resources Mentioned
DOJ (C.D. Ill.), sentencing, July 17, 2026: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdil/pr/fugitive-15-years-sentenced-five-years-prison-twenty-counts-related-tax-evasion-and
DOJ, jury conviction, Sept. 2025: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdil/pr/former-peoria-store-owner-convicted-twenty-one-felonies-after-being-fugitive-fifteen
DOJ archive, 2009 indictment (Price Rite Food & Liquor): https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/ilc/press/2009/03March/03Ayat1.html
DOJ archive, Mohamed Nimer Asad sentencing (2011): https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/ilc/press/2011/03March/15Asad.html
DOJ archive, Mohammed Rebhi Qattoum sentencing (2011): https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/ilc/press/2011/03March/01Qattoum.html
The Law Office of Jason Carr, PLLC: https://carrtaxlaw.com