2021Event
Ray LaHood
Former US Secretary of Transportation (Obama administration); received $50K from Chagoury via Baaklini; paid $40K fine after misleading FBI statements.
Hall of FameFourth Republic
2021
Ray LaHood
Former US Secretary of Transportation (Obama administration); received $50K from Chagoury via Baaklini; paid $40K fine after misleading FBI statements.
What happened
In 2021, Ray LaHood, who served as US Secretary of Transportation under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, entered a plea agreement with American federal prosecutors. The case centered on his failure to properly disclose $50,000 in payments he received from Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire Gilbert Chagoury through intermediary Toufic Baaklini. LaHood initially provided misleading statements to FBI investigators about these financial arrangements before agreeing to pay a $40,000 fine.
The payments were part of a broader investigation into Chagoury's political influence operations in the United States. Chagoury, who built his fortune through construction and real estate ventures across West Africa including major projects in Nigeria, had been seeking to improve his standing with US authorities after previous sanctions concerns. The case highlighted how wealthy individuals with Nigerian business interests sometimes attempt to gain access to American political figures through financial arrangements that may violate US disclosure laws.