BEIRUT: The lawyer of a Lebanese family running a used car dealership in Georgia, U.S., says the family is a victim in the U.S lawsuit against Lebanese suspected of funneling money to Hezbollah.

"He's [George Baaklini] a victim," Chuck Sylvester, lawyer of the Baaklini family, told 11Alive news station. "He's from Lebanon but has been doing international business for years."

NBC’s Channel 11, based in Georgia, reported Tuesday on Baaklini, the owner of the Baaklini North America Inc. in Fairburn, which the U.S. has moved in on in the last couple of weeks to recover money U.S. authorities believe is part of a money-laundering scheme.

In early December, the U.S. filed a lawsuit against Lebanese financial institutions for wiring over $300 million into the U.S. in a money-laundering scheme they said benefited Hezbollah.

In the lawsuit, the U.S. is seeking nearly half a billion dollars in money-laundering penalties from Lebanese banks and 30 U.S. car buyers. It also said it was entitled to claim their assets under U.S. laws.

The U.S. says Baaklini, one of the 30 used car dealerships, has made millions of dollars in profits by selling used cars which were part of a larger money-laundering scheme.

The lawsuit says that used car buyers in the U.S. received wire transfers for buying and shipping used cars which benefited Hezbollah.

Baaklini, now leasing cars out of an office in Peachertree city, refused to answer questions when approached by the station.

Sylvester told Channel 11 that his client had no knowledge of the backgrounds of his customers who were required to wire money up front.

“He [Sylvester] says he is confident Baaklini will be cleared and that money that was essentially frozen by federal agents will be returned,” the station quoted the lawyer as saying.

In the U.S. lawsuit "U.S. vs Lebanon," the document details a chart of wire transfers for which records indicate a connection to "the purchase, sale, shipment, or otherwise related transaction regarding used cars in the United States."

The U.S. government said substantial amounts of the cash were paid to Hezbollah, which the U.S. has listed as a terrorist organization since 1997.

The lawsuit said $300 million was wired from Lebanon to the U.S. and used to purchase used cars and ship them to West Africa. Hezbollah money-laundering channels reportedly used to ship proceeds from the car sales back to Lebanon.

The suit followed a report by the New York Times claiming that the Lebanese Canadian Bank was the hub for international money-laundering operations aimed at funding the resistance group.