SouthernWorldwide.com – Families of military personnel are urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to distribute nearly $800 million obtained from a French cement company found guilty of bribing ISIS.
In November 2017, Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy sustained severe injuries in Raqqa, Syria, while clearing a hospital building that had been booby-trapped by ISIS. Now a quadriplegic, Stacy, his wife Lindsey, and their four children are among the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed by military families against Lafarge, a French cement company.
Lafarge was recently convicted in a French court for paying millions of dollars in bribes to ISIS to maintain operations at their factory in ISIS-controlled Syrian territory. Lindsey Stacy shared the immense challenges her family faces, stating, “It’s very overwhelming, Kenton struggles mentally and physically with his own battles and the kids and I. We have our own struggles.” She further elaborated on the difficulties of managing their household, especially with their oldest son requiring 24/7 care due to cerebral palsy.
President Trump had previously recognized Stacy’s service in his 2018 State of the Union Address. Army Staff Sergeant Justin Peck was lauded for his bravery in rescuing Stacy from a booby-trapped building and administering CPR for over two hours until medics could intervene. Trump’s remarks highlighted Peck’s selfless act, stating, “Kenton Stacy would have died if not for Justin’s selfless love for a fellow warrior. Tonight, Kenton is recovering in Texas. Raqqa is liberated. All of America salutes you.”
In a significant ruling in April, Lafarge, the world’s largest cement manufacturer, was found guilty of providing material support to a terrorist group. Its former CEO received a six-year prison sentence, and eight former Lafarge employees were also convicted. Lafarge is currently appealing the verdict.
The company acknowledged the court’s findings, referring to the issue as a “legacy matter” that was “in flagrant violation of Lafarge’s Code of Conduct.”
Approximately 1,000 plaintiffs, predominantly military families, are involved in ongoing litigation in the Eastern District of New York. Todd Toral, an attorney from Jenner & Block representing Stacy and about 25 other families, emphasized the gravity of the situation.
“They were killed in Syria by a gruesome terrorist organization that was funded in part by Lafarge. And that’s not an allegation. That is undisputed fact. Lafarge pled guilty to doing that in 2022,” Toral stated.
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Toral, who is also a U.S. Marine veteran, is seeking compensation for these families from the $777 million Lafarge paid to the Justice Department as part of a settlement. The DOJ has held these funds since October 2022.
“I think the ruling by the court in France is significant generally, because it’s the first time in many, many years that a corporation, and not just the corporation, but executives at a corporation have been held to account for their misconduct in aiding terrorism,” Toral remarked in an interview.
To maintain its operations in ISIS-controlled areas of Syria, Lafarge paid over $6.5 million to ISIS between 2013 and 2014 through its Syrian subsidiary. The cement produced at its Jalabiya factory, acquired for $680 million prior to the Syrian uprising in 2011, was also used by the terrorist group for constructing tunnels and bunkers.
This lawsuit is particularly noteworthy as it represents the first instance of a company facing U.S. charges for supporting a terrorist organization.
In October 2022, Lafarge reached a settlement with the DOJ, prior to the French ruling, paying more than $777 million into an asset forfeiture fund managed by the DOJ. These funds are intended to compensate victims of ISIS attacks, including many Gold Star families.
Hailey Dayton, whose father was the first American killed by ISIS in Syria on Thanksgiving Day 2016, shared her poignant experience. “I was 15 when my dad was killed,” she recounted. “I saw six guys in Navy white step out of the van. I got so excited because I thought my dad came back to surprise us. I remember opening the door, huge smile on my face, and I was looking at the men, trying to find my dad and I didn’t find, I didn’t see him, but instead I saw six guys with tears in their eyes.”
The Biden administration’s Department of Justice reportedly denied requests to disburse the Lafarge funds while the case was still being considered by a French court. Lafarge was subsequently found guilty by that court in April. In February, Representative Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., questioned then-Attorney General Pam Bondi about the DOJ’s timeline for releasing these funds to the families.
“In February 2025, my colleagues and I sent you a letter urging the department to review the petitions for remission submitted by the families of those fallen service members, including several of my constituents. The previous administration ignored these victims and our requests and left their petitions unresolved,” Biggs stated during a Congressional hearing.
“Congressman, we are aware of that and we’re committed to doing everything we can to support the victims and work with you. Thank you for that question,” Bondi responded. Over a year has passed since that exchange, and the DOJ has yet to distribute the compensation funds.
The plaintiffs, many of whom are military families, now assert that the decision to release the funds rests with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “I don’t know why. I don’t know why they’re ignoring us. To me, it feels like being a pawn. My dad, he went in when he was 19, he served 23 years,” said Dayton, the Gold Star daughter of Chief Petty Officer Scott Dayton.
“To the current Department of Justice, I would, say, make things right.”
Lindsey Stacy, who has spoken about her family’s financial struggles due to Kenton Stacy’s severe injuries, added, “There’s a lot of families out there that could benefit from these funds. I mean, it’s been almost nine years. It would be nice to, you know, for justice to be served.”
“They have been convicted recently in their own country, guilty. It has been a long battle, but it’d be nice just for it to come to an end, get some closure and be able to just take care of our family,” she continued. “I mean he made a huge sacrifice for our country and it would just be nice if they’d stand right by us and all the other co-plaintiffs.”
“We can think of no group of people who are more worthy of receiving compensation from that victim’s compensation fund than these families who lost a son, lost a brother, lost a husband, and they deserve to be treated better by the United States of America,” Toral stated in an interview preceding Memorial Day Weekend, as he continues to advocate for his clients.
The Department of Justice, which oversees the $777 million in penalties forfeited by Lafarge, provided the following statement:
“The Department is committed to compensating all victims to the maximum extent permitted by law. While we cannot comment on a pending matter, the Department will always engage in the appropriate process to evaluate claims and ensure that our brave servicemembers receive any amount of compensation to which they are entitled.”
