Wael Hana

Mr. Hana began operating a start-up company, IS EG Halal, in New Jersey in 2019, and it soon became the sole entity authorized to certify that any halal food product imported into Egypt from anywhere in the world had been prepared according to Islamic law. It was an unlikely development, given that Mr. Hana, a US citizen born in Egypt, has said in court papers that he had no prior experience in the halal industry. In November 2019, the F.B.I. searched Mr. Hana’s home and offices. Investigators seized computers, cellphones, Mr. Hana’s passport and “every single piece of paper” in the company’s headquarters, Mr. Hana’s lawyer, Lawrence S. Lustberg, said in a court filing. Mr. Hana was not charged, and Mr. Lustberg, in the filing, said that his client was told he was not a target of the investigation.