Multi-state coupon scam nets millions for West Bank groups

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- More than a dozen individuals have been arrested in connection with a coupon scheme in at least 10 states that netted millions of dollars destined for the West Bank, U.S. federal officials said Wednesday.

Law enforcement sources said the fund-raising scheme involved redemption of coupons in hundreds of stores.

Arrests in the case occurred in Wisconsin, New York, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Florida.

Federal authorities in Milwaukee scheduled a mid-afternoon news conference to provide details of the case, but indicated there was no direct connection to terrorism.

The scheme was unrelated to a separate investigation announced earlier Wednesday in Syracuse, which involved charges of illegal fund raising designed to benefit Iraqis.

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