The San Bernardino shootings happened last December, with the two suspects dying during the attack. Yet they have still managed to cause trouble after the fact, with one of the shooters, Syed Farook’s locked iPhone causing a showdown between the FBI and Apple, before authorities unlocked the phone without the tech company’s help. Now the federal government is facing off against Syed Farook’s life insurance policy, saying that his family shouldn’t benefit from it.
According to the LA Times, the government is suing to stop multiple life insurance payouts that amount to more than $250,000 from going to Farook’s family, saying that they should not benefit from terrorism:
“Terrorists must not be permitted to provide for their designated beneficiaries through their crimes,” said U.S. Atty. Eileen Decker in a statement. “My office intends to explore every legal option available to us to ensure these funds are made available to the victims of this horrific crime. We will continue to use every tool available to seek justice on behalf of the victims of the San Bernardino terrorist attacks.”
Rafia Farook, the shooter’s mother, is the current beneficiary of the life insurance policies, one valued at $25,000, which he took out in 2012 when he started working for San Bernardino County, and another one valued at $250,000 in 2013. The LA Times also reports that Rafia Farook suffered from domestic violence at the hands of her now ex-husband, who she divorced earlier in 2016. For this reason alone, one could see how the payouts would help Farook. At the same time, it’s a shame that she’s getting money because of a mass shooting that her son perpetrated.
(via LA Times)