The Basics First

In November 2017, Navy Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy was clearing the second floor of a booby-trapped hospital in Raqqa, Syria when ISIS explosives detonated. He is now a quadriplegic.

His wife Lindsey cares for Kenton AND their oldest son, who has cerebral palsy and requires 24/7 care. Kenton just had another surgery — nine years after the attack.

This family is one of nearly 1,000 plaintiffs, mostly military families, suing Lafarge S.A. — the world's largest cement manufacturer.

What Lafarge Actually Did

On November 14, 2022, Lafarge pleaded guilty in federal court in New York City to providing material support to a terrorist organization. According to the Justice Department's own announcement, Lafarge paid $17 million directly to ISIS to keep its Syrian factory running in ISIS-controlled territory.

The penalty? Lafarge paid $777 million to the DOJ as part of the settlement.

That money is sitting there right now.

The French Court Piled On

In April 2026, a French court separately convicted Lafarge of providing material support to a terror group, according to Fox News reporting. The court sentenced the company's former CEO to six years in prison. Eight other former Lafarge employees were also found guilty.

Lafarge is appealing the French conviction. The company acknowledged the court's findings but called the misconduct a "legacy matter" that was "in flagrant violation of Lafarge's Code of Conduct." Translation: they're sorry they got caught.

$777 Million. Zero Distribution.

Todd Toral, a lawyer from Jenner & Block who is also a U.S. Marine, represents Kenton Stacy and roughly 25 other families. He's seeking compensation from that $777 million settlement fund.

"They were killed in Syria by a gruesome terrorist organization that was funded in part by Lafarge," Toral said, according to Fox News. "And that's not an allegation. That is undisputed fact. Lafarge pled guilty to doing that in 2022."

Yet the DOJ has not distributed a single dollar to victims.

What Mainstream Coverage Is Missing

This story has been almost entirely absent from CNN, MSNBC, and major print outlets. No editorial boards demanding accountability. No primetime segments on the human cost.

Fox News has covered it — but even there, it gets buried beneath the daily churn of political combat. The Lafarge story doesn't fit neatly into a partisan narrative, which is probably why it keeps getting ignored.

A French multinational admitted to funding ISIS. American service members were maimed and killed as a result. Nearly $800 million in penalty money exists specifically because of that crime. And the bureaucracy won't move.

The DOJ under Biden didn't distribute the funds. The DOJ under Trump hasn't either. Both administrations own this delay.

The Human Math

Kenton Stacy's story is one data point. There are nearly 1,000 plaintiffs in the Eastern District of New York litigation alone. Most are military families.

Lindsey Stacy put it plainly, speaking to Fox News: "They were essentially funneling money to fund terrorists and ISIS and all these heinous crimes and evil acts. It's very overwhelming. Kenton struggles mentally and physically with his own battles, and the kids and I have our own struggles."

President Trump recognized Kenton Stacy's sacrifice at his 2018 State of the Union, calling out Army Staff Sergeant Justin Peck, who ran into the same booby-trapped building to save Kenton and performed more than two hours of CPR while medics worked. Trump said, "All of America salutes you."

The Status

A foreign corporation funded a terrorist organization that killed and maimed American troops. The corporation admitted it. Paid nearly $800 million in penalties. The people whose lives were destroyed are still waiting.

$777 million. Nine years of suffering for Kenton Stacy alone. ZERO dollars distributed to victims.

Somebody at DOJ needs to explain that — with their name attached.