co-opted by members of the Assad family. (7) International NGOs working with the United Nations are forced to select local partners, many of which are controlled by the Assad family and inner circle, from a government-approved list, therefore allowing these actors to profit from humanitarian relief efforts and perpetuate the conflict, international crimes, and human rights violations. (8) The Assad regime compels the United Nations to house its 150 international staff in the Four Seasons Hotel Damascus where, since 2016, the United Nations has spent more than $26,000 a night, equalling nearly $10 million a year. (9) On June 11, 2019, the United States Treasury Department sanctioned the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus for its role in fueling an illicit network benefitting the Assad regime, and also sanctioned its owner Samer Foz a businessman who is directly supporting the murderous Assad regime and building luxury developments on land stolen from those fleeing his brutality , according to U.S. Treasury Undersecretary Sigal Mandelker