Dirgham Salahi

Dirgham R. Salahi (July 10, 1929-October 6, 2010) was a winery owner, who gained national attention when one of his sons, Tareq was alleged of crashing a White House state dinner.
Salahi was born in Jerusalem to Palstinian parents. Salahi emigrated to the United States in the 1940s and worked as an official at the Libyan Embassy in Washington, DC. He attended George Washington University. He married twice. His son from his first marriage, Ismail D. Salahi, is a doctor in Jacksonville, Florida. He had a second son, Tareq, with is second wife, the former Corinne Brouhon from Belgium.
Montessori School of Alexandria
In 1970, Salahi and his wife Corinne founded and administered the Montessori School of Alexandria, Virginia. They worked for the school for several years without compensation as the school struggled. In 1977, the school started to conduct bingo games as a fundraiser, and that year it earned $240,000 from bingo. Mr. Salahi testified as a witness in a bribery investigation that in 1978, he paid William Cowhig, a Virginia Commonweath's Attorney, $32,000 to protect the school's bingo game.
Oasis Winery
In 1977, Salahi purchased 108 acres in Fauquier County, Virginia to establish the Oasis Winery. He planted a group of French hybrid varietals on his vinard. At its peak, Oasis Winery shipped 15,000 cases of wine a year and grossed $1 million. In 1994, Salahi brought his son Tareq into the business and gave him a 5 percent interest in the company as well as the title of general manager. Within a year, the winery began to lose money. According to court papers, Tareq also began operating a new business out of the vineyard, Oasis Enterprises, which was developed to raise ancillary income as a venue for polo events and other functions such as weddings. Oasis Enterprises included a limo operation, wine country tours, and an events-and-catering business. Around 1999 Tareq "diverted" a "substantial amount" of the vineyard's wine to Oasis Enterprises and had not paid the vineyard back. In 2005, health problems caused Dirgham Salahi to step down as head of Oasis, giving Corrine a more active role in the winery. Tareq and Corrine feuded bitterly, in 2006 Tareq was fired as General Manager, and the dispute ended up bankrupting the operation. In 2005, Oasis showed a $277,498 loss on $833,525 of gross revenue. In 2006, Dirgham Salahi and his wife sued Tareq for $1.5 million stemming from Tareq's other business, Oasis Enterprises, which was an event-hosting and limosine service. Tareq countersued arguing that Oasis Enterprises raised the profile of Oasis Winery and increased its sales. In 2007, the Oasis Winery was placed on the market for sale.
Both businesses filed for bankruptcy in 2009. However, Tareq Salahi challenged the Oasis Winery bankruptcy filing, claiming that he was the actual owner of the business and had the power of attorney for his father. He claimed that his mother had misrepresented her authority to file for bankruptcy. According to the Washington Post, Salahi was suffering from dementia. In September 2010, a bankruptcy court judge denied Tareq's motion to dismiss the bankruptcy filing of Oasis. In the meantime, the winery has suffered from neglect, with its wine inventory turning into vinegar.
It is unclear which of the two public websites ([http://www.oasiswine.com/ (1)] [http://www.oasiswines.net/ (2)]) devoted to Oasis is the "official" website of the winery. The Oasis Winery website controlled by Tareq Salahi describes him as its "founder" and states that the family is working to reopen the Winery.<ref name="Oasis Winery"/>

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu