AP: Eight people and eight corporations have been charged with illegally shipping to Iran electronic parts that could be used in weapons, including microchips that have been found in improvised explosive devices in Iraq, federal officials said Wednesday.
The Associated Press
By JESSICA GRESKO
MIAMI (AP) — Eight people and eight corporations have been charged with illegally shipping to Iran electronic parts that could be used in weapons, including microchips that have been found in improvised explosive devices in Iraq, federal officials said Wednesday.
The defendants, all of whom live outside the U.S., are charged with buying the goods in the United States and then funneling them to Iran through a third country. The defendants lied about the items' ultimate destination and use, officials said.
The items being shipped included global positioning systems as well as other technology that could be used for civilian purposes but also has military applications, such as computer memory, speech recognition technology and timers. Thousands of parts were shipped.
One type of microchip has been found in the triggering systems of IEDs in Iraq. More than 12,000 of part were ordered.
"This is very serious," U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta of Miami said.
The goods were shipped to the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, England, Germany and Singapore. From there, they were sent to Iran, violating a U.S. embargo against the country and federal law.
Named in the 13-count indictment are six Iranian nationals, a resident of Germany and a resident of Malaysia. Two of the Iranian nationals had become British citizens. The United States is in the process of seeking the defendants' extradition, Acosta said. The eight companies were based in Dubai, Malaysia and Iran.
The defendants face charges of conspiracy and making false statements, both of which carry a maximum five year prison sentence, as well as violating the Iran Embargo and federal law, a charge that carries a maximum of twenty years in prison. In addition, the defendants face possible fines of up to $1 million. The indictment against the group was returned on Sept. 11 but unsealed Wednesday.
The case is being prosecuted in Florida because some of the goods' suppliers and some of the companies involved in exporting them to Iran are based in South Florida. Those companies, which are not named in the indictment but were based in Deerfield Beach, Largo and Tamarac, were unwitting accomplices, Acosta said. Other companies that supplied goods ultimately shipped to Iran were based in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Minnesota, New York and Texas.
The indictment set off other actions by federal officials. Officials at the Treasury Department froze the assets of six Iranian military firms connected with the case. Officials at the Commerce Department put 75 companies and individuals connected with the case on a watch list that makes U.S. companies unlikely to be able to ship goods to them.
This is not the first time Florida has been involved with illegal shipments to Iran. In June, prosecutors in Florida unsealed an indictment against two U.S. citizens charged with illegally providing U.S.-made parts to Iranian buyers for military aircraft, including fighter jets and attack helicopters.
That case was one of a number around the country in recent months involving illegal exports to Iran. In those cases, the prohibited items being shipped to the country have included night vision goggles, computer software for oil and gas operations, Uzi submachine guns, rifle scopes and weapons, and several cases involving parts for the F-14 and other aircraft.
