By Allan Lengel
Multiple defendants face charges of procuring and and exporting U.S. technology to Iran between 2005 and 2013, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.
Authorities unsealed two indictments in D.C. federal court involving charges of violating the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
One indictment alleges that between 2012 and 2013, Amanallah Paidar of Iran and Murat Bükey of Turkey, conspired to procure and export U.S. technology for Iran through their companies Farazan Industrial Engineering, in Iran, and Ozon Spor Ve Hobbi Ürünleri, in Turkey.
Specifically, authorities allege that Paidar and Bükey exported from the U.S., and transshipped through Turkey, a device that can test the efficacy and power of fuel cells. They also attempted to obtain a bio-detection system for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) research and use.
Bükey was extradited to the U.S. from Spain last July and pleaded guilty in December. He was sentenced Monday in D.C. to 28 months in prison, with credit for time served. He will be deported after completing his sentence. Paidar remains at large.
The other indictment alleges that between 2005 and 2009, Agshar Mahmoudi of Iran; Bahram Mahmoudi Mahmoud Alilou of Iran and Shahin Golshani, of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) conspired to obtain U.S. technology, including a high-speed camera that has known nuclear and ballistic missile testing applications, a nose landing gear assembly for an F-5 fighter jet, and a meteorological sensor system, through their companies Aran Modern Devices Kish Company in Iran; and Modern Technologies in the UAE, the Justice Department said. The defendants are fugitives.
“These defendants sought to obtain valuable U.S.- origin goods that could assist Iran’s military and WMD aspirations, and in some instances, they were successful,” U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia said in a statement. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and our federal law enforcement partners will zealously pursue those who break these laws and harm our national security interests, regardless of where in the world they operate.”
Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler, Jr. of the FBI Counterintelligence Division, added:
“With the help of our U.S. agency and international partners, the FBI thwarted an attempt to export advanced, American controlled, technological systems and goods,” said Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler, Jr. of the FBI Counterintelligence Division.
