The Department of Justice issued a forfeiture complaint against four companies that allegedly laundered money on behalf of U.S.-sanctioned North Korean banks, the agency said July 23. The complaint calls for the forfeiture of more than $2 million used to buy goods for the North Korean government, the Justice Department said. The four unnamed companies were part of a money-laundering scheme involving three sanctioned entities: Velmur Management Pte. Ltd, Dandong Zhicheng Metallic Material Co. and multiple branches of North Korea’s Foreign Trade bank. “This complaint illuminates how a global money laundering network coordinates with front companies to move North Korean money through the United States,” acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Michael Sherwin said in a statement. “This case demonstrates that we will use all tools … to target companies that harm U.S. national security, regardless of where they are doing business.”
A Lebanese national was sentenced to 42 months in prison for conspiring to illegally export U.S. drone parts and technology to Hezbollah, the Justice Department said July 20. Usama Darwich Hamade violated the international Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Export Administration Regulations, the Arms Export Controls Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations when he tried to illegally export a range of U.S.-origin items, including “inertial measurement units,” digital compasses, a jet engine, piston engines and recording binoculars. During an investigation, the Justice Department said the U.S. discovered Hezbollah was the “ultimate beneficiary” of the exports.
A Tennessee resident who is a naturalized U.S. citizen and also an Iranian citizen was sentenced to 46 months in prison for smuggling more than $100,000 worth of items from the U.S. to Iran, the Justice Department said July 16. Aiden Davidson, manager of New Hampshire-based Golden Gate International, pleaded guilty in March (see 2003030055) to being involved in at least 10 exports of containers of industrial goods and equipment to Iran, which included motors, pumps and valves, the Justice Department said. Documents associated with the shipments falsely listed a business in Turkey as the ultimate consignee. Davidson received about $1 million in wire transfers for the exports between 2014 and 2017. He was arrested in September 2018.
The Department of Justice charged a California electronics company, its president and an employee with trying to illegally export chemicals to a Chinese company on the U.S. Entity List. President Tao Jiang, employee Bohr Winn-Shih and the company, Broad Tech System Inc., ordered the chemicals from a Rhode Island company before trying to ship the items to China Electronics Technology Group Corporation 55th Research Institute (aka NEDI) (see 2006030032), the Justice Department said July 20. The shipment would have violated the Export Control Reform Act.
The Justice Department charged two people for allegedly helping a Brazil construction company bribe government officials in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a July 6 news release said. Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares and Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares aided a “massive” bribery and money laundering scheme by Odebrecht S.A., which previously pleaded guilty to paying more than $700 million in bribes to government officials and others to retain business and secure contracts (see 1911210023 and 1910150030), DOJ said.
A federal appeals court upheld a conviction for a man who illegally exported electronics to Cuba. Bryan Singer had argued the court lacked evidence to convict him of knowingly shipping “303 Ubiquiti NanoStation M2 Network Modems” without a license, and said the U.S. failed to “prove he knew of the facts that made the NanoStations” subject to export controls. But the 11th Circuit denied Singer’s appeal. “The evidence admitted at trial established Singer's knowledge beyond a reasonable doubt,” a June 26 decision said.
The Department of Justice issued a forfeiture warrant and complaint for all petroleum products aboard four tankers that it alleged are illegally shipping Iranian oil to Venezuela. The ships -- the Bella, the Bering, the Pandi and the Luna -- allegedly are working with the U.S.-sanctioned Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to ship the oil and fund IRGC terrorist activities, DOJ said July 2. The four tankers are carrying more than 1 million barrels of gasoline combined, the agency said.
The Bureau of Industry and Security revoked Mahin Mojtahedzadeh’s export privileges after he was convicted of illegally exporting gas turbine parts to Iran, a July 1 order said. Mojtahedzadeh was convicted Jan. 30, 2020, of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and sentenced to time served and a $5,000 fine (see 2002030015). BIS revoked Mojtahedzadeh’s export privileges for 10 years from his date of conviction.
Singapore authorities arrested six Chinese nationals for illegally importing liquor and avoiding about $65,000 (in Singapore dollars) in import taxes, Singapore Customs said in a June 29 notice. The six people allegedly imported the liquor using false descriptions, labeling the goods as beverages, spices, cosmetics, sanitizer and soap. Authorities said they seized about 900 bottles of illegally imported liquor. The six people face fines of up to 40 times the amount of taxes they evaded and a six-year prison sentence.
A Canadian woman was sentenced to 18 months in prison for illegally exporting gas turbine engine parts from the U.S. to Iran, the Justice Department said June 26. Angelica Preti, who worked as the export operations manager at a Canadian forwarding and customs brokerage services provider, helped to ship U.S.-origin engine parts and valve assemblies to Iran by concealing Iran as the end-user, the agency said. She also filed false electronic export information. During Preti’s time as export manager, the company was involved in 23 shipments exported from the U.S. traced to Iran destinations. DOJ said Preti violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and U.S. sanctions.