A Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) probe has led to criminal conspiracy convictions for two international businesses related to Iranian sanctions.
According to a news release, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia convicted two multinational business organizations Tuesday after they entered guilty pleas and admitted their roles in a criminal conspiracy to transport Iranian items in a violation of U.S. export regulations and sanctions.
The matter was examined by Homeland Security Investigations in Austin, Texas, the FBI's San Antonio Division, the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Defense, as well as the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.
“The defendant companies, which shared common directors and employees, have pled guilty to obtaining U.S. export-controlled goods for the benefit of the government of Iran and concealing the U.S. origin of those good to facilitate their illicit transfer," said Department of Homeland Security attorney Matthew Olsen in a news release. "We are holding them accountable for violating our laws at the expense of U.S. national security.”
Soltech Industry Co. of Brunei and DES International Co. of Taiwan both entered pleas of guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States and to violate the Iranian transactions and sanctions regulations and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Both businesses were ordered by U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb to pay fines of $83,769 each, three times the value of the products they illegally trafficked to Iran, and to undergo five years of corporate probation.
“HSI will continue to work with our federal and international law enforcement partners to ensure offenders who are violating U.S. export laws and sanctions are brought to justice. We will remain steadfast in our commitment to protect our homeland from all adversaries," said HSI San Antonio acting special agent in charge, Craig Larrabee, in a statement.
