3 weeks ago
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|| || |14-Sep-23|| |NAME:|Amin Hasanzadeh| |SENTENCED:|N/A | |OFFENSE:|Conspiracy to unlawfully export technology to Iran and to defraud the United States; unlawful export of technology to Iran (seven counts) | |PUBLIC DISCLOSURE:|Download PDF Clemency Warrant |
Amin Hasanzadeh, an Iranian national and electrical engineer served in the Iranian military and, according to the criminal complaint, worked at a company linked to "the Iranian government's Cruise Division of Air & Space Organization."
In 2011, Hasanzadeh started working as a defense contractor in Florida, focusing on "developing power electronics computer designs," according to the complaint. He did similar work in Maryland before getting a job in Michigan working for the unnamed "victim company" in January 2015.
Hasanzadeh allegedly was privy to highly sensitive projects, such as what the court documents call a "real-time supercomputer with applications that would include aerospace applications." Even though he was not allowed to take work home or share it over his personal email account, he allegedly started sending his brother confidential documents just six days into his employment.
Federal officials say his brother, Sina, worked at multiple companies linked to Iran's military programs, including one that "contributes to Iran's proliferation-sensitive nuclear activities."
14-Sep-23
|| || |NAME:|Kaveh Lotfolah Afrasiabi | |SENTENCED:|N/A | |OFFENSE:|Conspiracy to act as an unregistered agent of a foreign principal; acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign principal | |PUBLIC DISCLOSURE:|Download PDF Clemency Warrant|
Kaveh Afrasiabi pitched himself to Congress, journalists, and the American public as a neutral and objective expert on Iran. However Afrasiabi was actually a secret employee of the Government of Iran and the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations (IMUN) who was being paid to spread their propaganda. In doing so, he intentionally avoided registering with the Department of Justice as the Foreign Agents Registration Act required. He likewise evaded his obligation to disclose who was sponsoring his views.
Afrasiabi allegedly sought to influence the American public and American policymakers for the benefit of his employer, the Iranian government, by disguising propaganda as objective policy analysis and expertise.
|| || |14-Sep-23|| |NAME:|Reza Sarhangpour Kafrani| |SENTENCED:|N/A | |OFFENSE:|Conspiracy to unlawfully export goods to Iran via the United Arab Emirates, and to defraud the United States; unlawful exports and attempted unlawful export of goods to Iran via the United Arab Emirates (two counts); failure to file electronic export information; international money laundering (six counts) | |PUBLIC DISCLOSURE:|Download PDF Clemency Warrant |
Reza Sarhangpour Kafrani, aka Reza Sarhang, 46, an Iranian national residing in Montreal, was indicted by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on one count of conspiracy, two counts of violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), one count of causing a failure to submit export information and six counts of money laundering. The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation seeking all proceeds of the alleged crimes. Kafrani will be arraigned on the charges on a date to be determined by the court.
According to the indictment, Kafrani and a co-conspirator co-owned Prolife Global, Ltd., which was based in Canada, but conducted business in the United States and elsewhere. In November 2015, Kafrani began negotiating with a U.S. company to purchase mass spectrometry equipment for import to Canada. During those negotiations, Kafrani initially inquired about costs to ship and install the equipment in Montreal, Canada. Later, however, Kafrani asked a representative of the company if the installation costs were the same for the Middle East, and the representative of the company emailed Kafrani, saying, “You know there are sanctions in place for Iran.” Kafrani was unable to purchase the equipment from this company.
As alleged in the indictment, he then began negotiations with a second U.S. company for the purchase of similar mass spectrometry equipment in March 2016. Ultimately, he and a co-conspirator were able to purchase three mass spectrometers and an autosampler, used to automatically load samples into the mass spectrometer.
Chromatography and spectrometry analytical instruments, such as some of the laboratory equipment purchased by Kafrani, are controlled for nuclear nonproliferation reasons and therefore require a license to be exported from the United States to either Iran or the UAE.
|| || |26-Jul-24|| |NAME:|Vadim Konoshchenok| |SENTENCED:|N/A| |OFFENSE:|Conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act; smuggling goods into the United States| |PUBLIC DISCLOSURE:|Download PDF Clemency Warrant|
Konoshchenok, a Russian citizen with ties to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), was arrested in Estonia on a provisional arrest warrant issued from the Eastern District of New York and extradited from Estonia to the United States on July 13, 2023.
The defendant was a critical participant in a scheme to provide sensitive, American-made electronics and ammunition in furtherance of Russia’s war efforts and weapons development, violating U.S. export controls, economic sanctions and other criminal statutes.
Vadim Konoshchenok provided cutting edge, American-developed technologies and ammunition to Russia for use in their invasion of Ukraine. He smuggled hundreds of thousands of illicit munitions in support of Moscow’s war machine, using front companies to conceal his criminal enterprise.
To date, over half a ton of military-grade ammunition linked to Konoshchenok has been recovered or interdicted before being smuggled into Russia. Konoshchenok used an Estonian front company called “Stonebridge Resources” and communicated frequently with other co-conspirators about sourcing, transporting and paying for controlled items
Full lists here:
|| || |https://www.justice.gov/pardon/search-clemency-case-status| |https://www.kttn.com/president-biden-commutes-the-sentence-of-31-individuals/| |https://www.justice.gov/pardon/pardons-granted-president-joseph-biden-2021-present| |https://www.justice.gov/pardon/media/1313156/dl|
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