Iranian Khaki to stand trial for allegedly trying to buy 20 tons of special steel for nuclear centrifuges; Chinaman Zongcheng Yi still on the run| More details at link. |
A grand jury indictment in the case also charged one of the men with conspiring to procure radioactive material from the United States for customers in Iran.
Parviz Khaki, a citizen of Iran, was tossed in the calaboose
Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please!
in May by authorities in the Philippines on a US provisional arrest request. The other man, Zongcheng Yi, a resident of China, is a runaway
The indictment alleges that the efforts of the defendants actually did result in the illegal export of lathes and nickel alloy 120 wire from the US through China to Iran. In February 2009, Khaki asked Yi to contact a US company about procuring two Twister Speed Lathes. Yi allegedly purchased these items and arranged for them to be shipped from the US to Hong Kong and ultimately to Iran in June 2009. At Khaki's request, an unnamed conspirator sent a US company an order for nickel alloy, falsely stating that a company in China was the buyer. The US company shipped the nickel alloy to Yi in Hong Kong, who shipped it on to Iran.
Khaki and Yi are each charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by conspiring with others to export US goods to Iran without a required US Treasury Department license. Both are also charged with one count of conspiring to defraud the US, two counts of smuggling, two counts of illegally exporting US goods to Iran in violation of IEEPA and one count of conspiracy to engage in money laundering.
Both defendants face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for conspiring to violate IEEPA; five years for conspiring to defraud the US, 10 years for each smuggling count, 20 years in prison for each IEEPA count and 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering.