A U.S. citizen was charged with violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act after he delivered a presentation and gave technical advice in North Korea on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, the Justice Department said in a Dec. 2 press release. The Singapore resident and U.S. citizen, Virgil Griffith, received “warnings” not to go to North Korea, the Justice Department said, adding that his actions constituted an evasion of U.S. sanctions.
The former president of a Maryland transportation company was found guilty of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act after bribing an official at Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation, the Justice Department said Nov. 22. Mark Lambert, former president of Transportation Logistics Inc. (TLI), was found guilty of four counts of violating the FCPA, one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA and other fraud-related charges.
Samsung Heavy Industries Company will pay more than $75 million to settle charges that it bribed Brazilian government officials in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Justice Department said Nov. 22. The South Korea-based engineering company agreed to split its settlement in two payments of $37,740,800 to the U.S. and to Brazilian authorities, the Justice Department said.
A U.S. manufacturer of defense technology products was fined $1 million by the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls and agreed to improve its compliance program after it violated the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, DDTC said in a Nov. 20 enforcement order. The company, AeroVironment, illegally exported goods and technical data to Canada, Australia, France, Thailand and Britain, according to a charging letter. The company also violated terms and conditions of licenses and did not keep records of ITAR-controlled sales.
An Iranian businessman was sentenced to 46 months in prison for illegally exporting carbon fiber from the U.S. to Iran, the Justice Department said Nov. 14. Behzad Pourghannad worked with two others between 2008 and 2013 to export the carbon fiber to Iran from third countries using falsified documents and front companies, the agency said.
The Commerce Department officially revoked export privileges for AW-Tronics, a Miami-based company also known as Arrowtronic, for violations of the Export Administration Regulations, the Bureau of Industry and Security said in a Nov. 15 notice. BIS previously revoked export privileges for Arrowtronic, manager Arash Caby and registered agent Ali Caby on Nov. 14 for illegally exporting aircraft parts to Syrian Arab Airlines (see 1911130043). BIS named AW-Tronics as part of the scheme, saying the business was referred to as the “same company” as Arrowtronic in company documents and emails, the notice said. BIS revoked export privileges for AW-Tronics for six years from Oct. 30, 2019.
A Rhode Island veterinary instrument supplier was fined $136,000 by the Commerce Department for 11 violations of the Export Administration Regulations, Commerce said in a charging letter signed Nov. 7. The company, Cotran Corp., illegally exported electric cattle prods to Venezuela, Mexico, South Africa and the Czech Republic without the required license, and did not comply with EAR record-keeping requirements, Commerce said.
The Bureau of Industry of Security corrected an October notice about export privileges denied for violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, issuing the correct location of the court in which the defendant was convicted, according to a notice. Rasheed Al Jijakli (see 1910010056) was convicted in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, not the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, BIS said.
The Department of Commerce denied a man export privileges after he was convicted of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, Commerce said in a notice. Mojtaba Biria illegally exported gas turbine parts to Germany “with knowledge” the parts would be re-exports to Iran. Biria was convicted Aug. 14, 2019, and sentenced to time served and a $5,000 fine, the notice said. Commerce revoked Biria’s export privileges for 10 years from his date of conviction.
A Miami-based company, its manager and its registered agent were denied export privileges for illegally exporting goods to Syria, the Bureau of Industry and Security said in Nov. 14 notices. Arash Caby, Ali Caby and their company, Arrowtronic, violated the Export Administration Regulations by illegally exporting aircraft parts and equipment to Syrian Arab Airlines, a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, BIS said.