Monishkumar Kirankumar Doshi Shah, who owned jewelry companies in New York City , pleaded guilty Sept. 10 to leading a scheme to "illegally evade customs duties for more than $13.5 million of jewelry imports" into the U.S., the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey announced. Shah, a resident of Jersey City, New Jersey, and Mumbai, also admitted to illicitly processing over $10.3 million through an "unlicensed money transmitting business."

The U.S. on Sept. 5 unsealed an indictment against Sam Bhambhani, a North Attleboro, Massachusetts, resident and salesman for an unnamed laser source supplier, for allegedly conspiring to violate U.S. export controls and smuggling goods from the U.S. by sending laser welding machines to Russia. Also named in the indictment was Maxim Teslenko, a Russian citizen, who "acted as a reseller of laser equipment to the Russian government."

DOJ on Sept. 5 unsealed two indictments against dual Russian-U.S. citizens Dimitri Simes and Anastasia Simes, residents of Huntly, Virginia, for their role in a scheme to violate U.S. sanctions.

Ontario resident Wasseem Ramjaun pleaded guilty Sept. 4 to importing counterfeit goods, causing a "total loss" of $4,216,025, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York announced. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $2 million fine.

The U.S. on Sept. 3 unsealed charges of terrorism, murder conspiracy and sanctions evasion against six Hamas leaders for their role in planning the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks against Israel, DOJ announced. The six people -- Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammad al-Masri, Marwan Issa, Khaled Meshaal and Ali Baraka -- and their co-conspirators allegedly "control all aspects of the terrorist organization, including its political and military branches," DOJ said.

Gholam Reza Goodarzi, a dual U.S. and Iranian citizen living in Porter, Texas, made his initial appearance in a Texas federal court on Sept. 3 after his arrest for allegedly smuggling parts used in the production of unmanned aerial vehicles to Iran, DOJ announced.

The U.S. on Sept. 2 seized a "Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft," which is owned and operated to benefit Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and those associated with him, DOJ announced. The plane was seized in the Dominican Republic and sent to Florida related to alleged export control and sanctions violations.

California man Mohamad Yassin Alcharihi was sentenced on Aug. 29 to three months in prison for illegally importing an "ancient floor mosaic from Syria depicting the Roman demigod Hercules," the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced. Alcharihi was found guilty in June 2023 after a five-day trial of one count of entry of falsely classified imports.

Mississippi seafoods wholesaler Quality Poultry and Seafood Inc. and two of its managers pleaded guilty on Aug. 27 to conspiring to mislabel frozen imported goods as their more expensive and premium local counterparts, DOJ announced. The company agreed to pay $1 million in forfeitures and a $150,000 criminal fine, while sales manager Todd Rosetti and business manager James Gunkel copped to "misbranding seafood to facilitate" the company's fraud, DOJ said.

Hungarian national Bence Horvath was charged with violating U.S. export controls on Russia by conspiring to ship radio communications technology to Russian government end users without a license, DOJ announced Aug. 26. Horvath is charged with one count of conspiring to violate the Export Control Reform Act of 2018.