Justice Department outlines illegal exportation sentencing

Justice Department officials have detailed the sentencing of a dual citizen of the United States and Iran for alleged illegal exportation in violation of the International Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

Kambiz Attar Kashani, 44, was sentenced to 30 months in prison in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, for conspiring to illegally export U.S. goods and technology to end users in Iran that included the Central Bank of Iran, an Iranian government agency that, according to the U.S. government, has materially supported designated terrorist organizations Lebanese Hizballah and the Qods Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

According to court documents, between February 2019 and June 2021, Kashani and his co-conspirators used two front companies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to illegally procure electronic goods and technology from multiple U.S. technology companies, including one located in Brooklyn, for end users in Iran, including the Central Bank of Iran.

Certain goods and technology Kashani and his co-conspirators transshipped were controlled by the U.S. government for national security and anti-terrorism reasons.

According to authorities, Kashani and his co-conspirators intentionally concealed from the U.S. companies that they intended to send the items to Iran, falsely claiming that the UAE companies would be the ultimate end users.

By providing the Central Bank of Iran and other end users in Iran with top-tier U.S. electronic equipment and software, Kashani and his co-conspirators enabled the Iranian banking system to operate more efficiently, effectively, and securely.

“Kashani conspired to illegally export U.S. goods and technology for the benefit of the Central Bank of Iran, a designated entity that materially supports known terrorist organizations,” Justice Department National Security Division Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen said.