US Sentences Iranian Man to 63 Months for Exporting Military Items - Justice Dept.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Iranian national Mehrdad Ansari has been sentenced to more than 5 years and two months in prison for illegally exporting dual-use military items in violation of United States sanctions against Iran, the US Justice Department said on Tuesday.

"An Iranian national was sentenced today to 63 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)," the Justice Department said in a release. "Mehrdad Ansari, 40, a resident of the United Arab Emirates and Germany, was convicted by a federal jury in May 2021 for his role in a scheme to obtain military sensitive parts for Iran in violation of the Iranian Trade Embargo."

The Justice Department said in the release that between October 9, 2007 and June 15 2011, Ansari conspired with two other co-defendants to obtain multitude of parts that could be used in nuclear weapons, for missile guidance, offensive electronic warfare, radio jamming, radar warning and surveillance.

The three co-conspirators obtained or attempted to obtain over 105,000 parts worth $2,630,800 and conducted 599 transactions with 63 US companies without informing them the parts were destined for Iran, the release said.

In May, Ansari was convicted on one count of conspiracy to violate the Iran sanctions regime, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to defraud the US Treasury Department and two counts of aiding and abetting the making of false statements, the release added.