Consultant to Iran Mission in UN Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion

A US citizen working as a consultant to Iran’s mission at the United Nations has agreed to pay $147,000 in restitution while pleading guilty to evading US income taxes on income from the mission and helping others send money to Iranian bank accounts, the US Department of Justice said in a press release.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Ahmad Sheikhzadeh provided an informal money transfer service for people in the United States to deposit money in Iranian banks, a violation of US sanctions against the hardline Islamist state, the release explained.

"From 2008 through 2012, Ahmad Sheikhzadeh filed personal income tax returns that substantially understated the amount of income he received from his work for the IMUN [Iran Mission to the United Nations]," the release stated on Monday.

Sheikhzadeh, who pleaded guilty to charges of income tax evasion and illegal money transfers on Monday, agreed to forfeit $147,000 in restitution, the release noted.

Sheikhzadeh also faces up to 23 years in prison when sentenced, the release added.