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Canadian Sentenced to 42 Months for Conspiracy to Export Restricted Goods to Iran
Ghobad Ghasempour, a 38-year-old Canadian national, has been sentenced to 42 months in prison for conspiracy to unlawfully export U.S. goods to Iran, a significant blow to national security. The sentencing took place on August 20, in U.S. District Court in Seattle.
Ghasempour was arrested on March 28, 2017, as he entered the United States at Blaine, Washington. An investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego, California, revealed that Ghasempour had used front companies in China and co-conspirators in Iran, Turkey, and Portugal to illegally export restricted technology products to Iran.
The investigation, which spanned six years from 2011 to 2017, uncovered that Ghasempour and his co-conspirators had exported and attempted to export goods and technology to Iran with both military and non-military uses.
Some of the items Ghasempour sought to export included a thin film measurement system, an inertial guidance system test table, and two types of thermal imaging cameras. The conspirators falsified shipping documents and lied to U.S. manufacturers by claiming that the restricted items were being shipped to customers in Turkey and Portugal.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, and U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes for the Western District of Washington made the announcement. HSI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Dave Shaw praised the investigative work, stating that the illegal export of U.S.-origin items to prohibited countries is harmful to U.S. national security.
Ghasempour pleaded guilty in April 2018, and the case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. The criminal case was originally filed in the District of Columbia in Washington D.C., but was resolved in the Western District of Washington. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frederick Yette for the District of Columbia, Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie Dalton for the Western District of Washington, and Trial Attorney Amy Larson, of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
Key Facts
- State: District of Columbia
- Category: Weapons|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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