Rochester, N.Y. — In a brazen attempt to export sensitive military equipment, 29-year-old Iteru Masui of Mikata, Japan, has been charged with entering into an agreement to illegally export items that are export controlled by federal regulation, and illegally exporting the items. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the investigation began in September 2012, when Special Agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) started looking into an eBay advertisement offering AN/PRC-152 radios for sale. The radios, manufactured by the Harris Corporation located in Rochester N.Y., are identified by the National Security Agency as a Controlled Cryptographic Item and are not for sale to the general public.
“Protecting sensitive military technology is of the utmost importance to the American public,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “This Office will continue to pursue and prosecute those who would attempt to both steal such sensitive secrets, or to export them abroad.”
The investigation revealed that the defendant attempted to buy one of the radios. Special agents tracked the attempted sale through Masui’s email address, which is owned by KDDI Corporation, a telecommunications company based in Tokyo, Japan. The address listed on the defendant’s eBay account belonged to a freight forwarding business with offices in Washington State and Tokyo. A review of Masui’s eBay purchases between December 2010 and January 2013 uncovered a total of 1,407 purchases, including antennae for U.S. radios, body armor, and military-style optical sights.
Between April 4, 2013 and May 9, 2013, an undercover agent corresponded with the defendant via email and offered to sell Masui two of the AN/PRC-152 radios. The defendant agreed to buy the radios for $4,500. Over a several-day period in May 2013, an undercover agent shipped two boxes to the defendant, with each containing a plastic mock-up of the radio equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS). The complaint further indicates that the boxes were followed as they were turned over to the United States Postal Service for delivery to Tokyo, with falsified Custom Declaration forms attached.
Iteru Masui was arrested in Seattle, Washington on January 13, 2013. The defendant made an initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Seattle late that afternoon. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The criminal complaint is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Weapons
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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