A federal grand jury has indicted Ali Saboonchi, a 32-year-old Parkville resident, for his alleged role in a plot to export industrial products and services to Iran, violating the US embargo. The indictment, returned on March 4, 2013, was unsealed after Saboonchi’s arrest.
The indictment alleges that Saboonchi and co-conspirator Arash Rashti Mohammad, a 31-year-old Iranian citizen, conspired to evade the Iran Trade Embargo by exporting American-made industrial goods to Iranian businesses between November 2009 and the present.
The indictment details numerous transactions, including the export of two cyclone separators for $2,114.53, six thermocouples for $1,284, and 10 stainless steel filter elements for $151.53, among other items.
Saboonchi allegedly obtained price quotes and paid for the items, which he then shipped to co-conspirators in the UAE and China. Rashti would arrange for the entities in the UAE and China to send the goods on to him and his customers in Iran, without obtaining authorization to export the products.
The indictment contains five counts, including conspiracy and four counts of illegal export to an embargoed country. Saboonchi faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each count.
Saboonchi made his initial appearance in US District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, on March 13, 2013, and is being held pending a detention hearing. Rashti, believed to be living in Iran, has not been arrested.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt, and Saboonchi is presumed innocent unless proven otherwise. The case is being prosecuted by the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, with assistance from the FBI and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
The Iran Trade Embargo was imposed in 1995, following a series of Executive Orders declaring that the actions and policies of the Iranian government constituted a national emergency.
Related Federal Cases
- Ex-Con Busted: Feds Allege Repeat Offender Back to Old Tricks · Maryland
- Ramon Ingram Sentenced for Baltimore Bank Fraud Scheme · Maryland
- Saleh Fakhoury Sentenced to 4 Years for $3M Insurance Fraud Fire Scheme · Maryland
- Kelley Gets 18 Months for Night Vision Export Scheme · Maryland
- Paschall Auto Shop: Oxycodone & Burglary Ring Busted · Maryland
Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Category: White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
ðŸâ€â€™ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News