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Alabama Man Exports to Iran, Faces Five Years
Birmingham, Ala. – A 70-year-old man from Owens Cross Roads, Alabama, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to export U.S.-origin goods to the Islamic Republic of Iran in violation of trade sanctions.
Ray Hunt, also known as Abdolrahman Hantoosh, Rahman Hantoosh and Rahman Natooshas, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge on [date] in a federal district court.
According to court documents, Hunt registered Vega Tools, LLC with the Alabama Secretary of State in May 2014, listing the nature of the business as “the purchase/resale of equipment for the energy sector.”
He operated Vega Tools, including purchasing, receiving, and shipping U.S.-origin goods, from locations in Madison County, Alabama. Beginning at least as early as 2015, Hunt conspired with two Iranian companies located in Tehran, Iran, to illegally export U.S.-manufactured industrial equipment for use in Iran’s oil, gas, and petrochemical industries.
Hunt engaged in a series of deceptive practices to avoid detection by U.S. authorities, including using third-party transshipment companies in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and routing payments through UAE banks.
Hunt faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security is investigating the case with valuable assistance provided by the FBI.
Mandatory Facts:
Defendant: Ray Hunt, also known as Abdolrahman Hantoosh, Rahman Hantoosh and Rahman Natooshas
Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to export U.S.-origin goods to the Islamic Republic of Iran in violation of trade sanctions
City and State: Owens Cross Roads, Alabama
Date: [date]
Sentence: Five years in prison
Key Facts
- State: Alabama
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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