Saber Fakih, Violating IEEPA and Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, Washington 2022

Washington D.C. – In a shocking case of attempted technology export, Saber Fakih, 48, of the United Kingdom, was sentenced yesterday to 18 months in prison for violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations.

According to court documents, Fakih conspired with Bader Fakih, 43, of Canada, Altaf Faquih, 72, of the United Arab Emirates, and Alireza Taghavi, 48, of Iran, to export and attempt to export an Industrial Microwave System (IMS) and counter-drone system from the United States to Iran, without first obtaining the requisite license from the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

The Industrial Microwave System (IMS) has potential military uses, including high-power microwave-based Directed-Energy Weapon systems. The counter-drone system, which has both commercial and military uses, can be used to stop, identify, redirect, land or take total control of a target unmanned aerial vehicle.

Fakih admitted in his statement of offense that he was the primary liaison between the Iranian purchaser and the U.S.-based seller of the IMS. He placed a bid with the Massachusetts vendor, coordinated an inspection of the machine, and generally corresponded with the vendor on Taghavi’s behalf, knowing it was ultimately destined for Iran.

The scheme involved significant financial transactions, with Jalal Rohollahnejad, 46, causing the equivalent of $450,000 to be sent from Iran to the UAE, where Altaf Faquih picked it up and converted it from Emirati currency to U.S. dollars. Faquih then transferred the money to Bader Fakih in Canada via three separate wire transfers.

Fakih’s co-conspirators held themselves out as procurement agents of Rayan Roshd, which has since been sanctioned by the U.S. Government for its procurement activities related to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Rohollahnejad, an Iranian national, has also been charged with smuggling, wire fraud and related offenses arising from the same scheme.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, HSI’s Baltimore Field Office, and the Washington Field Office of the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Export Enforcement. Fakih was arrested in the United Kingdom pursuant to a U.S. Extradition Request on or about February 10, 2021. On January 25, 2022, he entered a plea of guilty to count two of the indictment in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia.

Related Federal Cases