Related Federal Cases
- ATF Warns of Legal Policies: Linking to DOJ Sites at Your Own Risk · Illinois
- James Leads Coalition Against Extremist SAVE America Act · New Mexico
- James Leads Push for Senate KOSA Bill Over House Version · New Mexico
- James Blocks $10B Cut to Childcare & Support Programs · Minnesota
- AG James Scores Victory for SNAP Benefits · Illinois
Taiwanese Businessman Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Violate WMD Laws
A former resident of Taiwan, who the United States has linked to the supply of weapons manufacturing machinery to North Korea, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to violate U.S. regulations regarding the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, announced Assistant Attorney General John Carlin for the National Security Division and U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Fardon for the Northern District of Illinois.
The defendant, Hsien Tai Tsai, also known as “Alex Tsai,” admitted that he engaged in illegal business transactions involving the export of U.S. origin goods and machinery.
Tsai, 69, was arrested in May 2013 in Tallinn, Estonia, and later was extradited to the United States, where he remains in federal custody.
Tsai pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States in its enforcement of regulations targeting proliferators of weapons of mass destruction before U.S. District Judge Charles Norgle in Federal Court in Chicago. Sentencing was set for Dec. 5, 2014. Tsai faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Under the terms of his plea agreement, the government will recommend a sentence of approximately 30 months in prison provided Tsai continues to fully cooperate with the United States.
According to court documents, Tsai was associated with at least three companies based in Taiwan – Global Interface Company Inc., Trans Merits Co. Ltd., and Trans Multi Mechanics Co. Ltd. – that purchased and then exported, and attempted to purchase and then export, from the United States and other countries machinery used to fabricate metals and other materials with a high degree of precision.
In January 2009, under Executive Order 13382 which sanctions proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their supporters, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Tsai, Global Interface, and Trans Merits as proliferators of weapons of mass destruction, isolating them from the U.S. financial and commercial systems and prohibiting any person or company in the United States from knowingly engaging in any transaction or dealing with them.
Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Category: Violent Crime|Weapons
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News