Tina Chen, Illegally Exporting Goods To Iran, Nevada 2019

A Las Vegas woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to export goods from the United States to Iran, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations.

According to the indictment unsealed on Thursday, November 26, 2020, Tina Chen, 47 — aka Ya When Chen, Wen Tina Chen, Tina Dunbar, and Tina Dubner — is the owner of Top One Zone, LLC, a company exporting electronic and computer components that Chen operates from her residence. As alleged, from about November 2015 to May 2019, Chen conspired with others to buy and export goods from companies in the United States, and then send those goods to individuals in Iran through companies in Hong Kong. Chen concealed the identities of the end users, and she did not have a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Treasury Department.

Chen is charged with one count of conspiracy to unlawfully export goods to Iran. Chen made her initial court appearance on Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy J. Koppe, who scheduled a jury trial for July 26. If convicted, Chen faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and a $1,000,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI’s Las Vegas Field Office and the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Dickinson of the District of Nevada and Trial Attorney Matthew J. McKenzie of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Tina Chen, 47, is the owner of Top One Zone, LLC, a company exporting electronic and computer components that she operates from her residence. She is charged with one count of conspiracy to unlawfully export goods to Iran.

The case against Chen highlights the importance of enforcing sanctions against countries like Iran, which pose a threat to national security.

Related Federal Cases