The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday (Nov. 10) indicted a Taiwan resident and a business for participating in a criminal conspiracy to violate U.S. export laws and sanctions against Iran. A Bruneian company was also indicted. The U.S. Treasury Department also sanctioned a total of 10 individuals and entities, including those individuals and companies, on Tuesday.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday filed criminal charges against Chin Hua Huang, 42, a resident of Taiwan, DES International Co. , Ltd. filed a criminal complaint charging them with conspiracy to defraud the United States and violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR).
“These defendants are charged with conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions against Iran by purchasing goods from the United States, concealing the origin of those goods, and then sending them to Iran for use by the government and businesses,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers said in a statement. “Violations of these sanctions weaken their effectiveness and delay the day when Iran will cease its hostile activities.”
According to the Justice Department’s indictment, Wong was a sales agent for Deseret International and Soltec Industries, Ltd. and used that capacity to help an Iranian research center purchase U.S. products without a U.S. Treasury Department license. These products included power amplifiers and cybersecurity software for use in electromechanical equipment. She took steps to conceal the United States origin of the products, including removing the “Made in the USA” serial number label from the packaging and downloading the cybersecurity software to computers outside Iran.
If convicted, Huang faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, while Textron International and Soltek face fines of up to $500,000 each.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday also took sanctions against Huang Jinhua and the two companies, as well as seven related individuals and entities, who were indicted by the Justice Department.
The network of six companies and four individuals facilitated the procurement of sensitive goods, including U.S.-made electronic components, for Iran’s Communications Industries (ICI), the Treasury Department said in a statement. The Iranian companies were designated for sanctions by the United States and the European Union in 2008 and 2010, respectively, because they were owned or controlled by Iran’s Ministry of Defense.
The U.S. has also previously sanctioned or taken legal action against a number of individuals and entities, including a number of Chinese entities and individuals, for violating or circumventing sanctions against Iran.
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