U.S. prosecutors charge four in conspiracy to export F-5 fighter jet engines to Iran

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U.S. prosecutors charge four in conspiracy to export F-5 fighter jet engines to Iran

2011-03-24 01:54:50 GMT+7 (ICT)

MIAMI (BNO NEWS) -- U.S. prosecutors on Wednesday announced that a federal grand jury in Miami has indicted four family members on various counts of illegally attempting to export 22 F-5 fighter jet engines to Iran, a violation of executive orders banning exports to Iran.

Charged in the indictment are Felipe Echeverry, age unknown, of Bogota, Colombia, Diego Echeverri, 42, of Elmhurst, New York, Amparo Echeverri Valdes, 53, of Bogota, Colombia, and Carlos Alfredo Pantoja-Coral, 57, of Bogota, Colombia.

The U.S. Iran Embargo prohibits the exportation from the U.S. to Iran of any goods, technology, or services, with limited exceptions, unless authorized by the U.S. Treasury Department. According to the allegations in the 5-count indictment and a previously filed complaint affidavit, Felipe Echeverry and three of his relatives conspired to sell twenty-two aircraft engines for $320,000 to an undercover agent and agreed to help the undercover agent to export the engines from Miami to Iran through Panama.

From January through March 2011, in a series of meetings and conversations, the suspects negotiated the terms of the purported sale, knowing that the ultimate destination of the fighter jet engines was purportedly Iran. Iran produces an aircraft named "Saegeh," which is compatible with the F-5 fighter engines.

"The sales of arms and other commodities to Iran is illegal. When unscrupulous dealers look the other way and knowingly agree to sell military-use items knowing they are destined for Iran, they not only break our nation's laws, but also endanger our national security," said U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer.

If convicted, the defendants face a statutory maximum penalty per count of 20 years on Counts 1, 2 and 3, 5 years on Count 4, and 10 years on Count 5.

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