Lebanese man convicted in the United States for attempted illegal export to Iran

L'Orient-Le Jour

4 days ago

A Lebanese businessman, Brian Assi, was sentenced by a federal jury in Gainesville, FL. to 44 months in prison for attempting to export drilling equipment to Iran, in violation of American sanctions, according to a statement from the Department of Justice's Public Affairs Office.
His real name Brahim Assi, the Beirut native sought to ship two mining drills worth $2.7 million through intermediaries based in Iraq and Turkey. He was employed as a sales representative for a multinational heavy equipment manufacturer, whose name was not disclosed, based in the Middle East with a subsidiary in Florida. The exports were to be carried out in collaboration with the Tehran-based company Sakht Abzar Pars. On the Justice Department website, the prosecutors handling the case explained that the drills to be exported are a type of heavy equipment used to create holes in the ground that are to be filled with explosives deployed in mining operations.
According to the statement, released Monday, Assi intended to make the transaction through an Iraqi distributor, a front buyer, to whom the final destination of the goods — to Iran — had been concealed. The man was also convicted for falsifying official transportation documents in the Automated Export System (AES), a U.S. government database containing information on exports from the United States, and for deceiving American regulatory authorities regarding the final recipient of the shipments. To his employer, Assi also claimed that the drills were destined for Iraq.
Assi planned to route them through Turkey before sending them to Iran, in order to circumvent export controls.
"The defendant threatened the economic and national security of the United States by conspiring and concealing his efforts to circumvent our export controls to provide heavy machinery to Iran," said John P. Heckin, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, in the statement. "My office will continue to resolutely prosecute anyone who violates our laws and provides material support to America's enemies."
The Lebanese man was found guilty on Oct. 24, 2024. Following this conviction, Monday's judgment set the sentence based on various charges, notably conspiracy to violate sanctions, attempted unlawful export, smuggling and money laundering.