Federal prosecutors charge 3 Iranians with illegally exporting 'many tons' of carbon fiber, a controlled material with military and nuclear uses, to Iran.
According to the indictment unsealed in White Plains federal court, the three defendants, operating out of Iran, acquired"many tons" of carbon fiber between 2008 and 2013 from an unidentified U.S. broker and shipped it to Iran through third countries. The material was falsely described as"acrylic" in export documents, authorities said.
Shokri is charged with the procurement of carbon fiber. Pourghannad is accused of financing the transactions, and Faridmanesh is charged with the transshipment. In a statement, Berman said,"Carbon fiber has many aerospace and defense applications, and is strictly controlled to ensure that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Pourghannad and his co-defendants allegedly went to great lengths to circumvent these controls and the United States' export laws. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to protect our nation's assets and protect our national security.
"Iran remains determined to acquire U.S. technology with military applications, and the FBI is just as determined to stop such illegal activity," added Assistant FBI Director John Brown, who is with the bureau's counterintelligence division. Pourghannad was arrested May 3, 2017, in Germany and extradited to the U.S., arriving Monday. He made his first court appearance Tuesday in White Plains federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy.Robert Windrem is an investigative reporter/producer with NBC News, specializing in international security.
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