AFP, Washington, 7 Oct 2011 – A US citizen pleaded guilty Friday to conspiring to illegally export computers from the United States to arch-foe Iran, and agreed to a $1.25 million fine, the Justice Department said.
Jeng ‘Jay’ Shih and his Queens, New York company Sunrise Technologies and Trading Corporation entered the guilty plea in a hearing before US District Judge James Boasberg, the department said.
Under the plea deal, Shih and his company must forfeit $1.25 million and were also denied export privileges for 10 years, though the penalty will be suspended if no further export violations are committed.
Shih faced a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a one million dollars in fines for the crime. Sentencing was scheduled for January 13.
Shih, who was arrested on April 6, conspired with a company operating in Dubai and Tehran to provide computers from the United States through his Sunrise firm and export them to Iran through Dubai without first obtaining the required license or authorization, court documents showed.
In April 2010, Shih was said to have illegally exported 368 computer-related goods to Dubai that were later shipped to Iran.
He then exported another 158 such units later that month, followed by 185 units at a later date.