The business circumvented licenses by claiming drills were meant for Iraq.
A federal jury convicted a salesman based in the Middle East of conspiring to sell U.S. products to Iran without the appropriate licenses, scheduling his sentencing for January 7, 2025.
The jury found Brahim Assi guilty of attempting to smuggle two blast-hole drills to Iran by claiming that the machinery was being sent to a company in Iraq. The defendant even conspired with an Iraq-based distributor to serve as the drills’ false recipient and as the location to reexport the drills to Iran.
“The defendant schemed to unlawfully export U.S.-origin mining drills to Iran, while deceiving his employer into believing that they were being sent to Iraq,” said Justice Department Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen. “This conviction affirms the Justice Department’s resolve to disrupt and hold accountable those who evade our sanctions against Iran, wherever in the world they may be.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Justice Department officials as they seek to ensure the terms of sanctions placed by the Treasury and State Departments are met.
- For Assistant Attorney General Olsen to seek God’s guidance in his role in the DOJ.
Sources: Department of Justice
