Iranian Financial Company CEO Sentenced to Prison for Sanctions Violations

The CEO of a sanctions-evading financial services company in Iran was sentenced to 23 months in prison for violating U.S. sanctions, the Justice Department said Oct. 15. Seyed Sajjad Shahidian, CEO of Payment24, helped Iranians conduct illegal transactions with businesses in the U.S., which included illegal exports of computer software, software licenses and computer servers. Shahidian was charged in May along with Payment24 Chief Operating Officer Vahid Vali for violating U.S. sanctions (see 2005190022). Shahidian pleaded guilty in June (see 2006170005).