2 Companies Fined $83K for Conspiring to Violate Export Controls, Iran Sanctions

Two companies, one based in Taiwan and the other in Brunei, each must pay a fine of $83,769 and serve a five-year corporate probation term for conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions and export laws by shipping U.S.-made goods to Iran, DOJ announced. Taiwan-based DES International and Brunei-based Soltech Industry, charged in 2020 (see 2011120006), both pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the U.S. and violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and were sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

DES and Soltech share directors, employees and customers and procure goods from the U.S. to benefit Iranian businesses and government entities, DOJ said. A sales agent for both companies helped an Iranian research center obtain U.S. goods, including a power amplifier and cybersecurity software, without the proper license from the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. The sales agent stripped the serial number stickers with the "Made in USA" phrase from packages of the goods and caused the software to be downloaded onto a computer outside Iran.

“These criminal convictions demonstrate that we will pursue any individual or organization, wherever located, that would violate our sanctions against Iran and thereby threaten our national security,” U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves said.