BIS Issues Export Privilege Suspensions, Including for Shipment to Chinese University

The Bureau of Industry and Security this week suspended the export privileges of several people, including one person for illegally exporting goods to a university on the Entity List.

Jonathan Yet Wing Soong of California was convicted April 28 of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act after he knowingly exported aeronautics software to Beijing-based Beihang University (see 2301190026), which was added to the Entity List because of its ties to the Chinese military. BIS said Soong shipped CIFER (Comprehensive Identification from Frequency Responses) software, which allows the user to “develop a dynamic model of an aircraft using system identification techniques.” The item was controlled under the Export Administration Regulations as EAR99 and required a license.

Soong was sentenced to 20 months in prison, three years of supervised release, a $100 assessment and $168,885 in “restitution.” BIS denied Soong’s export privileges for 10 years from the conviction date.

Tina Chen of Nevada was convicted Feb. 23 for exporting goods from the U.S. to Iran without the required licenses from the Office of Foreign Assets Control, BIS said (see 2105280030). Chen was sentenced to 13 months of confinement, three years of supervised release and a $100 assessment, and BIS suspended Chen’s export privileges for 10 years from the conviction date.

Donald Robert Witherow, a Pennsylvania resident, was convicted Oct. 13, 2022, for smuggling firearms ammunition and firearms magazines from the U.S. to the Netherlands, BIS said. Witherow was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, one year of supervised release and a $200 assessment. BIS suspended Witherow’s export privileges for three years from the conviction date.

Rolondo Alexei Pupo-Abrahantes, an inmate at a Louisiana federal prison, was convicted Nov. 16, 2022, of conspiring to smuggle firearms from the U.S. to Ecuador. Pupo-Abrahantes was sentenced to 30 months in prison, two years of supervised release and a $300 “special assessment.” BIS suspended Pupo-Abrahantes’ export privileges for 10 years from the conviction date.

Stephanie Joahna Gloria, an inmate at an Alabama federal prison, was convicted of smuggling 3,200 rounds of Winchester 5.56-millimeter ammunition from the U.S. to Mexico. She was sentenced to 70 months in prison, three years of supervised release and a $100 assessment, and BIS suspended her export privileges for seven years from the conviction date.