Federal prosecutors have charged a twin citizen of the U.S. and Iran, accusing him in a plot to illegally transport high-tech electronics to an avowed enemy of the USA.

Kambiz Attar Kashani was charged in federal court docket Friday with conspiring between February 2019 and June 2021 to evade restrictions on commerce with Iran, which has been beneath ongoing U.S. and worldwide sanctions.

The grievance towards Kashani, introduced in federal court docket in Brooklyn, alleges that he was concerned in an "elaborate scheme" spanning corporations based mostly within the the United Arab Emirates and Iran. These corporations knowingly sought to ship to the Central Financial institution of Iran merchandise that embrace subscriptions to proprietary software program, mounted attenuators, energy provides and storage programs, alleges the grievance.

Iran Flag
A twin U.S.-Iran citizen was charged Friday, accused of making an attempt to illegally deliver pc gear into the nation. Above, the flag of Iran is seen exterior the IAEA in Vienna, Austria. Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Photographs

"We imagine Mr. Kashani profited financially by strengthening the financial system of one of many world's most notorious state sponsors of terrorism, whereas circumventing important U.S. legal guidelines designed to guard our nationwide safety pursuits," FBI Particular Agent-in-Cost Joseph Bonavolonta stated in a press release.

The Central Financial institution of Iran is the official financial institution of the nation's Islamist authorities. The U.S. authorities has designated it as a authorities entity that aids terrorist organizations, together with Hezbollah in Lebanon and a Quds Power of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

A big driver of the sanctions has been Iran's purported nuclear ambitions. Whereas the nation's management has denied it's searching for a nuclear weapon, it has continued to complement uranium whereas constructing its typical arsenal.

Kashani had roles in two unnamed corporations within the United Arab Emirates that he used to buy objects from U.S. corporations and export to Iran, the grievance alleges. He and others suspected within the scheme didn't safe obligatory export licenses and informed U.S. authorities that the top customers of the merchandise can be based mostly within the United Arab Emirates, the grievance states.

The grievance factors to emails and invoices amongst proof of the illicit shipments.

Charging paperwork don't title the U.S. corporations Kashani tried to deceive from which to obtain know-how. The businesses are based mostly in places together with New York, Massachusetts, Texas and North Carolina. Amongst their merchandise are "a program that enables giant organizations to develop and deploy proprietary, internal-use purposes to their staff," open-source merchandise, cloud infrastructure, in addition to radio frequency and microwave gear.

Kashani was arrested on Thursday in Chicago and made his preliminary court docket look the following day, in accordance with prosecutors. The federal government's case is being dealt with by the Workplace's Nationwide Safety and Cybercrime Part.

Courtroom data accessed Friday night don't present Kashani represented by an legal professional and he has not entered a response to the grievance.