Tallahassee: Brian Assi, also known as Brahim Assi, 63, of Beirut, Lebanon, was sentenced to 44 months in prison for conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR). Assi was also charged with attempted unlawful export of goods from the United States to Iran without a license, attempted smuggling goods from the United States, submitting false or misleading export information, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

According to United States Department of Justice, the defendant conspired to export millions of dollars of U.S.-made heavy machinery to Iran. This act was described by John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, as a threat to U.S. economic and national security. Eisenberg emphasized that the National Security Division is committed to finding and prosecuting those who illegally sell American products to adversaries of the United States.

U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin for the Northern District of Florida stated that Assi’s actions involved conspiring and concealing efforts to circumvent U.S. export controls to provide heavy machinery to Iran, a designated state sponsor of terrorism for the past 40 years. Heekin assured that his office will continue to aggressively pursue individuals who violate laws and provide material support to America’s enemies.

In the course of the conspiracy, Assi concealed his activities with Iranian co-conspirators by causing false information to be entered into the Automated Export System (AES), a U.S. government database for export information. Assi misled his employer by claiming that an Iraqi distributor was the ultimate consignee and that Iraq was the intended delivery destination, while he knew the true recipients were in Iran.

Assi and his co-conspirators facilitated the illicit transaction by transferring approximately $2.7 million from Turkey through the United States.

The case was investigated by the Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security’s Office of Export Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew J. Grogan and Harley W. Ferguson for the Northern District of Florida, along with Trial Attorney Ahmed Almudallal of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.