Federal prosecutors said dual U.S.-Iranian national Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, 42, of Natick, Mass., and Mohammad Abedini, 38, of Tehran, Iran, conspired to export sophisticated electronic components from the United States to Iran in violation of U.S. export controls and sanctions.
Abedini is the founder of Iran-based San'at Danesh Rahpooyan Aflak Co., a navigational modules manufacturer that almost exclusively works for Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which the United States designated as a foreign terrorist organization in 2019. Sadeghi works for a Massachusetts-based microelectronics manufacturer.
According to court documents, the defendants, along with others, conspired to illegally export technology from Sadeghi's employer to SDRA through the use of Switzerland-based front company Illumove, which Abedini established to evade sanctions and export controls.
Prosecutors said some of components obtained through Illumove were used in SDRA's proprietary navigation system known as the Sepher Navigation System, which is used in Iran's one-way attack drones as well as cruise and ballistic missiles.
The two men have been charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Abedini also faces additional charges in connection to the late January drone strike on a U.S. logistics support base in Jordan that killed three U.S. soldiers and injured more than 40 others.
Court documents state FBI analysis of the Shahed drone used in the strike showed its navigation system was the one produced by Abedini's company.
"Holding culpable people accountable for the death and maiming of U.S. service men and women bravely serving our nation abroad is about as important a prosecution as there is," U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy for the District of Massachusetts said in a statement. "These allegations make clear the grievous harm that can result when highly sophisticated American technologies subject to export controls end up in the hands of our adversaries."
If convicted, the men each face up to 20 years in prison for the IEEPA violation charge. Abedini's two additional charges of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization resulting in death each carry a penalty of up to life in prison.
Both men were arrested Monday, Sadeghi in Massachusetts and Abedini in Italy, at the request of the United States.
"Today's arrests demonstrate that the Justice Department will hold accountable those who enable the Iranian regime to continue to target and kill Americans and undermine the national security of the United States," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
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