Posted on 05/10/2007 5:29:53 AM PDT by Calpernia
NEW HAVEN, CONN. - Kevin J. O'Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Leib Kohn, age 68, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Christopher F. Droney in Hartford to 30 days of imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release. On December 15, 2004, Kohn and his now-defunct companies, L & M Manufacturing and NESCO NY Inc., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act by sending military components out of the United States without the required authorization from the U.S. Government. Kohn and his companies have also paid a fine in the amount of $25,000.
According to documents filed with the Court and to statements made in court, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Kohn on March 19, 2004. At that time, a search warrant was executed at Kohn's Brooklyn residence. Two days earlier, the Israeli authorities, working in conjunction with U.S. authorities, conducted a search at the business premises of Q.P.S in Binyamina, Israel and there located certain of the items that Kohn had purchased from U.S. manufacturers and shipped to Israel.
On April 15, 2004, a federal grand jury sitting in Bridgeport returned a two-count Indictment against Kohn, L & M Manufacturing and NESCO NY Inc. The indictment alleges that since May 2003, Kohn has continuously procured various munitions items from U.S. manufacturers, including one based in Connecticut, and shipped them to Israel without seeking permission of the U.S. Government for the export. These items are controlled by the U.S. State Department and require licenses and approvals from the U.S. State Department prior to export.
According to the indictment, some of the items Kohn procured and exported are: Parts designed for use in military radar, parts for the F-4 Phantom jet fighter aircraft, and parts for the Hawk guidance missile systems. In particular, the Indictment alleges that Kohn procured wiring harnesses for guidance radar of the Hawk Missile System from a Connecticut company, a fire control radar system for the F-4 Phantom fighter jet aircraft, an audio frequency amplifier for the F-5 jet fighter aircraft from RDB Aeromax in Chatsworth, California, and engine parts for the F-4 Phantom jet fighter aircraft from Unique Aeronautics of Sun Valley, California. In each instance, Kohn was advised through documentation that export of these items was prohibited absent a valid export license from the U.S. Department of State.
U.S. Attorney O'Connor noted that the investigation is ongoing. Special Agents of U.S. Department Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted this investigation, in cooperation with the Israeli National Police.
Assistant United States Attorney Mark D. Rubino is prosecuting the case.
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/ct/Press2004/20041215-3.html
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United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
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| December 15, 2004 |
BROOKLYN MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO VIOLATING U.S. ARMS EXPORT CONTROL ACT
Kevin J. O’Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LEIB KOHN, age 66, of 5814 14th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act by sending military components out of the United States without the required authorization from the U.S. Government. KOHN’s companies, L & M MANUFACTURING and NESCO NY INC., also pleaded guilty to the same charge. According to documents filed with the Court and to statements made in court, KOHN was arrested on March 19, 2004 by Special Agents of the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a Criminal Complaint issued by the U.S. District Court in Bridgeport, Connecticut. At that time, a search warrant was executed at KOHN’s Brooklyn residence. Two days earlier, the Israeli authorities, working in conjunction with U.S. authorities, conducted a search at the business premises of Q.P.S in Binyamina, Israel and there located certain of the items that KOHN had purchased from U.S. manufacturers and shipped to Israel. On April 15, 2004, a federal grand jury sitting in Bridgeport returned a two-count Indictment against KOHN, L & M MANUFACTURING and NESCO NY INC. The Indictment alleges that since May 2003, KOHN has continuously procured various munitions items from U.S. manufacturers, including one based in Connecticut, and shipped them to Israel without seeking permission of the U.S. Government for the export. These items are controlled by the U.S. State Department and require licenses and approvals from the U.S. State Department prior to export. According to the Indictment, some of the items KOHN procured and exported are: Parts designed for use in military radar, parts for the F-4 Phantom jet fighter aircraft, and parts for the Hawk guidance missile systems. In particular, the Indictment alleges that KOHN procured wiring harnesses for guidance radar of the Hawk Missile System from a Connecticut company, a fire control radar system for the F-4 Phantom fighter jet aircraft, an audio frequency amplifier for the F-5 jet fighter aircraft from RDB Aeromax in Chatsworth, California, and engine parts for the F-4 Phantom jet fighter aircraft from Unique Aeronautics of Sun Valley, California. In each instance, KOHN was advised through documentation that export of these items was prohibited absent a valid export license from the U.S. Department of State.
“The federal government will vigorously prosecute illegal exports of arms and munitions components and technology from the United States,” U.S. Attorney O’Connor stated. “We live in a state that is the home to many defense contractors, large and small. Private industry is the first line of defense when it comes to stopping illegal exports, and this case may not have been made were it not for the assistance of one of those contractors. We sincerely appreciate their assistance.” U.S. Attorney O’Connor noted that the investigation is ongoing. “This case is especially alarming because of the sensitivity of the U.S. military items being exported to the middle east,” added Robin Avers, Special Agent in Charge, ICE-New England. “We owe a special debt of gratitude to the Israeli authorities who played a critical role in this investigation. This case should serve as a model for future joint investigations between U.S. and Israeli authorities.” When he is sentenced by Judge Droney on March 4, 2005, KOHN faces a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years, a fine of up to $1,000,000 and possible debarment of export privileges. Each of KOHN’s companies face a fine of up to $1,000,000. The ongoing investigation is being conducted by Special Agents of U.S. Department Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in cooperation with the Israeli National Police.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert M. Appleton. |
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CONTACT:
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U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE (203) 821-3722 |
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Barely a slap on the wrist, I've seen drunk drivers get harsher sentences.
I wonder if Chinese law enforcement is so helpful when US and Chinese citizens illegally export US military technology.
I saw that too. I can’t understand the sentencing especially in light of this:
>>Israeli authorities had investigated Cohen in the past for allegedly transferring arms to Iran. <<<
Drunk drivers are rarely able to offer federal prosecutors valuable information on clandestine rings of drunk drivers.
Well what do you expect? Israel is our ally.
What does this have to do with Israel, this guy was a private arms dealer who violated our export control laws that forbid transfer of this technology without a licence - and it is alleged that the final destination for most of these parts was Iran. 2 months is nothing, and will only encourage other arms dealers to surmise that violating this law has only minor consequences.
Another arms to Iran story:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1831246/posts
Orange County man sentenced for illegally exporting U.S. military aircraft parts to Iran
Excuse me? The arms were shipped to Israel.
Israeli authorities believe that Israel was merely a transshipment point for delivery of the weapons systems to Iran.
ICE and Israeli authorities do not believe the final destination of Kohn’s shipments was Israel.
Israel already has access to the technology mentioned, it has no need to acquire these parts surrepticiously. This was a private arms dealer dealing with a third country, most likely Iran, from what I can see when I google his name.
And before anyone goes throwing abuse buttons at me, I'm neither an anti-semite, anti-Israeli, nor a Nazi. My posts on this forum for the past eight years have been uniformly pro-Israel.
So your default position is:
If Israeli law enforcement claims that Iran is trying to illegally obtain US military hardware, they are almost certainly lying.
As far as you're concerned, Iran is more trustworthy than Israel.
My posts on this forum for the past eight years have been uniformly pro-Israel.
Of course you'd say that.
In the last 20 years, how many Americans have gone to prison for spying for Israel versus spying for Iran?
Good thing you're not an anti-Semite, or I would have seen a deeper motive in such a deceptively-worded question.
Some better questions:
(1) How many more Jews than Iranians are there in America?
Answer: There are 20 times as many Jews in America as there are Iranians. Maybe 25 times as many if citizenship status is the determinant.
(2) Why are there 330,000 Iranians in America, anyway?
Answer: Because they are almost all refugees from the regime currently in power in Iran and they despise that regime. Therefore, the number of Iranian Americans who have any sympathy at all for the current government of Iran is effectively zero.
(3) How many more American Jews support the State of Israel than American Iranians support the Islamic Republic of Iran?
Answer: unknown, but conservatively on the order of a 100,000:1 ratio.
(4) Why did CholeraJoe pick 20 years as the time constraint for his question?
Answer: Jonathan Pollard was convicted 20 years ago, so 20 years goes back just far enough to include him in the tally.
My answer to your question is: I believe it is three Americans who have been to prison for spying for Israel - or less than one ten-thousandth of one percent of the American Jewish population, and no Iranians for spying for Iran.
But I'm sure you just happen to have the full list, so please give it to us.
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