Solution:
Posted on 11/24/2009 1:18:05 AM PST by Cindy
Note: The following text is a quote:
Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, November 23, 2009
Arms Dealer Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Supply U.S. Fighter Jet Engines to Iran
Jacques Monsieur, a Belgian national and resident of France suspected of international arms dealing for decades, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama to conspiracy to illegally export F-5 fighter jet engines and parts from the Untied States to Iran.
Monsieur along with Dara Fotouhi, aka Dara Fatouhi, an Iranian national currently living in France, was charged in a six-count indictment returned on Aug. 27, 2009, with conspiracy, money laundering, smuggling, as well as violations of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Monsieur was arrested by federal agents in August 2009 upon his arrival in New York. Fotouhi remains at large.
According to Monsieur’s factual proffer and the documents filed in court, Monsieur, along with his co-conspirator Fotouhi, are experienced arms dealers who have been actively working with the Iranian government to procure military items for the Iranian government. In February 2009, Monsieur contacted an undercover agent seeking engines for the F-5 (EIF) fighter jet and the C-130 military transport aircraft for export to Iran. Thereafter, Monsieur began having regular e-mail contact with the undercover agent regarding the requested F-5 engines and parts.
These engines, known as J85-21 models, are replacement engines for the F-5 fighter jet that was sold to Iran by the United States before the 1979 Iranian revolution. The engines and parts are designated as defense articles on the U.S. Munitions List and may not be exported from the United States without a license from the U.S. State Department. Additionally, these items may not be exported to Iran without a license from the U.S. Treasury Department due to the U.S. trade embargo on Iran.
In May 2009, an undercover agent met with Monsieur where Monsieur introduced Fotouhi as a business associate, and again discussed the illegal export of F-5 fighter jet engines from the United States to Iran. During this negotiation, Monsieur asked the undercover agent if he could obtain or use U.S. shipping or export authorization documents that falsely indicated that the end user of the items would be located in Colombia.
In June 2009, Monsieur sent an e-mail to the undercover agent and provided a purchase order for F-5 fighter jet parts from a front company for an organization known as Trast Aero Space, located in Kyrgyzstan. The order requested that the parts be located by the undercover agent and illegally exported to the United Arab Emirates for the transshipment to Iran. The following month, Monsieur contacted the undercover agent indicating that approximately $110,000 had been wired from Dubai to a bank account in Alabama as payment for the parts. He also indicated that a deposit of $300,000 would be forthcoming as a down payment for two F-5 fighter jet engines. In August 2009, Monsieur requested information from the undercover agent about his contact in Colombia for forwarding the aircraft parts from Colombia to the United Arab Emirates.
"Today’s plea underscores the threat posed by Iranian procurement networks and the international arms traffickers who help supply them," said David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. "I applaud the many agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service who worked tirelessly to bring about this important case."
Eugene A. Seidel, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama said, "Today’s prosecution clearly shows that the United States will continue to be vigilant in cases dealing with arms traffickers and will relentlessly pursue every lead to shut down illegal arms transfer to Iran."
"We realize foreign governments actively seek our equipment for their own military development. Therefore, preventing the export of critical technologies and restricted munitions is of extreme concern to the Department of Defense because of the real possibility that our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines may have to face this material in the hands of our adversaries and thereby lose the advantage that U.S. technology is supposed to provide them," said Sharon E. Woods, Director, Defense Criminal Investigative Service. "Protecting American’s Warfighters through technology protection is a top priority for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the law enforcement arm of the DoD Inspector General, and a fundamental focus for our special agents."
"The guilty plea of Monsieur reflects the government’s commitment to ensuring that critical technologies and military-grade weapons not fall into the wrong hands," said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Assistant Secretary John Morton. "ICE will continue bringing to bear its unique law enforcement authorities to investigate and enforce criminal violations of all U.S. export laws related to military items and controlled "dual-use" commodities."
Monsieur faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Defense’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS). The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory A. Bordenkircher of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama, with assistance from the Counterespionage Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
Previously...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2330753/posts
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Quote:
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2009/September/09-nsd-908.html
Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
International Arms Dealer Arrested for Conspiracy to Supply U.S. Fighter Jet Engines to Iran
Jacques Monsieur, a Belgian national and resident of France suspected of international arms dealing for decades, has been arrested on charges alleging that he conspired to illegally export F-5 fighter jet engines and parts from the United States to Iran. Monsieur is scheduled to have his arraignment today in federal court in Mobile, Alabama.
A six-count indictment returned on Aug. 27, 2009, in the Southern District of Alabama charging Monsieur, 56, and co-defendant Dara Fotouhi, aka Dara Fatouhi, 54, an Iranian national currently living in France, with conspiracy, money laundering, smuggling, as well as violations of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
Monsieur was arrested by federal agents last Friday upon his arrival in New York. Fotouhi remains at large. The charge of conspiracy carries a potential sentence of five years in prison, while smuggling carries a potential 10-year prison term, AECA carries a potential 10-year prison term, money laundering carries a potential 20-year prison term and IEEPA carries a potential 20-year prison term.
According to the indictment and an affidavit filed in the case, defendants Monsieur and Fotouhi are experienced arms dealers who have been actively working with the Iranian government to procure military items for the Iranian government.
The indictment alleges that in February 2009, Monsieur contacted an undercover agent seeking engines for the F-5 (EIF) fighter jet or the C-130 military transport aircraft for export to Iran. Thereafter, Monsieur began having regular e-mail contact with the undercover agent regarding requested F-5 engines and parts.
These engines, known as J85-21 models, are replacement engines for the F-5 fighter jet that was sold to Iran by the United States before the 1979 Iranian revolution. The engines and parts are designated as defense articles on the U.S. Munitions List and may not be exported from the United States without a license from the U.S. State Department. Additionally, these items may not be exported to Iran without a license from the U.S. Treasury Department due to the U.S. trade embargo on Iran.
According to the indictment, in March 2009, Monsieur met with the undercover agent in Paris, where Monsieur again requested engines and parts for the F-5 fighter jet. In May 2009, an undercover agent met with Monsieur in London, where Monsieur introduced Dara Fotouhi as a business associate, and again discussed the illegal export of F-5 fighter jet engines from the United States to Iran. During this negotiation, the defendants allegedly asked the undercover agent if he could obtain or use U.S. shipping or export authorization documents that falsely indicated that the end user of the items would be located in Colombia.
In June 2009, according to the indictment, Monsieur sent an e-mail to the undercover agent and provided a purchase order for F-5 fighter jet parts from a front company for an organization known as Trast Aero Space, located in Kyrgyzstan. The order requested that the parts be located by the undercover agent and illegally exported to the United Arab Emirates for transshipment to Iran.
The following month, Monsieur allegedly contacted the undercover agent indicating that approximately $110,000 had been wired from Dubai to a bank account in Alabama as payment for the parts. He also indicated that a deposit of $300,000 would be forthcoming as a down payment for two F-5 fighter jet engines. In August 2009, Monsieur requested information from the undercover agent about his contact in Colombia for forwarding the aircraft parts from Colombia to the United Arab Emirates, the indictment alleges.
“The facts alleged in this indictment underscore the global reach of Iranian procurement networks and the international arms traffickers who help supply them. This case also highlights the importance of keeping restricted U.S. weapons technology out of their grasp,” said Deputy Attorney General Ogden. “I applaud the many agents, analysts and prosecutors who worked tirelessly to bring about this important arrest.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Eugene A. Seidel said, “The investigation and prosecution of cases such as this one will have a significant deterrent impact on illegal arms trafficking and will enhance our national security. Foreign governments and illegal arms dealers should know that there are no ‘safe harbors’ for this type of commerce. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the dedicated investigators, agency analysts, and prosecutors who helped bring about the arrest and indictment of the defendant.”
“Those who seek to illegally send dangerous weapons to Iran will never quite know whether the ‘merchant’ they’re dealing with is actually the long arm of the law,” said John Morton, the Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for ICE. “ICE is committed to combating the flow of arms and sensitive technologies abroad and will utilize all of its resources to do so.”
“Safeguarding our military equipment and technology is vital to our nation’s defense and the protection of our war fighters,” said Director Sharon Woods, Director of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. “We know that foreign governments are actively seeking our equipment for their own military development. Thwarting these efforts is a top priority of the DCIS. I applaud the agents and prosecutors who worked tirelessly to bring about this result.”
This investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Defense’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS).
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory A. Bordenkircher of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama, with assistance from the Counterespionage Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
An indictment is a formal accusation and is not proof of guilt. Defendants are presumed innocent until and unless they are found guilty.
Article reminds me of NCIS episode with the Frog.
I’ve never watched that program.
Hopefully, the good guys won in the end.
Well, don’t start watching it unless you wanna get hooked. It was on for 4 years before I ever started watching and now all rerun episodes must be viewed since many of them are intertwined, even from season to season.
Like 24.
I have to admit I started watching it.
“Monsieur faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine”
are you freaking kidding me? 5 years and 250 grand? that’s it? This SOB should be executed or, at the very least, spend the next 25 years of his life in a federal prison.
Hat tip...Ditto.
Solution:
“Jacques Monsieur, a Belgian national and resident of France suspected of international arms dealing for decades, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama”
He appears to have already been extradited. His accomplice has not apparently. Of course the DP is too much to hope for despite its obvious justification but 5 years? Give me a break. That’s a smack in the face to our servicemen and women.
When I read the title, I thought it was an article about the Obama administration.
Five years in jail for trading with the enemy. A slap on the wrist.
Now I realize that this article is not about an American businessman, but the Iranians gotta be gettin’ parts from somewhere.
GE J85 turbojet.
IRIAF F-5E Tiger II.
Let me get this straight...you’re siding with a Frenchman who is enriching himself by selling embargoed military hardware to Iran based on the premise that it will be destroyed in combat (presumably with American forces)? Is that correct?
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