Posted on 02/28/2003 8:50:32 AM PST by HAL9000
The seven defendants were charged at the end of a five-year investigation into the illegal shipping of sensitive weapons, including parts used in surface-to-air missiles and fighter aircraft, prosecutors revealed.
All seven, including two people of Chinese origin, were based in the Los Angeles area and allegedly attempted to export parts for weapons such as the AIM-9 "Sidewinder" heat-seeking anti-aircraft missile to China.
"The investigation ... was launched in 1998 to stem the illegal flow of military and defense equipment in and out of the United States," Assistant United States Attorney Mary Carter Andrues said in a statement.
The owners of Los Angeles-based Mexpar International and Pasadena Aerospace and the businesses themselves as well as the ethnic Chinese proprietors of Maytone International all face multiple federal charges.
Mexpar and Pasadena and their owners Ahmad Nahardani and Gabriela De Brea were Thursday charged with attempting to ship parts for the F-4 Phantom fighter jet, the Hawk anti-aircraft missile and the "Sidewinder."
"During the course of the undercover investigation, Nahardani and Brea sold the parts to an undercover operative and attempted to ship the weapons and missile parts to China on eight separate occasions," prosecutors said.
All of the parts were seized by US authorities before being shipped, they added. Nahardani and De Brea, who were arrested Thursday, face up to 80 years in federal prison if convicted on the eight-count indictment.
In the second case Maytone and its owners Jinghua Zhuang and Xiuwen Liang were charged with attempting to illegally export F-14 Tomcat, Hawk Missile, "Sidewinder" and TOW anti-tank missile parts to the Chinese city of Shenyang.
If convicted on all four counts of illegal exportation of weapons, both Zhuang and Liang could each receive up to 40 years in prison.
Apart from the United States, Iran is the only other country in the world whose military uses the F-14 Tomcat jet fighter, and sales of military equipment to Iran is prohibited, prosecutors said.
In addition to the seven, an Israeli citizen and his US-based business were indicted for making false statements to US customs agents in connection with the alleged importation of missile parts into the United States, she said.
It was not immediately clear whether David Menashe and his company Kam-Tech Systems Ltd. are alleged to have imported the same Hawk and "Sidewinder" parts that the other defendants later tried to export from the United States.
Menashe, a 52-year-old Tel Aviv resident, was arrested in Los Angeles on February 12 and pleaded not guilty on February 18 and was freed after posting 750,000 dollars in bail, Andrues said. His trial is set for April 8.
The latest allegations illegal weapons shipments to China come after a Chinese electronics expert was arrested in northern California in January and charged with illegally exporting US missile technology to China's military.
It marked the third similar case in California in three months.
LOS ANGELES, Feb 27 (AFP) - US authorities said Thursday they had charged four people and three companies with illegally exporting or plotting to ship US missile and fighter jet parts to communist China.
Are there any ChiComs who aren't?
Are there any ChiComs who aren't?
Continuing a proud Clinton tradition of aid and comfort to the enemy......
How many ChiComms aren't?
7 accused of exporting missile parts to China
LOS ANGELES - US authorities said on Thursday that they had charged four people and three companies with illegally exporting or plotting to export US missile and fighter jet parts to communist China.
The seven defendants were charged at the end of a five-year investigation into illegal shipping of sensitive weapons, including parts used in surface-to-air missiles and fighter aircraft, prosecutors revealed.
All seven, including two people of Chinese origin, were based in the Los Angeles area.
They allegedly attempted to ship parts for weapons such as the AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking anti-aircraft missile to China.
'The investigation... was launched in 1998 to stem the illegal flow of military and defence equipment in and out of the United States,' Assistant US Attorney Mary Carter Andrues said in a statement.
The owners of Los Angeles-based Mexpar International and Pasadena Aerospace, the businesses themselves and the ethnic Chinese proprietors of Maytone International all face multiple federal charges.
Mexpar and Pasadena and their owners Ahmad Nahardani and Gabriela De Brea were charged on Thursday with attempting to ship parts for the F-4 Phantom fighter jet, the Hawk anti-aircraft missile and the Sidewinder.
'During the course of the undercover investigation, Nahardani and De Brea sold the parts to an undercover operative and attempted to ship the weapons and missile parts to China on eight separate occasions,' prosecutors said.
All the parts were seized by the US authorities before they were shipped, they added.
Nahardani and De Brea, who were arrested on Thursday, face up to 80 years in federal prison if convicted on the eight-count indictment.
In the second case, Maytone and its owners Jinghua Zhuang and Xiuwen Liang were charged with attempting to illegally export F-14 Tomcat, Hawk Missile, Sidewinder and TOW anti-tank missile parts to Shenyang city in China.
If convicted on all four counts of illegal exportation of weapons, Zhuang and Liang could each receive up to 40 years in prison.
The latest allegations of illegal weapons shipments to China came after a Chinese electronics expert was arrested in northern California in January and charged with illegally exporting US missile technology to China's military.
It was the third similar case in California in three months. -- AFP via Straights Times, http://straightstimes.asia1.com.sg/world/story/0,4386,174471,00..html
San Gabriel Valley Tribune (SGVTribune)
Article Last Updated: Friday, February 28, 2003 - 12:09:13 AM PST
Azusa firms face missile-export charges
By Ruby Gonzales , Staff Writer
Two Azusa companies and their owners were charged Thursday with trying for two years to illegally export $128,400 worth of missile and aircraft parts to China, federal officials said.
Mexpar International, Inc., Pasadena Aerospace and owners Ahmad Nahardani and Gabriela De Brea each have been indicted on one count of conspiracy to export defense articles and seven counts of attempted unlawful export of parts for the F-4 Phantom Fighter, the Hawk missile and the AIM-9 "Sidewinder' missile.
The U.S. Customs Service seized the parts before they left the country.
Pasadena Aerospace is a division of Mexpar. Both are export companies.
The charges stem from a five- year undercover investigation by the U.S. Customs Service, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and Naval Criminal Investigative Service. The probe was started to stem the illegal flow of military and defense equipment in and out of the country, according to federal officials.
The investigation also has resulted in two Thousand Oaks men, Jinghua Zhuang and Xiuwen Liang, and their company, Maytone International, being charged with attempting to illegally export missile parts to China.
In addition, David Menashe of Israel, who is the managing director of Kam-Tech Systems, Ltd., has been charged with four counts of making false statements to the Customs Service. He allegedly smuggled missile parts into the United States by falsely representing the value and contents of the packages.
In the local case, Nahardani, 55, of Encino and De Brea, 62, of Alta Loma were arrested Thursday and made an appearance at the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.
They are in custody and will have a bond hearing today in federal court, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office. The two will be arraigned Monday.
Nahardani and De Brea's attorneys, Gregory Bright and Morton Boren, couldn't be reached for comment.
A woman who said she was the manager at Mexpar but declined to give her name denied the allegations.
'It's not true. The U.S. government has done this investigation for five years which means they have no strong case,' she said. "They're persecuting innocent people because they have nothing better to do with taxpayer money.'
The companies advertised that they were "Experts in Exports' and provided customers with lists of missile and aircraft parts for sale, according to the indictment.
Nahardani and De Brea allegedly sold the parts to an undercover operative and attempted to ship the weapons and missile parts to Shenyang, China on eight separate occasions.
The alleged conspiracy to sell the items started in October 1998 and continued until about June 2001, authorities said.
The U.S. military uses the F-4 aircraft as well as the two missiles. The Hawk is a surface-to- air guided missile while the Sidewinder is a heat-seeking air-to-air missile.
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