The United States has charged three individuals for attempting to illegally transfer sensitive technology, goods and information to foreign governments.
The Department of Justice filed criminal complaints against two Iranian nationals in New York for conspiring to export equipment used in the aerospace industry to Iran. The actions violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which prohibits the export of goods and technology without appropriate licenses.
American law enforcement also arrested a California man – a native of China who became a U.S. citizen in 2011 – for allegedly stealing U.S. government trade secrets related to the detection and tracking of ballistic and hypersonic missiles.
“The FBI continues to take aggressive investigative action to hold accountable those who seek to violate sanctions and illegally provide sensitive technology to foreign adversaries,” said Paul Abbate, deputy director at the bureau.
According to U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, the U.S. has arrested over a dozen high-profile targets since the launch of the Disruptive Technology Strike Force in early 2023.
The strike force, DOJ’s joint initiative with the Department of Commerce to enforce export control laws, was established to protect supply chains and critical technological assets from foreign adversaries. It brings together officials from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and 14 U.S. Attorney’s Offices.