Family Members Conspired To Export F-5 Fighter Jet Engines To Iran

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Family Members Conspired To Export F-5 Fighter Jet Engines To Iran By Daniel Baxter

		March 28, 2011 - Four family members from Bogota, Columbia, were indicted on Wednesday by a federal grand jury on various counts of illegally attempting to export 22 F-5 jet fighter engines to Iran. The indictment follows an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS). The family members include: Diego Echeverry, 42 of Elmhurst, N.Y., Felipe Echeverry (age unknown), Amparo Echeverry Valdes, 53, and Carlos Alfredo Pantoja-Coral, 57.

"It is critical to U.S. national security that sensitive technology is kept from falling into dangerous hands," said Anthony V. Mangione, special agent in charge of ICE HSI in Miami. "ICE HSI investigations play a key role in keeping that technology away from those who intend to harm us." Count one of the five-count indictment charges the defendants with conspiracy to export U.S. fighter jet engines to Iran, which violates the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and Executive Orders banning exports to Iran. Count two charges the defendants with attempting to export fighter jet engines to Iran. Count three charges the defendants with attempting to sell and export fighter jet engines by evading Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) regulations. Count four charges the defendants with conspiracy to attempt to export fighter jet engines to Iran. Lastly, count five charges the defendants with attempting to export fighter jet engines. The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of the 22 jet engines. The U.S.-Iran embargo prohibits exporting from the United States to Iran any goods, technology or services, with limited exceptions, unless authorized by the Department of Treasury, OFAC. The embargo is enforced through IEEPA. According to the allegations in the indictment and the previously filed complaint affidavit, Felipe Echeverry and three of his relatives conspired to sell 22 aircraft engines for $320,000 to an undercover agent. And they agreed to help the undercover agent export the engines from Miami to Iran through Panama.

From January through March 2011, in a series of meetings and conversations, the defendants negotiated the terms of the purported sale, knowing that the ultimate destination of the fighter jet engines was purportedly Iran. According to the complaint affidavit, Iran produces an aircraft named "Saegeh," which is compatible with F-5 fighter engines. If convicted, the defendants face a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each of counts one through three of the indictment, five years in prison on count four, and 10 years in prison on count five.

		"The sale of arms and other commodities to Iran is illegal. When unscrupulous dealers look the other way and knowingly agree to sell military-use items knowing they are destined for Iran, they not only break our nation's laws, but also endanger our national security," said Wifredo Ferrer, U.S. Attorney Other News Stories (For the latest news please checkout our home page) Gulfstream Aircraft Receives AMO By The Cayman Islands Stop Work Order Issued On The JSF F136 Extra Engine Program By DOD Beechcraft Debut King Air 250 Along With Other Aircraft At Sun ?n Fun Jeppesen Teams Up To Provide NavData To Sport And Experimental Aircraft Pilots Earthbound Remedies Inspired By Spacebound Bacteria Electronic Flight Strip System Goes Into Operation At Jersey Airport Passenger Travel Up On U.S And On Foreign Airlines Serving The United States FAA Installs 150th Alaska Weather Camera To Promote Safer Skies Fire At MIA Continues To Cause Flight Cancelations And Delays Garmin Raises The Bar With GTN 650 And 750 Touchscreen Avionics Airbus Military A400M Completes Low Speed Take Off Tests AOPA Pays Tribute To Air Traffic Controllers FAA Suspends Air Traffic Controller At Washington National Airport 54th Annual Avionics Convention Opened In Reno Nevada Going To The Bathroom On U.S. Commercial Aircraft Could Be Fatal After Two Years, Fired Pilot At Ryanair Gets Job Back AirTran Stockholders Approve Southwest Merger New Orleans Control Tower Given Notice Of Workplace Safety Violations Air Force F-22 Breaks Sound Barrier On Camelina Based Biofuel Gulfstream G250 Completes Aircraft Natural Icing Tests Sikorsky Aircraft Opens New CH-53K Helicopter Assembly Plant In Florida To Date No Flight Restrictions In And Out Of Japan Airports Bombardier CSeries Aircraft Systems Testing Begins EASA Certifies Garmin G500H Glass Cockpit On The Eurocopter AS350 The Boeing 747-8 Makes A Successful First Flight Customs Officer Smuggled Drug Money And Guns Though ATL Airport O?Hare Airport To Receive Federal Funding For Airport Improvements Omniflight Completes Level 1 Of The FAA SMS Program Aircraft Maintenance In America Who Is Fixing My Plane? NTEU Tells Congress CBP Staffing Must Be Increased Bernard von NotHaus Convicted of Minting His Own Currency United Airlines Mechanics Secure Tentative Agreement With Airline