The Department of Justice indicted two men for allegedly supplying microelectronics to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps for use in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks.
The microelectronics included components like HEMTs, MMIC power amplifiers, and analog-to-digital converters, intended for the IRGC’s one-way attack UAV program.
The indictment reflects the U.S. commitment to preventing sensitive technology from reaching hostile governments. (Trending: Assault Weapons Ban Set To Take Effect, Here’s What To Know)
“Iranian national Hossein Hatefi Ardakani and co-defendant Gary Lam (identified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as Lin Jinghe), were charged with the crime,” the report found.
“Today’s coordinated action with the Treasury Department demonstrates the Justice Department’s commitment to keeping military-grade equipment out of the hands of the Iranian regime,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
“We will aggressively investigate, disrupt, and hold accountable criminal networks that supply sensitive technology to hostile and repressive governments in contravention of U.S. sanctions.”
The IRGC, designated as a foreign terrorist organization, has a history of repressive actions against its own citizens.
The accused individuals are facing charges including conspiracy to export U.S. goods to Iran and to defraud the United States, with potential sentences of up to 20 years.
“U.S. technology has zero place in Iranian UAVs,” Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod of the Department of Commerce said. “As these allegations demonstrate, those who procure dual-use microelectronics for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps will be held accountable.”
“Ardakani and his co-conspirators crafted a sophisticated web of front companies to obscure the illicit acquisition of U.S. and foreign technology to procure components for deadly UAVs,” Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England said.
“These very components have been found in use by Iran’s allies in current conflicts, including in Ukraine. The disruption of these criminal networks by Homeland Security Investigations means that hundreds of thousands of critical UAV components will never again be used for malign purposes.”
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