Justice Dept Announces FY 2008 Results of National Export Enforcement Initiative
The Justice Department has issued a press release announcing that the National Export Enforcement Initiative1, a multi-agency initiative to combat illegal exports of restricted military and dual-use technology from the U.S., has resulted in criminal charges against more than 145 defendants in fiscal year 2008. The press release notes that roughly 43% of these cases involved munitions or other restricted technology bound for Iran or China.
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In FY 2008, the National Export Enforcement Initiative has also resulted in the creation of approximately 15 Counter-Proliferation Task Forces in various judicial districts in the U.S.
In addition, the National Export Enforcement Initiative has resulted in enhanced training for more than 500 agents and prosecutors involved in export control and the creation of new mechanisms to enhance counter-proliferation coordination among law enforcement agencies, export licensing agencies and the intelligence community.
Fact Sheet Provides Snapshot of Major Export Prosecutions in FY 2007-2008
The Justice Department has also issued a fact sheet which provides a snapshot of some of the major export and embargo-related criminal prosecutions handled by the Justice Department in FYs 2007 and 2008. (The Justice Department notes that the fact sheet's list of cases is not exhaustive and only represents select cases.)
1Unveiled in October 2007, the National Export Enforcement Initiative is a cooperative effort by the Justice Department's National Security Division (NSD), the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the Pentagon's Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), the State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control and other agencies. The technology at the center of the initiative includes restricted U.S. military items, dual-use equipment, and other technical expertise or know-how, some of which have applications in Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).
(See ITT's Online Archives or 10/23/07 news, 07102315, for BP summary of the announcement of this initiative.)
Justice Department press release (dated 10/28/08) available at http://www.bis.doc.gov/news/2008/doj10282008.htm.
Justice Department fact sheet (dated 10/28/08) available at http://www.bis.doc.gov/news/2008/doj10282008_fact_sheet.pdf.