Man Sentenced $10K Fine, 46 Months for Plot to Export Aircraft Parts to Iran
The Justice Department has announced that Michael Todd, president of The Parts Guys LLC in Florida, has been sentenced to 46 months in prison, a $10,000 fine and was ordered to forfeit $160,362 in connection with his efforts to illegally export military components for fighter jets and attack helicopters from the U.S. to Iran.
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Conspired with Others to Violate AECA by Exporting to Iran Without Licenses
In May 2011, Todd and his company pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act (AECA). According to court documents, Todd conspired with several others to export components for attack helicopters and fighter jets from the U.S. to Iran without obtaining the required U.S. export licenses. These components included military parts for the Bell AH-1 attack helicopter, the UH-1 Huey attack helicopter, as well as the F-5 and F-4 fighter jets.
Todd is 2nd Individual to Be Sentenced in this Investigation
DOJ states that Todd is the second individual defendant to plead guilty and be sentenced in this investigation. Co-defendant Hamid "Hank" Seifi, an Iranian-born U.S. national, and his company, Galaxy Aviation Services, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the AECA and violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in connection with illegal exports of military aircraft components to Iran. Seifi was sentenced to 23 months in prison in June 2011, followed by three years of supervised release, a fine of $12,500 and forfeiture of $153,950. Galaxy Aviation, which is now defunct, received a $400 special assessment.
(See ITT's Online Archives 11062723 for summary of DOJ's indictment of Seifi and his company, Galaxy Aviation.)