NY Man Sentenced to Over 8 Years in Prison for Export of Carbon Fiber to Iran
Richard Phillips, 54, of the Bronx, NY, was sentenced to 92 months in prison for attempting to export high-technology commodities to Iran in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement reported. According to court documents, in October 2011, Phillips offered his services and expertise in exporting a spool of carbon fiber to Tehran, Iran, via the Philippines, in violation of the U.S. trade embargo against Iran. The two main applications of carbon fiber are in specialized technology, including aerospace and nuclear engineering, and in general engineering and transportation. In a recorded telephone conversation with an undercover special agent, Phillips was warned that the export of the carbon fiber to Iran was illegal under the trade embargo, ICE said.
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After a series of calls, email exchanges and meetings with Homeland Security Investigations and Defense Criminal Investigative Services undercover special agents, Phillips took possession of a spool of carbon fiber, which was placed into a shipping container, and affixed a label to the container addressed to the Philippines, where it was to be forwarded to Iran, ICE said. In a recorded conversation shortly before his arrest, Phillips stated, "By December, I plan on having an office in the Philippines . . . . So, at that point in time the Feds can't even say anything because I'm no longer in this country, you're selling it to an individual in the Philippines, and you don't give a f--k what they do with it," said ICE.