Maryland ITAR Broker Pleads Guilty to False Statements in Security Clearance Investigation
A Maryland man pleaded guilty Oct. 15 to obstruction of agency proceedings, in connection with giving false statements during his background investigation for a security clearance, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Gurpreet Singh Kohli, of Potomac, Md., was required to obtain a security clearance for a position with a defense electronics and weapons manufacturer based in Maryland. But during the investigation, Kohli minimized his relationships with Indian officials that resulted from his concurrent operation of NAVTEC, which was registered with the Department of State to act as a broker in the sale and transfer of U.S. defense electronics and related components, ICE said. The majority of NAVTEC’s customers were Indian government, military, and defense-related agencies. Kohli faces a maximum of five years in prison.
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Kohli admitted that during two separate Office of Personnel Management (OPM) background investigations for the security clearance, he made a number of false statements and representations regarding his activities for NAVTEC and his contacts with foreign nationals, ICE said. Specifically, Kohli minimized the nature and scope of his activities with NAVTEC and under oath denied that he had any established foreign business contacts or associations with Indian government organizations, it said. Other false statements included that his contact with foreign nationals was limited to relatives in India; that his foreign business travel was limited to attending trade and air shows on behalf of the Maryland defense contractor; and that his contact with a foreign government or its representatives was limited to business meetings in the U.S. on behalf of the Maryland defense contractor, ICE said. During a follow-up interview with an OPM investigator March 9, 2011, Kohli falsely denied having any other employment or business ventures outside of his employment with the Maryland defense contractor, it said.