British Man Sentenced to 33 Months for Attempted Export of USML Missile Components
A British businessman was sentenced to 33 months in prison for attempting to export to Iran a special component of the Hawk Air Defense Missile, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In addition to his prison sentence, Christopher Tappin must also pay an $11,357.14 fine. Tappin reversed his original not guilty plea Nov. 1, admitting his guilt to aiding and abetting the illegal export of defense articles, and waiving his right to appeal his conviction or challenge the sentence handed down.
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By pleading guilty, Tappin admitted that from 2005 to 2007 he assisted others, including his Cyprus-based business associate Robert Frederick Gibson and Portland, Ore., resident Robert Caldwell, in an attempt to illegally export zinc/silver oxide reserve batteries to Iran, ICE said. The batteries are a special component of the Hawk Air Defense Missile, designated as a defense article on the U.S. Munitions List and requiring State Department authorization for export.
Tappin engaged in phone and email communications with an undercover federal agent to discuss payment and delivery arrangements, said ICE. In 2006, Tappin wired about $25,000 from a London financial institution to a U.S. bank account as payment for five of the specialized batteries, it said. Using false shipping documentation and without an export license, Tappin arranged to transfer the batteries to the U.K. through his specifically designated freight forwarders.
During the investigation, Tappin agreed to reimburse an undercover agent for $5,000 in fines purportedly assessed by CBP after it seized the shipment of the batteries, ICE said. Tappin also told Caldwell to travel to San Antonio in January 2007 to take delivery of the batteries, ensure that they were shipped to him, and to pay the $5,000 to the undercover agent, it said. The fine reflects Tappin’s expected profit of $11,357.14.
Gibson and Caldwell were sentenced to 24 months and 20 months in 2007 for their roles in the scheme
*Corrected headline to reflect sentence of 33 months.