Belgian Faces Federal Charges Over Aluminum Tube Exports
The U.S. government filed federal charges against a Belgian businessman in Chicago for trying to export aluminum tubes without the required U.S. Commerce Department license, ICE said in a press release. The charges allege that Nicholas Kaiga was trying to export the aluminum tubes, which are controlled for nuclear nonproliferation purposes, from an Illinois company, through Belgium, to a Malaysian company, said ICE.
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The allegations are a result of a "a lengthy undercover investigation in which the U.S. company, based in Schaumburg, Ill., which was cooperating with law enforcement, actually shipped different non-controlled aluminum tubes to the defendant’s business in Belgium before they were allegedly illegally transshipped to Malaysia," said ICE. "Court documents allege that the Malaysian business is a front company operated by an individual who is sometimes located in Iran." Kaiga is charged with one count of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and two counts of making false statements on export forms, said ICE.