United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

GRAND JURY RETURNS SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT CHARGING CALIFORNIA MAN, COMPANIES WITH UNLAWFULLY SHIPPING TO IRAN

Kevin J. O’Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal Grand Jury sitting in Bridgeport, Connecticut, has returned a four-count Superseding Indictment charging MOHAMMAD FARAHBAKHSH, an Iranian national and a naturalized U.S. citizen, holding a residence in Los Angeles, California, with conspiring to ship United States goods to Iran, through the United Arab Emirates, and related charges.

The Superseding Indictment charges that FARAHBAKHSH and another Iranian national, HAMID FATHOLOLOOMY, as well as their companies, U.A.E.-based DIAMOND TECHNOLOGY LLC and AKEED TRADING COMPANY, sought to obtain a variety of U.S. goods for ultimate delivery to Iran beginning in 1997. The Superseding Indictment alleges that the efforts of the defendants continued until FARAHBAKHSH’s arrest on October 20, 2004 in Los Angeles. Included in the shipments charged are computer-related items obtained from a Texas company that are alleged to have been delivered to an Iranian company affiliated with the Iranian government and responsible for a ballistic missile program; a U.S. Department of Commerce-controlled satellite communications system purchased from a California company, which was installed on an Iranian owned oil tanker; and items purchased from another California company that were intended for an Iranian aerospace company. Originally, FARAHBAKHSH was charged with diverting pressure sensors and pressure transducers from a Connecticut company to Iran.

FARAHBAKHSH has been ordered detained without prejudice until his trial. A re-hearing on FARAHBAKHSH’s detention is scheduled for February 16, 2005.

U.S. Attorney O’Connor stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial at which it is the Government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted of the charges, FARAHBAKHSH faces a maximum of 10 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.
Special Agents from the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as Defense Criminal Investigative Service investigated the case.

Supervisory Assistant United States Attorney Robert M. Appleton is prosecuting the case.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov