BOSTON – An Australian nationwide was sentenced March 21 to 2 years in federal jail on 4 counts of violating the Worldwide Emergency Financial Powers Act, which criminalizes realizing transactions with Iranian entities with out a license from the U.S. Division of Treasury.
David Russell Levick, 57, of Cherrybrook NSW, Australia, who beforehand pled responsible to the costs in U.S. District Courtroom for the District of Columbia on Feb. 1, 2019, was sentenced by the Honorable James E. Boasberg. Along with the jail time period, Levick should pay a forfeiture quantity of $199,227, which represents the overall worth of the products concerned within the unlawful transactions. Following completion of his jail time period, Levick can be topic to deportation proceedings.
The announcement was made by John C. Demers, Assistant Legal professional Basic for Nationwide Safety; Jessie Ok. Liu, U.S. Legal professional of the District of Columbia; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Particular Agent in Cost, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI), William Higgins, Appearing Particular Agent in Cost, U.S. Commerce Division’s Workplace of Export Enforcement Boston Area Workplace; Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Cost of the FBI’s Washington Area Workplace; and Leigh-Alistair Barzey, Particular Agent in Cost of the Protection Prison Investigative Service (DCIS), Northeast Area Workplace.
In keeping with court docket paperwork, Levick, as basic supervisor of ICM Parts, Inc., in Thornleigh, Australia, solicited buy orders and enterprise for plane elements from a consultant of a buying and selling firm in Iran. The Iranian enterprise accomplice additionally operated and managed corporations in Malaysia that acted as intermediaries for the Iranian buying and selling firm. Levick then positioned orders with U.S. corporations on behalf of the Iranian accomplice for the plane elements and different objects that the Iranian accomplice was prohibited from straight buying from the US with out the permission of the U.S. authorities.
Among the many objects that Levick admitted to procuring or making an attempt to acquire for transshipment to Iran have been the next objects, which all require a Treasury Division license with the intention to export to Iran, however which have been by no means obtained:
- Precision Stress Transducers, that are sensor units with all kinds of functions within the avionics trade, amongst others, and can be utilized for altitude measurements, laboratory testing, measuring instrumentations and recording barometric stress.
- Emergency Floatation System Kits that include touchdown gear, float baggage, composite cylinder and an entire electrical set up equipment. These kits have been designed to be used on Bell 206 helicopters to help the helicopter when touchdown in both water or mushy desert terrain.
- Shock Mounted Gentle Assemblies, that are packages of lights and mounting gear designed for top vibration use and which can be utilized on helicopters and different mounted wing plane.
Levick typically used a dealer in Tarpon Springs, Florida, by way of whom orders may very well be positioned for the elements to additional conceal the truth that the elements have been meant for transshipment to his Iranian enterprise accomplice and deliberately hid the final word end-use and end-users of the elements from producers, distributors, shippers, and freight forwarders positioned within the U.S. and elsewhere. Levick and others structured their funds between one another for the elements to keep away from commerce restrictions imposed on Iranian monetary establishments by different international locations. Levick and his firm wired cash to corporations positioned in the US as cost for the elements. The actions occurred in 2007 and 2008; Levick was indicted in February 2012. On the request of the US, Australia arrested him for the needs of extradition, and Australia extradited him to the US in December 2018. He has remained in custody right here.
The investigation was performed by particular brokers from HSI, the FBI’s Washington Area Workplace, and the Division of Commerce’s Bureau of Trade Safety. Help was offered by the Justice Division’s Workplace of Worldwide Affairs. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas A. Gillice and Brenda Johnson, and investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Denise Cheung and John Borchert, all the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace for the District of Columbia, in addition to former Assistant U.S. Legal professional Ann Petalas of the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace for the District of Columbia and Trial Legal professional Will Mackie of the Nationwide Safety Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Management Part.
