Illegal Exports to Syria – Penalties and Guilty Pleas
U.S. Department of Commerce and Department of Justice and other government agencies – Three Cases
Foreign Subsidiary of Texas Oil Firm Pleads Guilty to Illegally Exporting Drilling Equipment to Syria – Robbins & Myers Belgium S.A., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Robbins & Myers Inc., pleaded guilty today to four counts of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Export Administration Regulations. Robbins & Myers Belgium S.A. caused four illegal exports, reexports and/or transshipments of stators—important components of oil extraction equipment—that had made from steel that had been milled in the United States to a customer operating oil fields in Syria.
As part of its plea agreement Robbins & Myers Belgium agreed to pay a total of $1 million in criminal fines ($250,000 for each violation) and to serve a term of corporate probation. The gross proceeds received by Robbins & Myers Belgium for these four illegal exports was $31,716. As part of its plea agreement, Robbins & Myers Belgium has forfeited the entire $31,716 to the government. Robbins & Myers Belgium has also entered into a civil settlement with the Department of Commerce requiring the company to pay $600,000 in civil penalties.
Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty in Conspiracy to Illegally Export Restricted Laboratory Equipment to Syria – Harold Rinko, 72, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to illegally export laboratory equipment, including items used to detect chemical warfare agents, from the United States to Syria, in violation of federal law. Rinko admitted that he conspired to export items from the United States through third party countries to customers in Syria, without the required U.S. Commerce Department licenses.
Rinko is facing a potential maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and a three-year term of supervised release.
Italian Company Agrees to $100,000 Penalty for Unlawful Technology Export to Syria – Area S.p.A. (Area), located in Italy, has agreed to a $100,000 civil penalty settling charges that it knowingly sold U.S.-origin network monitoring equipment to the Syrian Telecommunications Establishment (STE) without the required U.S. Government authorization. In the hands of the Syrian Government, the system could be used to further the repression of the Syrian people.
Area cooperated with BIS in its investigation.
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