The Commerce Department denied export privileges for Marjan Caby after Caby violated the Export Administration Regulations, Commerce said in a Jan. 17 order. The violations stem from a scheme involving a Miami-based company, its manager and its registered agent, whose export privileges were revoked in November for violating the EAR by illegally exporting aircraft parts and equipment to Syrian Arab Airlines (see 1911130043). Caby worked as the “internal auditor” for AW-Tronics/Arrowtronic, the company named in the order, and helped the shipments evade U.S. export controls by directing them to Bulgaria before they were eventually shipped to Syria, Commerce said. Caby’s export privileges were revoked for four years from the date of the order.

The Commerce Department issued a Jan. 15 order temporarily denying export privileges for five people and five companies for involvement in an international procurement scheme to illegally export U.S. items to Pakistan. The scheme, announced in an indictment recently released by the Justice Department (see 2001150040), involved Muhammad Kamran Wali of Pakistan, Muhammad Ahsan Wali and Haji Wali Muhammad Sheikh of Canada, Ashraf Khan Muhammad of Hong Kong and Ahmed Waheed of the United Kingdom. It also involved Business World of Pakistan, Buziness World of Canada, Business World of Hong Kong, Hong Kong-based Industria Hong Kong Ltd. and Pakistan-based Product Engineering. The scheme involved attempts to export items to Pakistan’s Advanced Engineering Research Organization (AERO) and the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), both of which are on the Entity List. The order denies their export privileges for 180 days from Jan. 15.

The State Department rescinded statutory debarments for three people and two entities that previously pleaded guilty to violating the Arms Export Control Act, but did not reinstate their export privileges, according to a notice in the Federal Register. The agency rescinded debarments for Jami Siraj Choudhury, David Michael Janowski II, Netria Corporation, Jonathan Robert Reynolds and State Metal Industries after each requested reinstatement. The State Department said each party took “appropriate steps to address the causes of the violations sufficient to warrant rescission of their respective notice of statutory debarment.” But the agency also said the notice does not reinstate their export privileges, adding that it no longer requires export privileges to be reinstated before a debarment is rescinded. “This change in policy recognizes that the circumstances warranting statutory debarment may be different from those warranting the revocation of export privileges,” the State Department said. The policy change was announced in March (see 1903120050).

Five men were indicted for conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Powers Act and the Export Control Reform Act by trying to illegally export items to Pakistan, the Justice Department said in a Jan. 15 press release. The men -- Muhammad Kamran Wali of Pakistan, Muhammad Ahsan Wali and Haji Wali Muhammad Sheikh of Canada, Ashraf Khan Muhammad of Hong Kong, and Ahmed Waheed of the United Kingdom -- used a network of front companies to export the goods to Pakistan’s Advanced Engineering Research Organization (AERO) and the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC).

A part-owner of a Florida energy company was sentenced to two years in prison for conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Justice Department said Jan. 8. Juan Jose Hernandez Comerma tried to corruptly secure contracts from Petroleos de Venezuela,S.A. (see 1910210065), Venezuela’s state-owned and U.S.-sanctioned energy company, the Justice Department said. Hernandez conspired with two other U.S. businessmen to bribe PdVSA “purchasing analysts,” the agency said. The bribes ensured their companies were placed on PdVSA’s “bidding panels,” the Justice Department said, which allowed them to secure “lucrative energy contracts.” Hernandez provided PdVSA officials with “recreational travel and entertainment” based on the percentage of contracts awarded to his company.

The Department of Commerce denied Resit Tavan’s export privileges after he was convicted of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions, Commerce said in a Dec. 31 notice. Tavan attempted to illegally export “specialized marine equipment” from the U.S. to Iran without the required license, Commerce said. He was convicted Aug. 29, 2019, and sentenced to 28 months in prison and a $100 fine. Commerce revoked Tavan’s export privileges for 10 years from his date of conviction.

The Department of Commerce denied Edgar Sanchez-Muro export privileges after he was convicted of violating the Arms Export Control Act by illegally exporting 980 rounds of ammunition from the U.S. to Mexico, Commerce said in a Dec. 31 notice. Sanchez-Muro was convicted June 19, 2019, and sentenced to one year in prison and a $100 fine. Commerce revoked Sanchez-Muro’s export privileges for five years from his date of conviction.

The Department of Commerce denied Ruben Beltran-Ramos export privileges after he was convicted of violating the Arms Export Control Act, Commerce said in a Dec. 31 notice. Beltran-Ramos illegally exported 5,000 cartridges of ammunition from the U.S. to Mexico without a license, Commerce said. He was convicted Nov. 20, 2018, and sentenced to 26 months in prison and a $100 fine. Commerce revoked Beltran-Ramos’ export privileges for 10 years from his date of conviction.

Latvia’s Financial and Capital Market Commission (FCMC) fined a Swedish bank more than $1.8 million dollars for anti-money laundering and sanctions violations, the FCMC said in a Dec. 20 press release. The bank, AS SEB banka, did not “fully” ensure its clients were not participating in money laundering activities, the press release said, and did not properly screen a customer for sanctions violations. After the violations, the bank “independently” improved its anti-money laundering compliance program, FCMC said. The agency also said the “risk level” of the violations were “low” and the bank followed through on the settlement agreement, which included two external audits, an improved “internal documentation” system and an improved information technology system to “monitor customer transactions.”

The owner of a U.S. freight forwarding company pleaded guilty to trafficking in exotic birds after an attempt to illegally export 86 birds, including three falsely labeled macaws, from California to Taiwan, the Justice Department said in a Dec. 16 press release. Paul Tallman, owner of Aerotyme-Inc., worked with William McGinness to ship the birds from New Orleans to California and eventually to Taiwan, the press release said, which would have violated the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The scheme also would have violated a 2015 Taiwanese ban on imports of California birds due to the risk of “highly pathogenic avian flu.”