Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security denied export privileges to Arnoldo Arredondo on March 25, BIS said in a notice. Arredondo was convicted in 2017 for conspiring in the export of rifles to Mexico that "were designated as defense articles on the United States Munitions List, without the required U.S. Department of State licenses," BIS said. The denial of export privileges will last for 10 years from the date of the conviction -- that is, until Nov. 28, 2027, BIS said.

The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security denied export privileges to Mohan Nirala on March 25, BIS said in a notice. Nirala was convicted in 2017 for violations of the Espionage Act after having unauthorized possession of classified documents, BIS said. The denial of export privileges will last for 10 years from the date of the conviction -- that is, until March 13, 2027, BIS said.

Michael Stashchyshyn, who owned a freight forwarder company in Parsippany, New Jersey, pleaded guilty March 20 to one charge of "conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act," the Justice Department said in a March 21 news release. "In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Stashchyshyn conspired with others to export night sighting equipment, firearm parts, and ammunition to Ukraine without the requisite license issued by the State Department," said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania. The items were bought in the U.S. and sent to Stashchyshyn, who "then shipped the items to an individual in Ukraine in violation of U.S. law and regulations. The items shipped are contained on the Federal Munitions List and are controlled by the International Traffic in Arms (ITAR) regulations. They are illegal to ship without a license from the State Department, which the defendant and his co-conspirators did not have."

A federal judge sentenced David Levick of Australia to two years in jail as a result of illegally exporting aircraft parts to a company in Iran, the Department of Justice said in a March 21 news release. The sentencing follows a 2012 indictment and extradition from Australia in December 2018. Levick was the general manager of ICM Components in Australia in 2007 and 2008 when he solicited purchase orders from someone representing a trading company in Iran. Levick then placed orders with U.S. companies for aircraft parts and other items that the Iranian person could not have directly purchased from the U.S. without government approval, the DOJ said. "When necessary, Levick used a broker in Tarpon Springs, Florida, through whom orders could be placed for the parts to further conceal the fact that the parts were intended for transshipment" to Iran, it said. "Levick intentionally concealed the ultimate end-use and end-users of the parts from manufacturers, distributors, shippers, and freight forwarders located in the United States and elsewhere. In addition, Levick and others structured their payments between each other for the parts to avoid trade restrictions imposed on Iranian financial institutions by other countries. Levick and ICM wired money to companies located in the United States as payment for the parts."

Richard Luthmann, a Staten Island, New York, lawyer, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and extortion on March 18, the Justice Department said in a news release. "Beginning in summer 2015, Luthmann, co-defendant George Padula and the victim participated in a scheme in which they contracted with overseas companies to sell and ship them containers of valuable scrap metal, but instead packed the containers with cheap filler material, such as concrete blocks," the DOJ said. "As part of the scheme, Luthmann registered shell companies, including Omni Metal Corporation, with the New York Department of State and recruited a client of his law practice to be the nominal president of Omni." In late 2016, the victim was threatened with a gun in the presence of Padula not to contact police.