DOJ struck a deal with Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho, members of his family and trust entities he established to settle two civil forfeiture cases stemming from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad international embezzlement scheme, DOJ announced.
PetroChina International America -- a subsidiary of oil and gas giant PetroChina International Co. -- agreed to pay a $14.5 million fine for violating U.S. export laws, the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas announced this week.
Joly Germine of Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his role in a scheme to illegally export firearms to Haiti and for laundering money paid for U.S. hostages held by the Haitian gang 400 Mawozo, DOJ announced.
The State Department announced three-year debarments this week against 16 people convicted of violating U.S. export control laws. All 16 are “generally ineligible” to participate in activity controlled by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations for three years following their dates of conviction. At the end of that period, they must apply to be reinstated from their debarment before engaging in ITAR activities.
The Bureau of Industry and Security issued two temporary denial orders last week as part of the Biden administration's latest package of Russia-related sanctions and export controls (see 2406120036), targeting companies and people in the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Hong Kong, the British Virgin Islands, Turkey and Indonesia for sending export controlled items to Russia.
Canadian and German national Klaus Pflugbeil, who lives in China, pleaded guilty June 13 to conspiring to steal the trade secrets of an unnamed U.S.-based electric vehicle company to build his own company in China, DOJ announced. He faces a maximum 10-year prison stint following sentencing on Oct. 9.
DOJ repatriated another $156 million in "misappropriated 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds to the people of Malaysia," bringing to about $1.4 billion the total returned to Malaysia from the international embezzlement scheme, the department announced June 13.
Sergey Nefedov of Anchorage and Mark Shumovich of Bellevue, Washington, were charged June 11 with conducting a scheme to illegally export nearly $500,000 worth of snowmobilers and associated parts from the U.S. to Russia, DOJ announced.
Chinese citizen Zhenyu "Bill" Wang and Texas resident Daniel Ray Lane were sentenced to 45 months in prison for trying to violate U.S. sanctions and commit money laundering as part of a scheme to "transact in sanctioned petroleum and launder the proceeds," DOJ announced.
New York man Russell Milis was charged last week for illegally exporting eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles from the U.S. to China in violation of the Lacey Act, DOJ announced. He faces two counts of smuggling goods, each of which carry a 10-year maximum prison sentence, and one count of violating the Lacey Act, which comes with a maximum of vie years in prison.