The Bureau of Industry and Security revoked export privileges for Matteo Taerri for violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, BIS said in an Aug. 10 order. Taerri was convicted June 4, 2020, after illegally trying to export a U.S.-origin Prostak filter module to Iran without the required license from the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. Taerri was sentenced to time served, three years of supervised release and issued a $200 fine. BIS denied Taerri’s export privileges for 10 years from the date of conviction.
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the top Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee, is asking the Bureau of Industry and Security for information on Huawei export licenses. Wicker said BIS recently held an “informal briefing” with Wicker’s staff in which they withheld certain licensing information “based on confidentiality concerns,” but Wicker believes the information should have been provided. “The information requested neither focused on any particular company's compliance nor could have resulted in a breach of confidentiality for a company under investigation,” the senator said in an Aug. 11 letter to BIS.
The Bureau of Industry and Security and the Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a fact sheet this week highlighting the various exemptions and authorizations available for companies, people and exporters providing telecommunications goods and services to Cuba. The five-page guidance covers OFAC general licenses and BIS license exceptions and comes as the Biden administration tries to increase sanctions pressure on the Cuban government for its crackdown on pro-democracy protests in recent weeks (see 2107300063).
Russia imposed sanctions on a “proportionate” number of British citizens in response to the United Kingdom's anti-corruption sanctions listings on Russian individuals (see 2104270017), the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Aug. 9, according to an unofficial translation. The sanctions include a travel ban, but the Russian government did not specify how many or which individuals are sanctioned. “We consider these groundless attacks by London to be a clear demonstration of the true intentions of the country's leadership with regard to further building its course in the Russian direction, namely, the desire to conduct destructive activities on the bilateral track,” the foreign ministry said. “We state that after leaving the [European Union], Great Britain stepped up even more in building up sanctions tools, including for demonstrating leadership in the campaign of denigrating Russia.”
The Bureau of Industry and Security revoked export privileges for three people for illegally exporting defense goods without licenses, according to Aug. 9 orders.
The Bureau of Industry and Security on Aug. 10 completed its interagency review of a proposed rule that would impose export controls on certain additive manufacturing equipment used to print “energetic materials” and related software and technology (see 2107270004). The rule, first received by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs July 23, would classify the equipment as an emerging technology and would likely be proposed for multilateral control at the Wassenaar Arrangement. BIS plans to request public comments on the rule before the controls are finalized.
The Biden administration will maintain a Trump-era policy that loosened export restrictions on certain unmanned drones, a decision that drew applause from the aerospace defense industry last year but sparked concern from some lawmakers.
Jahna Hartwig, former associate general counsel for ethics and compliance at Booz Allen, joined Wilson Sonsini as a senior counsel for the national security practice in the firm's Washington, D.C., office, the firm said in an Aug. 9 news release. Hartwig will look to bolster Wilson Sonsini's national security team using her experience with export control and sanctions compliance, International Traffic in Arms Regulations matters and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act proceedings, the release said. Prior to Booz Allen, Hartwig held director and associate general counsel positions at Sikorsky Aircraft.
The European Council removed Navy Cmdr. Bion Na Tchongo and Capt. Paulo Sunsai from its Guinea-Bissau sanctions regime in an Aug. 5 implementing regulation. Both listings were originally made in 2012 in response to their roles in “threatening the peace, security or stability of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau.”
The U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut denied Arif Durrani's "frivolous" motion to vacate his 34-year-old conviction and sentence, in an Aug. 3 order. Durrani was convicted in 1987 of violating the Arms Export Control Act by shipping Hawk missile parts to Iran without a license. The issues raised in his September 2020 motion to vacate "have been exhaustively addressed -- and rejected -- in prior motions brought by Durrani," the court said. Durrani also has served his prison sentence. "Moreover, as the government notes, to the extent Durrani’s petition is construed as one under 28 U.S.C. § 2255, it necessarily fails because Durrani is no longer 'in custody' as required under the statute," the order said (Arif Durrani v. United States, D. Conn. #20-01373).