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Landmark Operation Disrupts Multimillion-Dollar Iranian Oil Shipment Linked to Terrorism

Money LaunderingLandmark Operation Disrupts Multimillion-Dollar Iranian Oil Shipment Linked to Terrorism

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the FBI Minneapolis conducted an investigation that successfully disrupted a multimillion-dollar shipment of Iranian crude oil by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated foreign terrorist organization. On September 8, 2023, the Department of Justice announced the first-ever criminal resolution involving a company that violated sanctions by facilitating the illicit sale and transport of Iranian oil.

As a result of the investigation, Suez Rajan Limited pleaded guilty on April 19, 2023, to conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The company was sentenced to three years of corporate probation and fined nearly $2.5 million.

Empire Navigation, the operating company of the vessel carrying the contraband cargo, agreed to cooperate and transport the Iranian oil to the United States as part of a deferred prosecution agreement and a seizure warrant. This operation has now concluded, and Empire Navigation incurred significant expenses associated with the vessel’s voyage to the United States.

The shipment, consisting of over 980,000 barrels of contraband Iranian oil, was destined for China before law enforcement disrupted it. The contraband cargo is currently the subject of a civil forfeiture action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, with the United States alleging that the oil is subject to forfeiture based on U.S. terrorism and money laundering statutes. It is claimed that the oil belongs to or provides a “source of influence” over the IRGC and the IRGC-Qods Force, both designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the United States.

The investigation uncovered a scheme involving multiple entities associated with Iran’s IRGC and the IRGC-Qods Force to covertly sell and transport Iranian oil to a foreign customer. The complaint further alleges that the charterer of the vessel used the U.S. financial system to facilitate the transportation of Iranian oil.

It is alleged that the profits from these oil sales support the IRGC’s various malign activities, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, support for terrorism, and human rights abuses.

Funds successfully forfeited with a connection to a state sponsor of terrorism may be directed to the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund.

The investigation was conducted by HSI Washington, D.C., FBI Minneapolis, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. HSI is responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, with a focus on criminal organizations exploiting global infrastructure related to international trade, travel, and finance.

By FCCT Editorial Team

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are independent views solely of the author(s) expressed in their private capacity.

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