An Iranian national pleaded guilty to plotting to export missile components from the United States to Iran, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Davoud Baniameri, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to export goods and technology to Iran and one count of attempting to export defense articles without a license or government approval.
Baniameri, who has been held in jail since his September 2009 arrest, tried to purchase 10 connector adapters for TOW and TOW2 missile systems from a Chicago-area company which was "controlled by law enforcement" the plea agreement said.
His aim was to export them to Iran via the United Arab Emirates.
He also admitted to buying three Marconi radio test sets from a company in Illinois. He had them sent to California -- where he maintained a home and business -- and then exported them to Dubai for ultimate transshipment to Iran.
Baniameri will be sentenced on August 4 and faces a maximum of 30 years in prison. The plea agreement suggests a sentencing guideline of around three to five years in jail.
Also charged are Andro Telemi, 40, a naturalized US citizen originally from Iran, and Syed Majid Mousavi, an Iranian citizen living in Iran.
AFP
