Chicago entrepreneur jailed for a year for illegally exporting computer equipment to Pakistan


PTI, May 19, 2022, 9:46 AM IST

Washington DC: A Chicago-based executive of Pakistani origin has been sentenced to a year in prison for illegally exporting computer equipment to a Pak nuclear research agency, the Department of Justice said on Wednesday.

Obaidullah Syed, 67, had last year pleaded guilty to conspiring to export goods from the US without a license from the Department of Commerce and to submit false export information. US District Judge Mary Rowland on Tuesday sentenced Syed to a year and a day in federal prison. Prior to sentencing, Syed forfeited USD 247,000 of criminally derived cash to the US government.

According to federal prosecutors, Syed owned two companies — Pakistan-based Business System International Pvt Ltd, and Chicago-based BSI USA. The companies provided high-performance computing platforms, servers, and software application solutions. Syed admitted in a plea agreement that from 2006 to 2015 he conspired with his company’s employees in Pakistan to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by exporting computer equipment from the US to the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission without obtaining the required authorisation from the US Department of Commerce. The PAEC is a Pakistani government agency designated by the US government as an entity which may pose an unusual or extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States.

Syed further admitted that he and his associates lied to US-based computer manufacturers that the illegal shipments were intended for universities in Pakistan or Syed’s businesses, when, in fact, they knew each shipment was meant either for the PAEC or a research institute that trained the agency’s engineers and scientists.

In so doing, Syed and his company caused the US-based computer manufacturers to submit to the US government shipping documents that listed false end-users for the US-origin goods, undermining the US government’s ability to stop the illegal shipments, federal prosecutors said.

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

Those rejected by people trying to control Parliament: PM Modi

BMW hit-and-run case: HC refuses to release accused Mihir Shah on ground of ‘illegal’ arrest

Perth Test, Day 4: Siraj removes Smith as Australia go into lunch at 104 for five

Skipper Rohit Sharma hit nets following arrival in Perth, will play two-day game in Canberra

UP: Misled by ‘Google Maps’, car falls into river from incomplete bridge, 3 dead

Kangana takes ‘demon’ jibe at MVA, says it lost Maharashtra for disrespecting women

Eastern states were considered backward earlier, I view them as India’s growth engine: PM Modi

Related Articles More

COP29: India rejects new USD 300 billion climate finance deal

Royal tour of India in offing for King Charles, Queen Camilla: Report

Indian-American leaders applaud PM Modi for inclusive growth in India

COP29: Civil society protests climate finance proposal, calls for ‘no deal’ over ‘bad deal’

Bomb disposal squad tackles ‘security incident’ at UK’s Gatwick Airport

MUST WATCH

Coconut Flower

Prakash Belawadi

Naxal Leader Vikram Gowda

Christmas Cake Fruit Mixing

DK Shivakumar


Latest Additions

Those rejected by people trying to control Parliament: PM Modi

BMW hit-and-run case: HC refuses to release accused Mihir Shah on ground of ‘illegal’ arrest

Those rejected by people trying to control Parliament: PM Modi

Bengaluru: Man sustains severe leg injuries after being hit by car while sitting outside his house

Perth Test, Day 4: Siraj removes Smith as Australia go into lunch at 104 for five

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.