Summary of Major U.S. Export Enforcement, Economic and Sanctions-Related Criminal Cases
______________________________________________________________________________ OCTOBER 2014 NSD WWW.JUSTICE.GOV (202) 514-2007 SUMMARY OF MAJOR U.S. EXPORT ENFORCEMENT, ECONOMIC ESPIONAGE, TRADE SECRET AND EMBARGO-RELATED CRIMINAL CASES (January 2008 to the present: updated October 22, 2014) Below is a brief description of some of the major export enforcement, economic espionage, theft of trade secrets, and embargo-related criminal prosecutions by the Justice Department since January 2008. These cases resulted from investigations by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) [formerly Immigration and Customs Enforcement , (ICE)], the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the Pentagon's Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), and other law enforcement agencies. This list of cases is not exhaustive and only represents select cases. WMD Materials to North Korea - On October 10, 2014, in the Northern District of Illinois, a former resident of Taiwan, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States in its enforcement of regulations targeting proliferators of weapons of mass destruction. Hsien Tai Tsai a.k.a. “Alex Tsai” admitted that he engaged in illegal business transactions involving the export of U.S. origin goods and machinery. Tsai faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Under the terms of his plea agreement, the government will recommend a sentence of approximately 30 months in prison provided Tsai continues to fully cooperate with the United States. Previously, on June 6, 2013, Alex Tsai, who the U.S. government has linked to the supply of weapons machinery to North Korea, and his son, Yueh-Hsun Tsai, also known as "Gary Tsai," were indicted in the Northern District of Illinois for allegedly conspiring to violate U.S.
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